# Ok Jaanu (ओक जानू)
**Ok Jaanu** (ओके जानू) is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by [Shaad Ali](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaad-ali) and starring [Aditya Roy Kapur](https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-roy-kapur) and [Shraddha Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shraddha-kapoor) as Adi and Tara, two ambitious young professionals in Mumbai who enter a no-strings-attached live-in relationship that their careers threaten to pull apart[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLdbAdya2po) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu). It is the official Hindi remake of Mani Ratnam's Tamil film *O Kadhal Kanmani* (2015), with Ratnam himself writing the story and screenplay and co-producing[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu/cast-and-crew). The film was released on 13 January 2017 and was a box-office failure[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/) • [5](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3448).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 13 January 2017, Hindi, distributed by Fox Star Studios[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/) • [1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLdbAdya2po) |
| Director / producers | Directed by Shaad Ali; produced by Mani Ratnam, Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, and Apoorva Mehta for Madras Talkies and Dharma Productions[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLdbAdya2po) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu/cast-and-crew) |
| Leads | Aditya Roy Kapur as Adi, a video game developer; Shraddha Kapoor as Tara, an architect[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/ok-jaanu/movie-review/56513872.cms) |
| Key crew | Music and background score A. R. Rahman; dialogues and lyrics Gulzar; cinematography Ravi K. Chandran; editing A. Sreekar Prasad[7](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/cast/) |
| Runtime / certificate | 137 minutes per Box Office India (other listings give 2h 14m to 2h 15m); certified U/A[5](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3448) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/ok-jaanu/umc.cmc.su6qzd1hfngtqos7eiweao2y?action=play) |
| Box office | India net ₹236.4 million (₹23.64 crore; Bollywood Hungama) against a ₹270 million (₹27 crore) budget; Box Office India reports ₹213.2 million (₹21.32 crore) nett; both record the film as a flop[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/box-office/) • [5](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3448) • [10](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/OK_Jaanu_2017) |
| Critical score | 38% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 8 reviews; 43% audience score[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Adi, a game developer, meets architect Tara by chance at a wedding, and the two keep running into each other as a friendship grows[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/). Both are career-focused and plan to leave India: Adi is waiting for a big opportunity in the United States, while Tara is awaiting admission in Paris[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/). Because neither believes in marriage, they decide to live together in Mumbai for as long as both remain in the city[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/ok-jaanu/movie-review/56513872.cms). The relationship comes under strain when their respective career opportunities call them apart[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu).
The young couple's landlady subplot centers on an older couple, Gopi Shrivastava ([Naseeruddin Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/naseeruddin-shah)) and Charu ([Leela Samson](https://www.edgepedia.org/leela-samson)), whose relationship frames the leads' story[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu/cast-and-crew). Reviewers repeatedly singled out this pair: [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) wrote that Shah and Samson add emotional depth to the younger couple's story[11](https://www.bollywood.com/movies/ok-jaanu/reviews/).
## Production
**Remake background.** *Ok Jaanu* is a scene-for-scene remake of [Mani Ratnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/mani-ratnam)'s Tamil hit *O Kadhal Kanmani* (2015)[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/ok-jaanu/movie-review/56513872.cms). For Shaad Ali it was a return to Ratnam's material: after working as an assistant director on Ratnam's *Dil Se..*, Ali made his directorial debut in 2002 with *Saathiya*, a Hindi remake of Ratnam's *Alaipayuthey*[12](https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/dHMEjBMqqluQ8bbqqtdwvN/Film-review-OK-Jaanu.html). Ratnam retained story and screenplay credit on the remake[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu/cast-and-crew).
**Casting and filming.** Cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran, who also shot the original, said the crew deliberately did not try to be different from *O Kadhal Kanmani* but worked to retain its soul[13](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-16/dop-ravi-k-chandran-talks-about-ok-jaanu.html). Leela Samson reprised her role from the Tamil version, while Naseeruddin Shah took over the part played by [Prakash Raj](https://www.edgepedia.org/prakash-raj)[13](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-16/dop-ravi-k-chandran-talks-about-ok-jaanu.html). The film was shot in about 36 days, largely at real locations in Mumbai, with the crew arriving at around 5:30 each morning to use the early light; the leads, who had done a month of script reading, needed few corrections[13](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-16/dop-ravi-k-chandran-talks-about-ok-jaanu.html). Chandran said shooting candidly in crowded Mumbai locations, which he noted is seldom done there, was a new experience[13](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-16/dop-ravi-k-chandran-talks-about-ok-jaanu.html).
Kapur and Kapoor had previously paired in the hit *Aashiqui 2* (2013), and their reunion was a stated draw of the film[14](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/ok-jaanu-16147).
## Music
[A. R. Rahman](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-r-rahman) composed the songs and the background score, with Gulzar writing the dialogues and lyrics[7](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/cast/). Three new Hindi songs replaced the Tamil originals "Parandhu Sella Vaa", "Sinamika", and "Malargal Ketten"[13](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-16/dop-ravi-k-chandran-talks-about-ok-jaanu.html). Playback singers listed for the soundtrack include [Arijit Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/arijit-singh), Jubin Nautiyal, Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi, Badshah, Shashaa Tirupati, and Rahman himself[7](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/cast/). The trailer released by [Dharma Productions](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharma-productions) in December 2016 had drawn over 28 million views before release[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLdbAdya2po).
## Reception
**Critical response.** Reception skewed negative to mixed, with most reviewers finding the film a pale imitation of the original[15](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/ok-jaanu/). On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds 38% on the Tomatometer from 8 reviews and 43% from audiences[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu). Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times gave it 2/5, writing that it "isn't a bad film. It's just a pointless one. Because an exact -- and I mean frame-for-frame -- version already exists in Tamil"[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu). Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated it 1.5/5, calling Shaad Ali's copy "faithful but pale and predictable"[16](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ok-jaanu-movie-review-shraddha-kapoor-aditya-roy-kapur-star-rating-4472141/). Nihit Bhave of The Times of India was more positive at 3.5/5, praising the screenplay kept intact from the Tamil predecessor and reading the couple's repeated chases after moving trains and buses as a metaphor for contemporary love lives[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/ok-jaanu/movie-review/56513872.cms). Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 2.5/5, calling it a breezy romance enlivened by its leads and lent gravitas by Shah and Samson[14](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/ok-jaanu-16147). A recurring pattern in the reviews was that viewers unfamiliar with the original were expected to enjoy it more; Filmfare noted that most of the Hindi belt does not regularly see Ratnam's Tamil films, so the intended audience would not make comparisons[17](https://www.filmfare.com/news/movie-review-ok-jaanu-18153.html).
**Box office.** The film opened on 13 January 2017 with ₹40.8 million (₹4.08 crore) in India, collected ₹138 million (₹13.80 crore) over its opening weekend, and finished with ₹236.4 million (₹23.64 crore) net, according to Bollywood Hungama[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/box-office/). Collections collapsed after the first weekend, with the Monday figure falling about 59.5% to ₹19.5 million (₹1.95 crore)[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/box-office/). Box Office India reports a lower total nett of ₹213.2 million (₹21.32 crore) against a budget of ₹270 million (₹27 crore) and records the film as a flop[5](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3448); Sacnilk lists India net of ₹236.5 million (₹23.65 crore), worldwide gross of ₹393 million (₹39.30 crore), and the same flop verdict[10](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/OK_Jaanu_2017). Trade reporting at the time likewise recorded the film as failing the "Monday test" and flopping[18](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/ok-jaanu-box-office-collection-aditya-roy-kapur-shraddha-kapoor-monday-test-955467-2017-01-17) • [19](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/box-office-ok-jaanu-haraamkhor-flop/20170116.htm), and a year-end retrospective listed *Ok Jaanu* among the films that "bombed at the box office" in January 2017[20](https://www.millenniumpost.in/epaper/delhi/2017-12-24/epaper-delhi24december2017.pdf).
## Assessment
The film's failure has been attributed to the closeness of the remake itself. [The Wire](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-wire)'s review argued that a remake "can be its own film; it needn't be a photocopy," but that *Ok Jaanu* "right from the first scene to last, pines for its original"[21](https://m.thewire.in/article/film/ok-jaanu-is-an-unconvincing-reboot-of-the-tamil-original). Producer [Karan Johar](https://www.edgepedia.org/karan-johar) later voiced the same doubt from the other side, saying that although the project arrived ready with a strong director and actors who had just had a hit, "in my heart I actually felt that, 'Should it be remade? Because it is so much in the moment. Can the moment be recaptured?'"[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/). The film remains available on streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video[22](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/ok-jaanu).
## References
1. [OK Jaanu | Official Trailer, Dharma Productions (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLdbAdya2po)
2. [Ok Jaanu, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu)
3. [Ok Jaanu Movie: Review, Release Date, Songs, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/)
4. [Ok Jaanu: Cast and Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ok_jaanu/cast-and-crew)
5. [Ok Jaanu, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3448)
6. [Ok Jaanu Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/ok-jaanu/movie-review/56513872.cms)
7. [Ok Jaanu Cast List, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/cast/)
8. [OK Jaanu, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/ok-jaanu/umc.cmc.su6qzd1hfngtqos7eiweao2y?action=play)
9. [Ok Jaanu Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/ok-jaanu/box-office/)
10. [OK Jaanu (2017) Review, Rating & Box Office, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/OK_Jaanu_2017)
11. [Ok Jaanu Critics Reviews, Bollywood.com](https://www.bollywood.com/movies/ok-jaanu/reviews/)
12. [Film review: OK Jaanu, Mint (Livemint)](https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/dHMEjBMqqluQ8bbqqtdwvN/Film-review-OK-Jaanu.html)
13. [DoP Ravi K Chandran talks about OK Jaanu, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-16/dop-ravi-k-chandran-talks-about-ok-jaanu.html)
14. [Ok Jaanu (2017), BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/ok-jaanu-16147)
15. [Ok Jaanu (2017) Movie Review, TheReviewMonk](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/ok-jaanu/)
16. [OK Jaanu movie review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ok-jaanu-movie-review-shraddha-kapoor-aditya-roy-kapur-star-rating-4472141/)
17. [Movie Review: Ok Jaanu, Filmfare](https://www.filmfare.com/news/movie-review-ok-jaanu-18153.html)
18. [OK Jaanu box office collection: film fails the Monday test, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/ok-jaanu-box-office-collection-aditya-roy-kapur-shraddha-kapoor-monday-test-955467-2017-01-17)
19. [Box Office: Ok Jaanu, Haraamkhor flop, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/box-office-ok-jaanu-haraamkhor-flop/20170116.htm)
20. [Millennium Post epaper, 24 December 2017](https://www.millenniumpost.in/epaper/delhi/2017-12-24/epaper-delhi24december2017.pdf)
21. ['OK Jaanu' is an Unconvincing Reboot of the Tamil Original, The Wire](https://m.thewire.in/article/film/ok-jaanu-is-an-unconvincing-reboot-of-the-tamil-original)
22. [Ok Jaanu streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/ok-jaanu)
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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 2010s › Hindi films of 2017*
*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 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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