Mithya (2008 film)

Mithya (मिथ्या; Hindi for "lie") is a 2008 Hindi-language comedy-thriller directed by Rajat Kapoor, in which a struggling Bollywood bit-part actor who happens to resemble an underworld don is forced to impersonate him. It was produced by Arindam Chaudhuri under Planman Motion Pictures with Tangerine Digital Entertainment, and released in India on 8 February 2008.^{1 • 2}

Production

Kapoor said in a 2006 interview that he had written the story eight years earlier and had wanted Naseeruddin Shah in it, but could not raise the money; he had spent six years in meetings with producers from Shah Rukh Khan to Aditya Chopra without result.⁹ The film went into production with Shorey in the lead and Shah in the cast, and Kapoor described it in April 2007 as a gangster film on a larger canvas than his previous work, made on a budget of Rs 20 million (Rs 2 crore).³ He credited the multiplex boom for making three films in five years possible, after a decade in which his Private Detective had not even received a proper release.³

The screenplay is credited to Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla, with music by Sagar Desai, cinematography by Rafey Mehmood, editing by Suresh Pai, and sound design by Resul Pookutty, the Academy-winning sound engineer.^{1 • 4} The supporting cast includes Vinay Pathak as Inspector Ram, Brijendra Kala as Inspector Shyam, Harsh Chhaya as Mannu, Saurabh Shukla as Shetty, Tinnu Anand as Kuku, and Suhasini Mulay.¹⁰

Release and reception

The film had its international premiere in the Time & Tide: Hinglish program of the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2008, and opened in India on 8 February 2008.^{4 • 1} Runtime listings differ across databases: IFFR lists 107 minutes, Box Office India 108 minutes, and IMDb 110 minutes.^{4 • 10 • 5}

Critics received it as an unconventional genre piece. The Times of India gave it 3.5/5, calling it a stylish gangsta rap for viewers who like their cinema unconventional and edgy, and noting that while the basic plot recalls Salim-Javed's Don, the screenplay is refreshingly different, creative, realistic, and believable.^{6 • 11} Taran Adarsh, the Bollywood film critic and trade reviewer, praised Shorey's central performance as extraordinary and the film's layered script, while warning that its misleading comic promos did not reflect its darker content.¹² The IFFR program note highlighted the humor arising from within the drama, whether charming and light or dark and tragic, and Shorey's range from a clumsy, sweet, Chaplinesque loser to a firm, feared mafia boss.⁴ On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a Tomatometer of 61% from two critic reviews.¹³ IMDb records a 7.0/10 rating from about 2,400 users and a worldwide gross of $1,966,789.⁵

References

1. Mithya Cast & Crew, Bollywood Hungama
2. Mithya, Moviebuff
3. Rajat Kapoor juggles time between Mithiya, E Dil, Business Of Cinema (5 April 2007)
4. Mithya, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2008
5. Mithya (2008), IMDb
6. Mithya Movie Review {3.5/5}, The Times of India
7. Mithya, Apple TV
8. Mithya 2008, Ultra Media & Entertainment
9. Rajat Kapoor: People are not valued here, Rediff.com Movies (10 February 2006)
10. Mithya Cast & Crew, Box Office India
11. Mithya review, The Times of India (8 February 2008)
12. Mithya Review by Taran Adarsh, Filmibeat (8 February 2008)
13. Mithya, Rotten Tomatoes

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026

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