Premium21 Years of Tere Naam: Revisiting Salman Khan's heart-wrenching love story
Two decades later, Tere Naam remains a heartbreaking love story, continuing to resonate with audiences even after 21 years.
Last Updated: 09.10 AM, Aug 15, 2024
It's been 21 years since the release of Salman Khan's career-defining film, Tere Naam. Indeed, the romantic drama from 2003 is undeniably tragic, garnering praise for the superstar's portrayal of a heartbroken lover and inspiring many with his iconic hairstyle. Satish Kaushik directed Tere Naam, written by Jainendra Jain, with Bhumi Chawla as the female lead. She made her Hindi film debut back then. In case you are planning to revisit the film on OTT, it is available to stream on JioCinema and ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium).
Radhe Mohan's tragic love story
In Tere Naam, the street hero Radhe Mohan (Khan) has a beautiful heart. He gained fame for taking on thugs in order to defend the oppressed and the downtrodden. Even though Radhe has left the university, he still frequents the campus and engages in ragging on current students. One of the new students he faces is Nirjara (Chawla), a girl from a traditional Brahmin family. Nirjara's elegance and demeanour captivate Radhe. Because he is hopelessly in love with her, he plans to marry her someday. When he tries to express his love for Nirjara, she emphatically rejects him. Radhe rescues Nirjara's older sister (Indira Krishnan) from danger on a certain occasion. After this, Nirjara develops a soft spot for Radhe, dispelling her illusions about him. A group of criminals assaults Radhe just as Nirjara returns his feelings. His admission to an ashram follows his mental breakdown; there, he will undergo traditional medicine in the hopes that it will help him recover. Radhe tries to flee multiple times, but Nirjara's memories keep coming back to torment him. They take him into custody and place him in an asylum.
Tere Naam is the Hindi remake of the 1999 Tamil film Sethu, featuring Vikram in the leading role. According to reports, the film was inspired by the true story of the filmmaker's friend, who fell madly in love and ended up in a mental institution. Although the soundtrack record for Tere Naam was a smash hit, the film itself was only a middling financial success upon its August 15, 2003, release. Many people think that Khan's portrayal of Radhe Mohan was his finest performance to date, and he received a lot of applause for it.
Controversies and casting choices
Anurag Kashyap lost his job as film director after voicing his disapproval of Salman Khan's decision to shave his chest for the role of Radhe—a man from Uttar Pradesh known for his bare chest. At a later point, Kaushik assumed control. Ameesha Patel, the original choice for the role of Nirjara, was unable to take it due to scheduling issues. They cast Chawla, who was making her debut in Bollywood, in the role.
Eleven songs make up the film's soundtrack. Sameer and Jalees Sherwani wrote the lyrics, and Himesh Reshammiya and Sajid-Wajid composed the music. Upon the album's release, songs from the soundtrack, such as the title track, Odhni, Tumse Milna, Kyun Kisi Ko, and O Jaana, became enormous hits. With sales of almost three million copies, the soundtrack surpassed all other Indian music albums of the year.