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Chandni Bar
Directed by	Madhur Bhandarkar
Produced by	Lata Mohan
Written by	Mohan Azaad
Starring	Tabu,; Atul Kulkarni,; Rajpal Yadav,; Ananya Khare,; Vishal Thakkar,; Minakshi Sahani
Release date(s)	2001
Running time	150 min
Language	Hindi

Chandni Bar (2001) is a film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. It depicts the gritty life of the Mumbai underworld, including prostitution, dance bars and gun crime. The film stars Tabu and Atul Kulkarni in lead roles. It also stars Ananya Khare, Minakshi Sahani and Vishal Thakkar. The film was a critically acclaimed hit and it won three National Film Awards.

[edit] Synopsis

Mumtaz (Tabu) is a village girl who hails from a small village in Uttar Pradesh, she moves to Mumbai with her uncle, the only family member she has left, after her parents are killed in communal riots. They are desperately poor and her uncle persuades her to become a bar girl at Chandini Bar. This is merely temporary, he promises, until he gets a job. Mumtaz is a shy girl who loathes the work, but she forces herself to dance and flirt. However, the uncle doesn't keep his promise; he lives on her earnings, drinking them away and becomes a drug addict too, and never gets a job. He adds one final, unforgivable crime to the list when he is intoxicated and rapes her.

By this time she has caught the eye of a local gangster/thug called Pothya Sawant (Atul Kulkarni). When Pothya finds out what her uncle did to her, Pothya kills the uncle by stabbing him. Mumtaz, bereft of any male protection in the dangerous slums, marries Pothya. She is determined to make the best of things. She leaves the bar and stays home to raise her two children, whom she carefully protects from the world of prostitution and gangs.

However, her world unravels again when Pothya is killed at the behest of his own gang. She has to return to the bar to support her children. In the end, she cannot protect them from their sordid surroundings. Mumtaz turns to prostitution in a tragic attempt to save her son. However, her son becomes a killer and her daughter becomes a bar dancer in her turn.

[edit] Cast

Tabu ... Mumtaz Ali Ansari/Mumtaz Sawant
Atul Kulkarni ... Pothya Sawant
Ananya Khare ... Deepa Pandey (bar-girl)
Rajanna ... Uma Shankar
Minakshi Sahani .. Payal Sawant
Vishal Thakkar

[edit] Awards

The film won four National Awards. Tabu also received Best Actress nominations at the Filmfare Awards and Bollywood Awards. Atul Kulkarni also received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Star Screen Awards. Madhur Bhandarkar was nominated for Best Director in several venues, but did not win.

2002 National Film Awards (India)