{ "id": "epg5185f5w", "slug": "koshish", "title": "Koshish (कोशिश)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s", "label": "Hindi films of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "label": "Released 1970 to 1975", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000: Released 1970 to 1975", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s", "label": "Hindi films of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "label": "Released 1970 to 1975", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Koshish (कोशिश, Effort) is Gulzar's 1972 Hindi romantic drama starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri as a deaf-mute couple; a response to Happiness of Us Alone (1961), it won National Awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay.", "snippet": "Koshish (कोशिश, Effort) is Gulzar's 1972 Hindi romantic drama starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri as a deaf-mute couple; a response to Happiness of Us Alone (1961), it won National Awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "markdown": "# Koshish (कोशिश)\n\n**Koshish** (कोशिश; transl. Effort) is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film written and directed by Gulzar, starring [Sanjeev Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjeev-kumar) and Jaya Bhaduri as [Haricharan](https://www.edgepedia.org/haricharan) and Aarti, a deaf and mute couple striving for acceptance and dignity in an indifferent society.[1](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake) • [2](https://www.netflix.com/title/24073896) The film won the National Film Awards for Best Actor (Sanjeev Kumar) and Best Screenplay (Gulzar) for 1972 and received five Filmfare nominations in 1974.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-awards/national-awards-winners/1972/108) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215911/awards/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | 1972; IMDb lists November 27, 1972 (India)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215911) |\n| Director and writers | Written and directed by Gulzar; co-screenplay Mohini N. Sippy[1](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake) • [6](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/koshish-1972/cast-credit) |\n| Lead cast | Sanjeev Kumar as Haricharan Mathur, Jaya Bhaduri as Aarti Mathur, with Asrani, Om Shivpuri, Seema Deo, and Dina Pathak[2](https://www.netflix.com/title/24073896) |\n| Source | Remake of, and response to, the Japanese film *Happiness of Us Alone* (1961)[1](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake) |\n| Music | Madan Mohan (music), Gulzar (lyrics); songs include \"Soja Baba Mere\" and \"Humse Hai Watan Hamara\"[6](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/koshish-1972/cast-credit) |\n| National Film Awards | Best Actor (Sanjeev Kumar) and Best Screenplay (Gulzar), 1972 awards[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-awards/national-awards-winners/1972/108) |\n| Later remake | Remade in Tamil as *Uyarndhavargal* (1977), starring Kamal Haasan and Sujatha[7](https://www.moviebuff.com/koshish-1972-hindi) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe film follows Haricharan (Sanjeev Kumar), a deaf and mute newspaper delivery man, and Aarti (Jaya Bhaduri), who is also deaf and mute. They meet, fall in love, and marry, and Aarti attends a sign language school so that she can communicate with her family.[1](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake) • [8](https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/feb/08sld3.htm) Aarti's brother Kanu (Asrani) exploits the couple's deafness; after Kanu steals Haricharan's cycle along with Aarti's wedding jewelry, Haricharan loses his job and works as a shoe polisher before working his way up at a printing press.[9](https://theprint.in/feature/reel-take/koshish-the-nuanced-1972-film-portrayed-how-disability-is-just-another-aspect-of-life/318475/)\n\nThe couple raises a son, Amit, who grows up with hearing and speech and becomes an [English literature](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-literature) graduate.[9](https://theprint.in/feature/reel-take/koshish-the-nuanced-1972-film-portrayed-how-disability-is-just-another-aspect-of-life/318475/) The story spans roughly two decades and ends with Haricharan's boss, whose daughter is deaf and mute, proposing that she marry Amit; Amit refuses, and Haricharan pressures him into accepting.[9](https://theprint.in/feature/reel-take/koshish-the-nuanced-1972-film-portrayed-how-disability-is-just-another-aspect-of-life/318475/) • [10](https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/a-touch-of-lightness-111022600064_1.html)\n\n## Origins and production\n\nGulzar, a poet, lyricist, and director who joined [Bimal Roy](https://www.edgepedia.org/bimal-roy)'s film unit in 1960 and debuted as a director with *Mere Apne* (1971), made *Koshish* as his third directorial effort.[11](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf) The film was both inspired by and a response to the Japanese-language *Happiness of Us Alone* (1961), directed by Zenzo Matsumaya and starring Hideko Takamine and Keiju Kobayashi as a deaf and mute couple in postwar Japan, which Gulzar had watched at the [International Film Festival of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-film-festival-of-india).[1](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake) In a 2004 interview with *The Hindu*, Gulzar said the Japanese film \"revolved round the theme of creating a special and separate world for the disabled, an idea which appeared to me to be very reactionary. From that time onward, I wanted to prove that the disabled are part and parcel of society.\"[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-gulzar-movies-5992646/)\n\nThe film was produced by Romu N. Sippy and Raj N. Sippy, photographed in color by K. Vaikunth, and edited by Waman B. Bhosle and Gurudutt Shirali; the *Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema* records it as a 125-minute color Hindi film.[6](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/koshish-1972/cast-credit) • [13](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%20of%20Indian%20Cinema.pdf) [Moushumi Chatterjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/moushumi-chatterjee) was initially signed for Aarti but was replaced by Jaya Bhaduri.[7](https://www.moviebuff.com/koshish-1972-hindi) Sanjeev Kumar reportedly held a 25 percent share of the film's profits and, because the subject was considered commercially risky, took reduced remuneration; he and Gulzar had agreed to make one offbeat film a year.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215911)\n\n## Music\n\nGulzar chose Madan Mohan, a composer known for nuanced melodies, to score the film, and wrote the lyrics himself.[14](https://rainoffandon.net/2026/03/03/madan-mohan-part-v/) The songs include \"Soja Baba Mere\", performed by Mohammad Rafi, and \"Humse Hai Watan Hamara\", sung by the child singer Sushma (Poornima) Shrestha.[6](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/koshish-1972/cast-credit) • [14](https://rainoffandon.net/2026/03/03/madan-mohan-part-v/) In one scene, Hari and Aarti sense music by touching a radio while their young son dances to its beat, and at the boy's school annual day they watch his performance and listen to the silence of the orchestra.[14](https://rainoffandon.net/2026/03/03/madan-mohan-part-v/)\n\n## Awards\n\nAt the [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards) for 1972, Sanjeev Kumar won Best Actor (the Bharat Award) and Gulzar won Best Screenplay.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-awards/national-awards-winners/1972/108) It was Sanjeev Kumar's second National Film Award for Best Actor, after *Dastak* (1971).[1](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake) At the 1974 [Filmfare Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards) the film was nominated for Best Film, Best Director (Gulzar), Best Actor (Sanjeev Kumar), Best Actress ([Jaya Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaya-bachchan)), and Best Story Writer (Gulzar), and Sanjeev Kumar won the BFJA Award for Best Actor (Hindi).[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215911/awards/)\n\n## Reception and legacy\n\nThe film met a lukewarm commercial response but is now considered a classic of [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema).[15](https://www.filmfare.com/features/100-filmfare-days-37-koshish-6265.html) Filmfare credited its taut screenplay for highlighting the couple's day-to-day interactions and their ingenious solutions to everyday chores, and noted that Gulzar and Sanjeev Kumar became close friends on the set, a friendship that produced *Aandhi* (1975), *Mausam* (1975), *Angoor* (1981), and *Namkeen* (1982).[15](https://www.filmfare.com/features/100-filmfare-days-37-koshish-6265.html)\n\n**Disability representation.** Scholars of Indian cinema treat *Koshish* as a landmark in the portrayal of disability. Joyojeet Pal, a researcher at the University of Michigan School of Information, describes it as one of the most important mainstream films on disability and perhaps among the first to combine its narrative with basic discussion of sign language and independent living for the Deaf.[16](https://joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Physical-Disability-and-Indian-Cinema.pdf) A University of Delhi course on disability and cinema lists it alongside *Dosti* (1964) and *Sparsh* (1984) as a committed mainstream approach that drew attention to the daily struggles of people with disabilities.[17](https://case.edu/affil/sce/Texts_2005/Autism%20and%20Representation%20rai.htm) The film has also drawn criticism: Pal notes that the antagonist Kanu is himself crippled, which he takes as punishment for his acts, a punitive use of disability in an otherwise progressive film,[16](https://joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Physical-Disability-and-Indian-Cinema.pdf) and commentators have called the ending, in which Haricharan pressures his hearing son to marry his boss's deaf daughter, jarring and inconsistent with the film's message that disability is just another aspect of life.[9](https://theprint.in/feature/reel-take/koshish-the-nuanced-1972-film-portrayed-how-disability-is-just-another-aspect-of-life/318475/) • [10](https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/a-touch-of-lightness-111022600064_1.html)\n\n*Koshish* was remade in Tamil as *Uyarndhavargal* (1977) with [Kamal Haasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamal-haasan) and Sujatha, and the 2014 Tamil film *Cuckoo* explores a similar theme.[7](https://www.moviebuff.com/koshish-1972-hindi) • [1](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Sayantan Mondal (13 December 2017). \"Gulzar's 'Koshish' was inspired by a Japanese film, but it is no unthinking remake\". Scroll.in.](https://scroll.in/article/860661/gulzars-koshish-was-inspired-by-a-japanese-film-but-it-is-no-unthinking-remake)\n2. [Koshish, Netflix title page](https://www.netflix.com/title/24073896)\n3. [National Awards Winners 1972, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-awards/national-awards-winners/1972/108)\n4. [Koshish (1972) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215911/awards/)\n5. [Koshish (1972), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215911)\n6. [Koshish (1972): Cast & Credits, Tuli Research Centre for India Studies](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/koshish-1972/cast-credit)\n7. [Koshish (1972), Moviebuff.com](https://www.moviebuff.com/koshish-1972-hindi)\n8. [Children of a lesser God, rediff.com Movies (2005)](https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/feb/08sld3.htm)\n9. [Samira Sood (10 November 2019). \"'Koshish'—the nuanced 1972 film portrayed disability as just another aspect of life\". ThePrint.](https://theprint.in/feature/reel-take/koshish-the-nuanced-1972-film-portrayed-how-disability-is-just-another-aspect-of-life/318475/)\n10. [Jai Arjun Singh (26 February 2011). \"A touch of lightness\". Business Standard.](https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/a-touch-of-lightness-111022600064_1.html)\n11. [Gulzar retrospective, 20th International Film Festival of India catalogue, Directorate of Film Festivals (2014)](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf)\n12. [Streaming Guide: Gulzar movies, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-gulzar-movies-5992646/)\n13. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, film entry for Koshish](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%20of%20Indian%20Cinema.pdf)\n14. [MADAN MOHAN PART V, Rain Off And On (2026)](https://rainoffandon.net/2026/03/03/madan-mohan-part-v/)\n15. [100 Filmfare Days: 37 – Koshish, Filmfare (29 May 2014)](https://www.filmfare.com/features/100-filmfare-days-37-koshish-6265.html)\n16. [Joyojeet Pal. Physical Disability and Indian Cinema, University of Michigan](https://joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Physical-Disability-and-Indian-Cinema.pdf)\n17. [Autism and Representation (2005), Case Western Reserve University](https://case.edu/affil/sce/Texts_2005/Autism%20and%20Representation%20rai.htm)\n\n---\n*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 1970s › Released 1970 to 1975*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/koshish", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/koshish.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Koshish (कोशिश)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/koshish. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Koshish (कोशिश)](https://www.edgepedia.org/koshish)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/koshish](https://www.edgepedia.org/koshish). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Koshish (कोशिश)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/koshish. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Koshish is Gulzar's 1972 Hindi romantic drama starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri as a deaf-mute couple; a response to Happiness of Us Alone, it won National Awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay." }