# Aankhen (आँखें) (1993 film)
**Aankhen** (आँखें; transl. Eyes) is a 1993 Hindi-language action comedy film directed by [David Dhawan](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-dhawan), written by Anees Bazmee, and starring [Govinda](https://www.edgepedia.org/govinda-actor) in a double role as Bunnu and Gauri Shankar. It was the highest-grossing Indian film of 1993 and the film that turned the Govinda–Dhawan pairing into one of [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema)'s most successful comedy combinations of the 1990s.[1](https://b4uentertainment.com/b4u-movies-india/aankhen-1) • [2](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781838713973_A40384807/preview-9781838713973_A40384807.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 9 April 1993; runtime 168 minutes; produced by Pahlaj Nihalani under Chiragdeep International[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=3927) |
| Creative team | Director David Dhawan; story, screenplay, and dialogue by Anees Bazmee; music by Bappi Lahiri; lyrics by Indeevar[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=3927) |
| Double roles | Govinda as Bunnu / Gaurishankar, Raj Babbar as Chief Minister / Sarang, and Kader Khan as Hasmukh Rai[1](https://b4uentertainment.com/b4u-movies-india/aankhen-1) |
| 1993 box office | Ranked first of the year on Box Office India's adjusted nett gross list, with verdict Super Blockbuster, ahead of *Khalnayak* and *Darr*[4](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/hit-down.php/login.php?txtYearlyData=1990-1999&year=1993) |
| Reported collections | India net about ₹135 million (₹13.50 crore) and worldwide ₹188.4 million (₹18.84 crore) against a ₹20 million (₹2.00 crore) budget per Sacnilk; Jansatta reports a budget of about ₹25 million (₹2.5 crore) and net earnings of ₹174.8 million (₹17.48 crore)[5](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Aankhen1993) • [6](https://www.jansatta.com/opinion/original-hit-and-remake-success-stories-from-devdas-to-umrao-jaan-bollywood-classics/4374197/) |
| Awards and music | Four Filmfare nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor; the Bappi Lahiri soundtrack was the fourth best-selling album of the year in India[7](https://www.gudvibe.app/movies/11172-aankhen-1993) |
| Current availability | Streaming on Amazon Prime Video (rent or buy) and the Ultraplaybox Amazon channel, with a UA age rating[8](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/aankhen) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Two waysward brothers, Munnu (Chunky Pandey) and Bunnu (Govinda), are the lying, prank-playing sons of the jeweller Hasmukh Rai ([Kader Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kader-khan)). When one of their pranks spirals out of control, Bunnu goes missing and is presumed dead, and Munnu becomes entangled in a political conspiracy in which a gangster kidnaps the Chief Minister ([Raj Babbar](https://www.edgepedia.org/raj-babbar)) and replaces him with a look-alike. Bunnu's identical cousin Gauri Shankar then arrives from a village and is mistaken for Bunnu, producing comic misunderstandings, and the brothers ultimately work to thwart the conspiracy and save the country.[1](https://b4uentertainment.com/b4u-movies-india/aankhen-1) • [10](https://www.moviebuff.com/aankhen-1993-hindi) • [11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aankhen-the-eyes)
The premise leans on a dense stack of double roles: beyond Govinda's two parts, Raj Babbar plays both the Chief Minister and his double Sarang, and Kader Khan appears in more than one guise. A trained monkey also appears as part of the ensemble, a detail *India Today* singled out when it described the film's modest credentials in a year of blockbusters: "Two uneven heroes, two unknown heroines, an average budget and a monkey."[12](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19930715-aankhen-may-become-a-box-office-classic-811320-1993-07-14) The same July 1993 report judged that the film "may become a box-office classic."[12](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19930715-aankhen-may-become-a-box-office-classic-811320-1993-07-14)
## Production and cast
The film was produced by [Pahlaj Nihalani](https://www.edgepedia.org/pahlaj-nihalani) under the Chiragdeep International banner and shot by cinematographer Siba Mishra.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=3927) • [9](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/aankhen-15669/cast-crew) Chunky Pandey played Munnu, Bunnu's brother, alongside Govinda's double role. The supporting cast included [Shakti Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakti-kapoor) as Tejeshwar, Sadashiv Amrapurkar as Inspector Pyare Mohan, Shilpa Shirodkar as [Chandramukhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/chandramukhi), Raageshwari as Priya Mohan, Ritu Shivpuri as Ritu, Bindu, Dina Pathak as the grandmother, Harish Patel as Monto, Gulshan Grover as Natwar Shah, and Raza Murad as the D.C.P.[1](https://b4uentertainment.com/b4u-movies-india/aankhen-1) • [3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=3927)
The film marked the screen debut of Ritu Shivpuri, daughter of the actor [Om Shivpuri](https://www.edgepedia.org/om-shivpuri) and the actress Sudha Shivpuri.[10](https://www.moviebuff.com/aankhen-1993-hindi) It was also one of several roles in the film for character actor Tinnu Verma, who additionally coordinated the stunts.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=3927)
## Box office
Aankhen was the top-grossing Indian film of 1993. Box Office India's year-end list places it first with a Super Blockbuster verdict and an inflation-adjusted nett gross of ₹2,74,58,45,840, ahead of *Khalnayak* (₹2,407,808,290) and *Darr* (₹1,914,360,020).[4](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/hit-down.php/login.php?txtYearlyData=1990-1999&year=1993) Sacnilk compiles the film's unadjusted figures as ₹135 million (₹13.50 crore) net in India, ₹183.1 million (₹18.31 crore) gross in India, ₹5.3 million (₹0.53 crore) overseas, and ₹188.4 million (₹18.84 crore) worldwide, against a budget of ₹20 million (₹2.00 crore), with the verdict All Time Blockbuster; it notes that such data are approximations compiled from various sources.[5](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Aankhen1993) The Hindi daily *Jansatta* gives different figures, reporting a budget of about ₹25 million (₹2.5 crore), ₹174.8 million (₹17.48 crore) net, ₹250 million to 290 million (₹25 to 29 crore) worldwide, and a theatrical run of about 12 weeks.[6](https://www.jansatta.com/opinion/original-hit-and-remake-success-stories-from-devdas-to-umrao-jaan-bollywood-classics/4374197/)
The film's success consolidated the Govinda–David Dhawan partnership, which produced a series of hits through the rest of the decade, including *[Raja Babu](https://www.edgepedia.org/raja-babu-film)* (1994), *Coolie No. 1* (1995), and *Hero No. 1* (1997).[2](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781838713973_A40384807/preview-9781838713973_A40384807.pdf) The BFI's *100 Bollywood Films* guide by Rachel Dwyer, Reader in Indian Film and Visual Cultures at [SOAS University of London](https://www.edgepedia.org/soas-university-of-london), includes *Aankhen* as an example of one of the most popular comedy teams of the 1990s and cites Govinda's dancing in the song "O Lal Dupattewali" among the film's highlights.[2](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781838713973_A40384807/preview-9781838713973_A40384807.pdf)
## Music and reception
[Bappi Lahiri](https://www.edgepedia.org/bappi-lahiri) composed the score, with lyrics by Indeevar. Playback singers credited on the film include [Asha Bhosle](https://www.edgepedia.org/asha-bhosle), Kavita Krishnamurthy, Mohammed Aziz, Sudesh Bhonsle, Arun Bakshi, and Govinda and Chunky Pandey themselves.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=3927) The soundtrack was the fourth best-selling album of 1993 in India, and "O Lal Dupatte Wali" became a chartbuster.[7](https://www.gudvibe.app/movies/11172-aankhen-1993) • [13](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/exploring-david-dhawans-classics-of-the-90s-that-still-entertain-audiences-across-generations/amp_etphotostory/124303689.cms)
The film received four Filmfare nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Comedian.[7](https://www.gudvibe.app/movies/11172-aankhen-1993) On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.8 out of 10 from about 2,600 user votes.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106204/) According to TheReviewMonk, it is a remake of the hit Kannada film *Kittu Puttu*, which itself drew on the 1973 Hindi film *Do Phool*, and it was remade into Telugu in 1995 starring Venkatesh and Ali.[15](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/aankhen-2/)
## Other films with the same title
The title Aankhen has been used for unrelated Hindi films in different eras. A 1968 film of that name was also a hit of its time, and a 2002 film directed by Vipul Shah, starring [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan), Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, and [Sushmita Sen](https://www.edgepedia.org/sushmita-sen), was based on Shah's Gujarati play *Andhalo Pato* and released on April 2, 2002 with two different climaxes for Indian and overseas audiences.[6](https://www.jansatta.com/opinion/original-hit-and-remake-success-stories-from-devdas-to-umrao-jaan-bollywood-classics/4374197/) • [16](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/22-years-of-aankhen-heres-why-the-film-had-two-different-climax-in-india-and-outside-the-country-23343124) The 1993 Govinda film is unrelated to both in story and cast.
## References
1. [AANKHEN, B4U Entertainment](https://b4uentertainment.com/b4u-movies-india/aankhen-1)
2. [Rachel Dwyer, 100 Bollywood Films (BFI Screen Guides), preview](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781838713973_A40384807/preview-9781838713973_A40384807.pdf)
3. [Aankhen cast and crew, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=3927)
4. [Top Hits 1993, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/hit-down.php/login.php?txtYearlyData=1990-1999&year=1993)
5. [Aankhen (1993) box office, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Aankhen1993)
6. [Original hit and remake success stories, Jansatta](https://www.jansatta.com/opinion/original-hit-and-remake-success-stories-from-devdas-to-umrao-jaan-bollywood-classics/4374197/)
7. [Aankhen (1993), GudVibe](https://www.gudvibe.app/movies/11172-aankhen-1993)
8. [Aankhen streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/aankhen)
9. [Aankhen (1993) Complete Cast & Crew, BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/aankhen-15669/cast-crew)
10. [Aankhen (1993), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/aankhen-1993-hindi)
11. [Aankhen, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aankhen-the-eyes)
12. ['Aankhen may become a box-office classic', India Today, July 15, 1993](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19930715-aankhen-may-become-a-box-office-classic-811320-1993-07-14)
13. [Exploring David Dhawan's classics of the 90s, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/exploring-david-dhawans-classics-of-the-90s-that-still-entertain-audiences-across-generations/amp_etphotostory/124303689.cms)
14. [Aankhen (1993), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106204/)
15. [Aankhen Reviews, The Review Monk](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/aankhen-2/)
16. [22 years of Aankhen: two different climaxes, Mid-Day](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/22-years-of-aankhen-heres-why-the-film-had-two-different-climax-in-india-and-outside-the-country-23343124)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 1990s › Comedy and musical films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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