«Жасырын ғашықтық және бала күту»

2001 film by Abbas Mustan

Chori Chori Chupke Chupke is a 2001 Indian Hindi language romantic drama film directed by Abbas–Mustan, with screenplay and story from Javed Siddiqui and Neeraj Vora respectively. Starring Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta in lead roles, the film's music is composed by Anu Malik and lyrics are penned by Sameer. Telling the story of a married couple hiring a young prostitute as a surrogate mother, the film generated controversy during its release for dealing with the taboo issue of surrogate childbirth in India. Initially set to release on 22 December 2000, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke's release was delayed for several months when producer Nazim Rizvi and financier Bharat Shah were arrested and the Central Bureau of Investigation seized the film's prints on the suspicion that the production had been funded by Chhota Shakeel of the Mumbai underworld. The film was released in March 2001 to a wide audience and emerged as a commercial success, becoming the sixth highest grossing films of 2001 in India. Critical praise was majorly directed towards Zinta's performance as a prostitute turned surrogate mother, earning her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 47th Filmfare Awards, the only nomination for the film. The film has often been associated with surrogacy in Indian popular culture.

Raj and Priya, who come from well to do Indian families, meet at a wedding and fall in love. Soon after they marry, Priya becomes pregnant. Early in the pregnancy, Priya miscarries and becomes permanently infertile. On Dr. Balraj Chopra's advice, they decide to look for a surrogate mother to bear Raj's child and hide Priya's infertility from his conservative family. Since the process of artificial insemination could be revealed in the Indian media due to the family's renown and position in society, the couple agree that pregnancy should be achieved by means of sexual relations between Raj and the surrogate mother. Raj meets Madhubala "Madhu", a prostitute, who agrees to carry Raj's baby in exchange for money. After some much needed behavioral grooming and a makeover, Madhu meets Priya—who is unaware of Madhu's background—and the three depart for Switzerland in order to carry out their plan secretly. Soon Madhu is pregnant with Raj's child, and he happily tells his family that Priya is expecting. Meanwhile, Raj's business partner Ajay Sharma begins to sexually harass Madhu and she decides to leave Switzerland, mistakenly believing that Raj told his friend that she is a prostitute. Eventually, Priya finds out about Madhu's past, but still believes that Madhu should carry their child and begs her to stay. When Madhu is at home by herself, Raj's friend assaults her but Raj arrives in time to save her. Overwhelmed by Raj's kindness, Madhu falls in love with him. Raj's family suddenly arrives in Switzerland. While Priya reaches for pregnancy simulating pillows, the family meets the heavily pregnant Madhu who is introduced to them as a friend staying with them while her husband is travelling for business. Raj's grandfather Kailashnath and father Ranjit arrange a Godbharaai, a religious baby shower ceremony. They ask Raj, Priya, and Madhu to return with them to India, where the ritual must be held as formally required by tradition. The ceremony is very important so Priya sends Madhu as herself. An emotional Madhu becomes conflicted about giving up her child. Finding Madhu's room empty and the money dumped on the bed, a frantic Priya pursues her to the train station and slaps Madhu when she confesses that she loves Raj. By the time Raj arrives, Madhu has gone into premature labour. The doctor announces that either Madhu or the child can be saved, and Priya asks him to save Madhu. However, both mother and baby survive. Madhu gives the baby to Priya, who quickly settles into a hospital bed with "her" baby. Dr. Balraj Chopra lies to Raj's family that while Priya gave birth, Madhu's child was stillborn. When Madhu is ready to leave, she promises Raj that she will not go back to prostitution. When he takes her to the airport, he realizes that she loves him and kisses her forehead. Madhu leaves happily.

Director duo Abbas–Mustan had almost completed Ajnabee by October 1999 when they declared Chori Chori Chupke Chupke as their next project. The three leads, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Preity Zinta, previously starred together in the romantic comedy Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (2000). Khan, Mukerji and Zinta were paid , , and for their roles, respectively (all sums unadjusted for inflation). Zinta was initially reluctant to play her role, as she was unsure she was suited to play a prostitute, but she eventually accepted it at the directors' persuasion. To prepare for it, she visited several bars and nightclubs in Mumbai's red light areas to study the lingo and mannerisms of sex workers. Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was made on a budget of The film was edited by Hussain A. Burmawala, and Surendra Sodhi composed the background score. Initially, Shah Rukh Khan was offered the lead role as Raj Malhotra, who had previously worked in the directors' two films Baazigar, and Baadshah (1999 film). However, he declined due to lack of dates, and then Salman Khan was approached and has accepted the offer.

The film generated some controversy before and during its release for being one of the only Hindi language films dealing with the taboo issue of surrogate childbirth in India, in addition to prostitution in India. Surrogacy in the film is not achieved through artificial insemination but sexual intercourse, and author Aditya Bharadwaj argued that the film draws an analogy between surrogacy and prostitution. Anindita Majumdar, author of the book Surrogacy (2018), wrote, "In popular Indian culture, surrogacy has come to be associated with the 2001 Hindi language film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke". According to author Daniel Grey, that Madhubala was a prostitute before becoming a surrogate "reinforces a stereotyped and erroneous popular association between the two roles that has contributed to considerable prejudice on the Subcontinent against women who act as surrogates". According to The Hindu, some of film's scenes were said to have been borrowed from Pretty Woman (1990) and the storyline inspired by Doosri Dulhan (1983). According to Krämer, the similarities between Pretty Woman and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke are limited to replicated scenes in "merely one plot strand among many", in an otherwise different story. Anupama Chopra of India Today described Zinta's character of Madhubala as hooker with a heart of gold, as did academic Lucia Krämer. Sociologist Steve Derné wrote in his book Globalization on the Ground: New Media and the Transformation of Culture, Class, and Gender in India that through the character of Madhubala, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke becomes one of the films which portray "excessively sexual, greedy women who are redeemed by being remade as consumers". Derné further credited the film with melding the stereotypical "heroine" and "vamp" roles of Hindi heroines in contrast to how they were portrayed in previous decades, describing Zinta as a "legitimate heroine" in the film. S. Banaji spoke of a "transformation in the 'moral' consciousness of the prostitute". Bhawana Somaaya, while critical of the film's "regular packaging of commercial clichés", commended it for the unique portrayal of the wife, played by Mukerji, who is the sole decision maker in the family throughout the entire process of surrogacy.

Khan was named the Most Sensational Actor at the Bollywood Movie Awards. At the 47th Filmfare Awards, Zinta was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, the only nomination for the film.

Chori Chori Chupke Chupke has often been associated with surrogacy in Indian popular culture. It was later screened at the 2005 Independent South Asian Film Festival and the 2012 Fiji Film Festival. Zinta's role has been noted as one of her notable works. In a column about Zinta, published in an August 2001 issue of Screen magazine, Roshmila Bhattacharya asserted, "If Chori Chori Chupke Chupke found a following in conventional circles, it's thanks to Preity’s handling of yet another 'brave' role". Published in the same year, a column analysing Zinta's career by Stardust found her to be "manifested [her]self most prominently in [the film]", adding, "Here was Preity essaying a character with tremendous scope for performance, but the scenes in which she excelled was when she did her bubbly act in the initial stages of the film".