The semi-autobiographical film was written by Mahesh Bhatt about his extramarital relationship with actress Parveen Babi.
Acting
Shabana Azmi's silent suffering will haunt you for days.
Writing
Bhatt bleeding his own shame onto the page—brutally honest.
Director
Mahesh Bhatt
Shabana Azmi
Pooja
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Inder Malhotra
Smita Patil
Kavita Sanyal
Rohini Hattangadi
Pooja's Maid
Raj Kiran
Raj
Gulshan Grover
Gulshan
Gita Siddharth
Aparna
Kiran Vairale
Pooja's Hostel Roommate
Dina Pathak
Kavita's Mother
Om Shivpuri
Kavita's doctor
Dalip Tahil
Dilip
Shammi
Mrs. Bhalla
Chand Usmani
School Administrator
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mahesh Bhatt literally cast himself: Kulbhushan Kharbanda plays the director character Inder, and Smita Patil plays Kavita, modeled on Bhatt's real lover Parveen Babi.
In 1982, mainstream Hindi cinema rarely showed wives leaving husbands—Pooja's final walk away was revolutionary, making this a feminist landmark disguised as domestic melodrama.
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