# Hello Brother (1999 film)

**Hello Brother** is a 1999 Hindi-language comedy film directed, written, and co-produced by [Sohail Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sohail-khan), in which a murdered courier boy's heart is transplanted into a policeman who then works with the donor's ghost to expose a drug racket. It was released on 10 September 1999 and stars [Salman Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/salman-khan), Rani Mukerji, and [Arbaaz Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/arbaaz-khan).<sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hello-brother)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 10 September 1999, Hindi language, India<sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup> |
| Director and writer | Sohail Khan, who also co-produced with Bunty Walia<sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup> |
| Lead cast | Salman Khan as Hero, Rani Mukerji as Rani, Arbaaz Khan as Inspector Vishal<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/hello-brother-1999)</sup> |
| Antagonist | Khanna, played by Shakti Kapoor, owner of a courier company used as a drug front<sup>[2](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hello-brother)</sup> |
| Music | Himesh Reshammiya and Sajid-Wajid<sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup> |
| Box office | ₹106.8 million (₹10.68 crore) net in India, ₹177.6 million (₹17.76 crore) worldwide gross; classified as a flop<sup>[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/hello-brother/box-office/)</sup> |
| Audience ratings | IMDb 4.7/10 (about 5,300 votes); Rotten Tomatoes audience score 43% with no critic reviews counted<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/hello-brother-1999)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hello-brother)</sup>  |

## Spoilers

### Plot

Hero (Salman Khan) is a courier delivery boy working for Khanna ([Shakti Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakti-kapoor)) and is in unrequited love with Rani ([Rani Mukerji](https://www.edgepedia.org/rani-mukerji)), who regards him only as a friend.<sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup> Inspector Vishal (Arbaaz Khan), a narcotics officer transferred to Mumbai after clearing the drug trade out of Goa, suspects Khanna of running a drug ring behind the courier company.<sup>[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/hello-brother-1999)</sup>

Khanna murders Hero when Hero discovers the drug dealings, and shoots Vishal in the heart during a shoot-out at a warehouse near the docks.<sup>[2](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hello-brother)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/hello-brother-1999)</sup>  Vishal survives only because Hero's heart is transplanted into him, and afterward only Vishal can see Hero's ghost.<sup>[2](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hello-brother)</sup> Hero's heart leads Vishal toward Rani and toward the people who used the courier company as a drug front; after initial friction, the two join forces, kill Khanna, and Hero's spirit goes to heaven for his good deeds.<sup>[2](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hello-brother)</sup>

## Cast and crew

The principal cast pairs Salman Khan as Hero, Rani Mukerji as Rani, and Arbaaz Khan as Inspector Vishal, with Shakti Kapoor as the villain Khanna.<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/hello-brother-1999)</sup> Supporting roles include Johny Lever as Havaldar Hatela, Razak Khan as Ninja Chacha, Neeraj Vora as a senior inspector, and Sulabha Arya as Rani's mother.<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/hello-brother-1999)</sup> Netflix's cast listing also credits [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan) as the Heavenly Voice.<sup>[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/hello-brother-1999)</sup>

Sohail Khan directed, wrote the story and screenplay, and produced alongside Bunty Walia under G. S. Entertainment.<sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup> The music is credited to [Himesh Reshammiya](https://www.edgepedia.org/himesh-reshammiya) and Sajid-Wajid, with playback singers including [Kumar Sanu](https://www.edgepedia.org/kumar-sanu), Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, and Kamaal Khan; songs listed for the film include "Area Ka Hero", "Chupke Se Koi", "Hata Saawan Ki Ghata", "Hello Brother", and "Teri Chunnariya".<sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.novex.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Tips.pdf)</sup>  [Ganesh Acharya](https://www.edgepedia.org/ganesh-acharya) choreographed the songs and Santosh Thundiyil was the cinematographer.<sup>[8](https://www.indya101.com/c/movies/overview/id_1009/Hello_Brother)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hello-brother)</sup>

## Box office and reception

Bollywood Hungama's trade figures record an opening day of ₹10.4 million (₹1.04 crore), an opening weekend of ₹31.2 million (₹3.12 crore), and a first week of ₹52.9 million (₹5.29 crore) in India, with a lifetime India net total of ₹106.8 million (₹10.68 crore; ₹148.3 million (₹14.83 crore) gross).<sup>[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/hello-brother/box-office/)</sup> Overseas gross was ₹29.3 million (₹2.93 crore), giving a worldwide gross of ₹177.6 million (₹17.76 crore), and the site's FAQ classifies the film's performance as a flop.<sup>[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/hello-brother/box-office/)</sup>

Audience scores have remained low: IMDb lists 4.7 out of 10 from about 5,300 votes.<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/hello-brother-1999)</sup> Rotten Tomatoes counts zero critic reviews for the film, with a 43% audience score from more than 1,000 ratings.<sup>[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hello-brother)</sup> Viewer comments on the site range from enjoyment of its comedy and title song to dismissive verdicts on the story.<sup>[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hello-brother)</sup>

## Runtime and availability

Reported running times differ: Netflix, [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch), and several databases list 131 minutes (2h 11m), Box Office India lists 132 minutes, BollywoodMDB lists 2h 19m, and Apple TV and Rotten Tomatoes list 1h 40m.<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/hello-brother-1999)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2373)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/hello-brother/umc.cmc.2nmte34qgrx8gv08jlbw4k78t)</sup>  In India the film streams on Amazon Prime Video and free with ads on JioHotstar, ShemarooMe, and VI movies and tv; a full upload also circulates on the official Shemaroo Movies YouTube channel.<sup>[11](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/39347/hello-brother?country=IN)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqI8xXImiro)</sup>

## Same-name films

The title Hello Brother was also used for a 1994 Telugu-language comedy directed by E.V.V. Satyanarayana and starring [Nagarjuna](https://www.edgepedia.org/nagarjuna), about twin sons separated at birth, which is a different film from the 1999 Hindi picture.<sup>[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hello_brother)</sup> A Telugu director, Kalyan Shankar, has acknowledged that comedy scenes in one of his films were inspired by the Nagarjuna film.<sup>[14](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/01-VJA-12-PAGES-PDF.compressed.pdf)</sup>

## References

1. [Hello Brother (1999) – Cast, Reviews, Release Date, BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/hello-brother-1420)
2. [Hello Brother (1999) – Cast, Review & Details, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hello-brother)
3. [Hello Brother streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/hello-brother-1999)
4. [Hello Brother Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/hello-brother/box-office/)
5. [Hello Brother, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hello-brother)
6. [Hello Brother (1999) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/hello-brother-1999)
7. [Track Name / Film Album listing, Novex (Tips)](https://www.novex.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Tips.pdf)
8. [Hello Brother – Overview, Indya101](https://www.indya101.com/c/movies/overview/id_1009/Hello_Brother)
9. [Hello Brother – Cast & Crew, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2373)
10. [Hello Brother, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/hello-brother/umc.cmc.2nmte34qgrx8gv08jlbw4k78t)
11. [Where to watch Hello Brother in India, OTTASIA](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/39347/hello-brother?country=IN)
12. [Hello Brother (1999) full movie, Shemaroo Movies on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqI8xXImiro)
13. [Hello Brother (1994 Telugu film), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hello_brother)
14. [The Pioneer, Visakhapatnam edition (Kalyan Shankar interview)](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/01-VJA-12-PAGES-PDF.compressed.pdf)

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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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