Seeta Aur Geeta (translation: Seeta And Geeta)[a] is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) and directed by Ramesh Sippy. Released in India on 3 November 1972, the film stars an ensemble cast of Hema Malini (in a double role), Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Roopesh Kumar, Manorama, Satyen Kappu, Honey Irani and Pratima Devi. The music was composed by R. D. Burman.
The story is about identical twins (portrayed by Hema Malini) who are separated at birth and grow up with different temperaments. After they meet each other as adults, they swap places (like The Prince and the Pauper). The two sisters' lovers in the film are portrayed by Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar, while Manorama portrays the villainous aunt.
The theme of the film was inspired by the 1967 blockbuster Ram Aur Shyam, which inspired Salim-Javed to write Seeta Aur Geeta.[2] Ram Aur Shyam is itself a remake of the 1964 Telugu film Ramudu Bheemudu. The film subverted the formula by having the heroine eventually become the "hero" while the male lead is in a mostly supporting role.[3] An earlier film with a similar theme was Muqabala (1942), starring Fearless Nadia.
ChaalBaaz (Hindi pronunciation: [tʃaːlbaːz], transl. Trickster) is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language slapstick film directed by Pankaj Parashar and written by Rajesh Mazumdar and Kamlesh Pandey. It stars Sridevi in dual roles, with Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth. The film revolves around twin sisters Anju and Manju, who get separated at birth. Anju lives with her malicious uncle who plans to seize her property and traumatizes her by beating. On the other hand, Manju grows up amidst a slum environment and acquires tomboy characters.
The film was loosely an adaptation of the film Seeta Aur Geeta and had its story written by Rajesh Mazumdar. It was produced by A. Poorna Chandra Rao under the Lakshmi Productions banner. The duo Laxmikant–Pyarelal composed the soundtrack with lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi. Manmohan Singh handled the cinematography while Afaque Hussain served as the editor.
Upon its release, ChaalBaaz was well received by critics and audiences alike, and emerged a commercial success, eventually becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1989. It had a net gross of about ₹8 crore (US$1.0 million). Among the elements of the movie that were highly appreciated included the film's story, music and Sridevi's performance in the dual role, which is considered to be one of her best. At the 35th Filmfare Awards, the film received three nominations and won two awards: Best Actress (Sridevi) and Best Choreographer (Saroj Khan). It was remade in Kannada as Rani Maharani (1990) and in Odia as Ganga Jamuna (1993).