Mehndi

The movie Mehndi is an Indian film that was released in November of 1998. The writer and director was Hamid Ali Khan, though the dialogues are credited to Iqbal Durrani. The stars of the film are Faraz Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Rani Mukerji of Ghulam and Kuch Kuch fame, Rani is a well known and popular star in her country. In the movie Pooja, played by Rani Mukerji, is the new bride of Niranjan, played by Faraz Khan. Pooja is happy with the wedding and is in love with Niranjan, her in-laws act like family, from Niranjan's parents to his sisters.

When Pooja's middle class family apparently do not send the agreed upon dowry, the in-laws begin to make her life miserable. When her husband, Niranjan, is wrongly convicted of a murder, everything goes from bad to worse for Pooja.

All attempts to get Niranjan released fail. Pooja finds out there is a photographer, played by Shakti Kapoor, with pictures that can clear her husband, but to get the pictures the photographer insists that Pooja spend one night with him. Eventually, she agrees, for her husbands sake. Oddly the photographer does not touch her though he has her at his mercy.

The photographer keeps his word and Niranjan is released. When he questions Pooja's chastity during her night with the photographer, his mother physically beats her and throws her out. By beating Pooja and throwing her out, the mother-in-law unwittingly causes her to miscarry Niranjan's child.

When the husband of her sister-in-law then kills her father, Pooja swears to destory the family that has ruined her life. Eventually, the photographer and Pooja join forces to do just that.

The film discusses the problems with an outdated dowry system and other moral issues still prevalent in Indian society today.