Chandni Bar(2001)
Chandni Bar is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. It stars Tabu as Mumtaz and Atul Kulkarni as Pottya Sawant, with supporting performances from Ananya Khare, Rajpal Yadav, and Suhas Palshikar. The story follows Mumtaz, a young village woman who is forced into dancing at a Mumbai bar after her family is killed in riots. She marries a gangster, but his death forces her back into the bar world. The film won four National Film Awards, including Best Actress for Tabu and Best Supporting Actor for Kulkarni. It was a critical and commercial success, known for its gritty portrayal of the Mumbai underworld. The film was released on 28 September 2001.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Prime Video, YouTube, Netflix
- Theatrical Release
- 1 January 2001
- Director
- Madhur Bhandarkar
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 2h 35m
- Rating
- 5.7/10
Storyline
After her family is killed in riots, Mumtaz moves to Mumbai with her cruel uncle. He forces her to work as a dancer at Chandni Bar. She dreams of escape but is trapped in a world of crime and violence. Her life takes a turn when she marries a gangster, but tragedy strikes again.
“A story of survival in Mumbai's dark underbelly”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Chandni Bar
Cast reunions in this film: Manoj Joshi & Rajpal Yadav (20 films together), Tabu & Rajpal Yadav (3 films together), Atul Kulkarni & Rajpal Yadav (2 films together), and Atul Kulkarni & Madhur Bhandarkar (2 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title refers to a real dance bar in Mumbai that was popular in the 1990s.
- Director Madhur Bhandarkar spent months researching Mumbai's dance bars and underworld to make the story realistic.
- Lead actress Tabu won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role as a bar dancer.
- The movie was shot on a very low budget, using many real locations instead of film sets.
- It was one of the first mainstream Hindi films to show the lives of bar dancers in such detail.
- The film's success helped establish Madhur Bhandarkar's reputation for making realistic 'issue-based' cinema.
- Many of the background dancers in the bar scenes were actual bar dancers from Mumbai.