Khwahish

Khwahish (transl. 'Desire') is a 2003 Indian Hindi romance film presented by Akbar Arabiyan (Mojdeh and Mojtaba Movies) and directed by Govind Menon.^[1] The film stars Himanshu Malik and Mallika Sherawat.^[2]

Khwahish
DVD cover
Directed by	Govind Menon
Written by	Govind Menon
Produced by	Vivek Nayak
Starring	Himanshu Malik Mallika Sherawat
Cinematography	Uday Devare
Edited by	Anand Subbaya
Music by	Songs: Milind Sagar Score: D. Imman
Distributed by	Mojdeh & Mojtaba Movies
Release date	6 June 2003 (2003-06-06)
Running time	152 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Plot

Amar is a rich and stubborn man. He meets Lekha in a shop. While Lekha is poor (the daughter of a poultry farmer), she is a happy, frank, and straightforward girl. When Amar and Lekha study in college, they spend time together and finally fall in love. After the exams, Amar cannot take the separation and proposes to her. Her father Ulhas befriends Amar and accepts the marriage. However, Amar's wealthy politician father does not, as he cannot reconcile to the difference in status. Also, he wants his son to complete his studies first before getting married. Amar breaks contact with his father and marries Lekha. The married couple move into their new little home, but after days of happiness and good times, medical reports indicate Lekha has leukemia.

Cast

• Himanshu Malik as Amar Ranawat^[3]
• Mallika Sherawat as Lekha Khorzuvekar^[4]
• Mahmud Babai as Ulhas Khorzuvekar (Lekha's Father)
• Shivaji Satam as Amar's Father

Music

Music was composed by Milind Sagar. Lyrics were written by Faiz Anwar. All tracks were sung by Asha Bhosle.

Song	Singer
"Baila Baila"	Asha Bhosle
"Rang Raliyan"	Asha Bhosle
"Sapnon Mein"	Asha Bhosle
"Jaan-E-Man"	Asha Bhosle, KK
"Gungunati Hai"	Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan
"Hum Dono Hain Khoye"	Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan

Reception

Box office

According to Box Office India, the film earned ₹51.9 million (equivalent to ₹190 million or US$2.3 million in 2023) against a budget of ₹25 million (equivalent to ₹92 million or US$1.1 million in 2023).^[5] Rediff.com called the collection of the film "commission earner" in Mumbai and "average" in other cities.^[6]

Critical response

Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM gave the film 1 star out of 5, writing "On the whole, KHWAHISH leaves many 'khwahishes' unfulfilled. The gentry would find it hard to relate to a love story with minimal emotions, while the front benchers - expecting a lot of skin show - will be grossly disappointed as well. At the box-office, the film will face an uphill task."^[7] Adhitya Suvarna of Rediff.com gave a negative review, writing "Khwahish is a waste of time. Forget the script; there is none. What's worse, the chemistry between the lead couple, Mallika Sherawat and Himanshu Malik, is non-existent. The much-hyped 17 kisses come and go before you even realise it."^[8]