17 Years Of Tere Naam: A Love Story That Inspired Undying Love

Tere Naam – a film that signified the debut of Bhumika Chawla – told the story of an obsessive lover Radhe (Salman) who is a good-for-nothing college drop-out who proceeds to linger about the college premises, originally for hoodlum and later he falls for the girl. Tere Naam released This Month, That Year and it’s been 17 years and yet this movie leaves a deep impact on you!

Watch the film here:

Satish Kaushik’s Tere Naam (2003), starring Salman Khan and Bhumika Chawla, earned around Rs24.5 crore worldwide. Though this number may be common now, with every second film crossing Rs 100 crore in India itself, 17 years ago it meant very big business. A modern Romeo-Juliet adaptation, Tere Naam is today remembered primarily for two reasons — its music and Khan’s hairstyle.

However, on the 17th anniversary of the film’s release (it hit the theatres on 15 August 2003), let’s take a near look at the film, taking off beyond the creations of Himesh Reshammiya and Sajid-Wajid, and, yes, the infamous locks that every other Bhai fanboy imitated.

Salman Khan plays Radhe (sort of an appellation used for the god Krishna). Though he passed out of college long back, Radhe keeps busy in college liaisons, ragging freshmen, beating goons for the sake of friends, and ‘saving’ women.

Radhe’s violent, almost deadly fights are mostly to save the weak from the intimidator. Furthermore, the few moments he uses to oppression and aggression are just Radhe’s way of conveying love and affection.

Radhe’s love for Nirjara (Chawla) is so robust and so intense that he sees no disparity in yes and no. When she chastises him for putting up with her ‘huh!’ for ‘han!’, he abducts her, shouts at her, and even terrorizes to kill her. He gives two very good justifications for his actions. One, he just wanted to speak to her in peace for two minutes and two, he cannot live without her.

Nirjara, in between sobs, apologizes for her actions! She had reasons for this reversal in judgment. One, Radhe saved her elder sister from a brothel and two, he was good enough to not rape her after the ‘abduction of love’.

This is a timeless story as after initial hatred when Nirjara reciprocates his love, a brutal attack renders him mentally unstable. This story stays with you for long and gives you a heart-aching saga of true love.

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