Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (transl. Yet, The Heart is Indian) is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language satirical film directed by Aziz Mirza and produced by Dreamz Unlimited. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla in the lead roles, with Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Govind Namdev, Satish Shah, Dalip Tahil, Mahavir Shah, Shakti Kapoor, and Neena Kulkarni in supporting roles. The title of the film is derived from the song "Mera Joota Hai Japani" from the 1955 film Shree 420. The film marked the debut production venture of Khan, Chawla, and Mirza under their production company, Dreamz Unlimited.

Ajay Bakshi, an ambitious and outspoken reporter for KTV, thrives on sensationalism to boost ratings. His rival, Ria Banerjee of Galaxy TV, is assigned to undermine him. Meanwhile, a small-time gangster, Pappu Junior alias Choti, struggles for recognition within his gang. Ajay recruits Choti to stage a fake on-air attack on politician Ramakant Dua’s brother-in-law, Madanlal Gupta, to generate publicity. However, the plan spirals out of control when Madanlal is genuinely murdered by Mohan Joshi, who is immediately branded a terrorist by authorities.

As riots erupt across the city, Ajay and Ria cover the unrest and gradually set aside their rivalry. When Mohan escapes custody and confronts them, he reveals that he killed Madanlal to avenge his daughter, who was raped and killed by him, and that he had been denied justice due to Madanlal’s political influence. Moved by his story, Ajay and Ria decide to expose the truth. They record Mohan’s confession but are deceived by their media superiors and corrupt politicians, who confiscate the tape to protect their interests.

Mohan is recaptured and sentenced to death. Realizing they have been manipulated, Ajay and Ria retrieve the confession and broadcast it shortly before the execution, appealing to the public. Their report sparks массов protests, forcing authorities to halt the execution. The ensuing public outcry leads to the downfall of the corrupt politicians and media figures. Mohan is saved, and Ajay and Ria reconcile, acknowledging their feelings for each other.

• Shah Rukh Khan as Ajay Bakshi, a reporter for KTV Channel
• Juhi Chawla as Ria Banerjee, a reporter of Galaxy TV Channel
• Paresh Rawal as Mohan Joshi
• Johnny Lever as Choti / Pappu Junior
• Atul Parchure as Shahid Akram
• Sanjay Mishra as Bomb Defuser
• Sharat Saxena as Pappu's boss
• Aanjjan Srivastav as Police Commissioner
• Neena Kulkarni as Laxmi Joshi, Mohan's wife
• Ruma Rajni as Kavita Joshi, Mohan and Laxmi's daughter
• Dalip Tahil as Shenoy, Head of Galaxy TV Channel and Ria's boss
• Satish Shah as Kaka, Head of KTV Channel and Ajay's boss
• Govind Namdev as Chief Minister Mushran
• Shakti Kapoor as Minister Ramakant Dua
• Mahavir Shah as Madanlal Gupta, Ramakant's brother-in-law
• Bharti Achrekar as Mrs. Neha Banerjee, Ria's mother
• Smita Jaykar as Mrs. Sudeepa Bakshi, Ajay's mother
• Vishwajeet Pradhan as Police Inspector
• Dilip Joshi as Sapney, Choti's aide
• Mona Ambegaonkar as Shalini Bahl
• Sheeba Chaddha as Anushka Roy
• Hyder Ali as Mr. Bakshi, Ajay's father.
• Syed Badr-ul Hasan Khan Bahadur

The music was composed by Jatin–Lalit who also composed the background score assisted by their brother-in-law Aadesh Shrivastava. All of the lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar. The music of the film was highly appreciated by critics and the audience alike. Manish Dhamija of Planet Bollywood gave 8.5 stars stating, "Overall, the album is a pleasant surprise from Jatin-Lalit".^[4] The soundtrack and the song "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" in particular, with its concept of "Love our country", was well-received and praised for its patriotism. Author M. J. Akbar highlighted the "very heavy winking" by Khan during his performance of the song, accompanying the evocative lyrics.^[5]

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani grossed ₹18.20 crore (US$2.2 million) in India and $1.67 million (₹7.26 crore) in other countries, for a worldwide total of ₹25.46 crore (US$3.0 million), against its ₹13 crore (US$1.5 million) budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of ₹7.45 crore (US$880,000), and grossed ₹12.50 crore (US$1.5 million) in its first week.^[2] It is the 13th-highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2000 worldwide.^[6]

On Up Close & Personal with PZ, Shah Rukh Khan said that the film "was the biggest failure for Juhi [Chawla], Aziz [Mirza], and him".

It opened on Friday, 21 January 2000, across 240 screens, and earned ₹91 lakh (US$110,000) nett on its opening day. It grossed ₹2.74 crore (US$320,000) nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of ₹5.08 crore (US$600,000) nett. The film earned a total of ₹10.74 crore (US$1.3 million) nett, and was declared a flop by Box Office India.^[2]

It had an opening weekend of $650,000 (₹2.82 crore) and went on to gross $900,000 (₹3.91 crore) in its first week. The film earned a total of $1.67 million (₹7.26 crore) at the end of its theatrical run.^[2]

• Mera Joota Hai Japani

• Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani at IMDb