Noorie

Noorie is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Manmohan Krishna and produced by Yash Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film stars Farooq Shaikh and Poonam Dhillon in lead roles, with supporting performances by Madan Puri and Iftekhar. It marked the only directorial venture of Krishna, a longtime character actor in Hindi cinema. The music was composed by Khayyam, with lyrics by Jan Nisar Akhtar.

Noorie
Directed by	Manmohan Krishna
Written by	Sagar Sarhadi
Produced by	Yash Chopra
Starring	Farooq Shaikh Poonam Dhillon Madan Puri
Music by	Khayyam Jan Nisar Akhtar (lyrics) Naqsh Lyallpuri (lyrics)
Production company	Yash Raj Films
Distributed by	Yash Raj Films
Release date	11 May 1979 (1979-05-11)
Running time	114min
Country	India
Language	Hindi-Urdu[1]
Box office	₹50 million (US$6.14 million) (India)[2]

Set in a pastoral Himalayan village, the narrative follows the tragic love story of a young couple whose lives are disrupted by social and familial conflict. Principal photography took place in Bhaderwah, in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Released on 11 May 1979, Noorie emerged as a commercial success, earning approximately ₹45 million. It was declared a "super hit" by Box Office India and ranked as the seventh highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. The film also achieved success internationally, particularly in China, where it was released in 1981 and became one of the most popular Indian films of the era, alongside Awaara (1951) and Caravan (1971).^[3][4] The film received positive reviews for its music, performances, and setting.

At the 27th Filmfare Awards, Noorie received six nominations, including Best Film (Chopra), Best Director (Krishna), and Best Actress (Dhillon).

Plot

Noorie lives in the Bhaderwah valley with her father, Ghulam Nabi, and her dog, Khairoo. She is in a relationship with Yusuf, and the two plan to marry. Preparations for the wedding begin, but complications arise when a local man, Bashir Khan, expresses interest in marrying Noorie. Ghulam Nabi refuses his proposal, leading Bashir to orchestrate his murder under the guise of a falling tree accident.

Following a period of mourning, marriage plans are revived. However, Bashir, who is also Yusuf's employer, sends Yusuf out of town on a work errand. In Yusuf’s absence, Bashir visits Noorie’s home and sexually assaults her. Traumatized, Noorie takes her own life.

Upon returning, Yusuf learns of the events and pursues Bashir. A physical confrontation ensues in which Yusuf is shot. As Bashir attempts to flee, he is attacked and killed by Khairoo. Gravely wounded, Yusuf reaches Noorie’s body and dies beside her. The film concludes with the couple being buried together.

Cast

• Farooque Shaikh as Yusuf Fakir Mohammed
• Poonam Dhillon as Noorie Nabi
• Madan Puri as Lala Karamchand
• Iftekhar as Ghulam Nabi
• Padma Khanna as Courtesan
• Gita Siddharth as Karamchand's daughter-in-law
• Javed Khan as Faulad Khan
• Bharat Kapoor as Basheer Khan
• Avtar Gill as Basheer's friend
• Khairoo as Dog ^[5]
• Manmohan Krishna as Saiji (Storyteller)

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Noorie was composed by Khayyam, with lyrics by Jan Nisar Akhtar, Naqsh Lyallpuri, and Majrooh Sultanpuri.^[6]

Noorie
Soundtrack album by Khayyam
Released	1979 (India)
Genre	Film soundtrack
Label	EMI
Producer	Khayyam
Khayyam chronology
Trishul (1978) Noorie (1979) Khandaan (1979)

#	Title	Singer(s)	Lyricist	Duration
1	"Aaja Re O Mere Dilbar Aaja" – I	Lata Mangeshkar, Nitin Mukesh	Jan Nisar Akhtar	04:58
2	"Chori Chori Koi Aaye"	Lata Mangeshkar	Naqsh Lyallpuri	05:04
3	"Qadar Tune Na Jani"	Asha Bhosle	Naqsh Lyallpuri	05:12
4	"Uske Khel Nirale Wohi Jane"	Pamela Chopra, Jagjit Kaur, Anwar	Majrooh Sultanpuri	04:54
5	"Aashiq Ho To Aisa Ho" (Qawwali)	Pamela Chopra, Mahendra Kapoor, Jagjit Kaur, S.K. Mahan	Jan Nisar Akhtar	06:31
6	"Aaja Re O Mere Dilbar Aaja" – II	Lata Mangeshkar, Nitin Mukesh	Jan Nisar Akhtar	05:03

Accolades

Award	Date of the ceremony	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
Filmfare Awards	1980	Best Film	Noorie	Nominated
		Best Director	Manmohan Krishna	Nominated
		Best Actress	Poonam Dhillon	Nominated
		Best Music Director	Khayyam	Nominated
		Best Lyricist	Jan Nisar Akhtar (for "Aaja Re")	Nominated
		Best Male Playback Singer	Nitin Mukesh (for "Aaja Re")	Nominated

Trivia

The 1985 film Teri Meherbaniyan, also featuring Poonam Dhillon, drew thematic parallels with Noorie, including a storyline involving a dog avenging the protagonist’s death.