Noorie (1979), is a romantic drama film, directed by Manmohan Krishna and starring Farooq Shaikh and Poonam Dhillon in the lead roles. The movie is set among the beautiful Kashmiri scenery. Poonam Dhillon plays Noorie, a young, naive, and attractive girl who lives in a quiet village.
The film begins with calm and lovely vistas of the Kashmiri countryside. She lives a modest existence, surrounded by her devoted family and the natural world. She is portrayed in the cool environment as an idealistic, kind person who is adored and respected by everyone.
Noorie movie Cast and Crew
- Director: Manmohan Krishna
- Writer: Sagar Sarhadi
- Producer: Yash Chopra
- Starring: Farooq Shaikh, Poonam Dhillon, Madan Puri
- Musician: Khayyam, Jan Nisar Akhtar (lyrics), Naqsh Lyallpuri (lyrics)
- Production company: Yash Raj Films
- Distributor: Yash Raj Films
- Genres: Drama, Family, Romance
- Release date: 11 May 1979
- Running time: 114min
- Country: India
- Language: Hindi-Urdu
- Box office: ₹50 million (US$6.14 million) (India)
Story of the film
Noorie (Poonam Dhillon), her dog Khairoo, and her father Ghulam Nabi (Iftekhar) reside in the Bhaderwah valleys. Yusuf (Farooq Shaikh), her boyfriend, and she decide to get married. They choose a date and start getting ready. Ghulam Nabi declines when Bashir Khan (Bharat Kapoor), another villager, shows interest in Noorie and asks her father for her hand in marriage. Then, using a falling tree, an angry Bashir Khan orders his troops to kill Gulam Nabi.
When the wedding preparations resume a few months after the suspension of the marriage, Yusuf’s boss, Bashir Khan, sends him on an out-of-town mission. Bashir Khan visits Noorie’s home and cruelly rapes her while Yusuf is out. Noorie kills herself, and Yusuf finds out when he returns. In order to assassinate Bashir, he sprints after him while Khairoo follows. After a physical conflict, Bashir shoots Yusuf. Khairoo is present when Bashir returns, and it is there that Bashir is ultimately killed. Yusuf dies there after running to the location of Noorie’s body. They both die together and are buried together.
Star Cast
- Farooque Shaikh as a Yusuf Fakir Mohammed
- Poonam Dhillon as a Noorie Nabi
- Madan Puri as a Lala Karamchand
- Iftekhar as a Ghulam Nabi
- Padma Khanna as a Courtesan
- Gita Siddharth as Karamchand’s daughter-in-law
- Javed Khan as a Faulad Khan
- Bharat Kapoor as a Basheer Khan
- Avtar Gill as a Basheer’s friend
- Khairoo as a Dog
- Manmohan Krishna as a Saiji (Storyteller)
Music/Songs of the film
“Aaja Re O” – I…..Lata Mangeshkar, Nitin Mukesh, Lyricist: Jan Nisar Akhtar, Duration: 04:58.
“Chori Chori”……Lata Mangeshkar, Lyricist: Naqsh Lyallpuri, Duration: 05:04
“Qadar Tune”……Asha Bhosle, Lyricist: Naqsh Lyallpuri, Duration: 05:12
“Uske Khel”……Pamela Chopra, Jagjit Kaur, Anwar, Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri, Duration: 04:54
“Aashiq Ho” (Qawwali)……Pamela Chopra, Mahendra Kapoor, Jagjit Kaur, S.K. Mahan, Lyricist: Jan Nisar Akhtar, Duration:06:31
“Aaja Re O” – II……Lata Mangeshkar, Nitin Mukesh, Lyricist: Jan Nisar Akhtar, Duration: 05:03
Interesting facts
Avtar Gill was determined about getting a part in the movie. He requested something from Ramesh Talwar. The assistant producer, Talwar, said that although he had no more roles, something might become available if he visited Kashmir outdoors. Avtar covered his own costs when he traveled to Kashmir with the film unit. At last, he was cast as Bharat Kapoor’s goon.
The well-known dog, Khairoo, died after the movie was finished. Khairoo slipped out of the jeep and wound up beneath the back wheel as the movie was being filmed. The dog sat up and barked, even though the film unit believed Khairoo had died. Khairoo seemed fine to the unit. It wasn’t until much later that Khairoo died of untreated internal hemorrhage.
Following years of acting in movies, Manmohan Krishna joined his longtime friend Yash Chopra as a director. Yash Chopra assured Manmohan Krishna during the filming of Dhool Ka Phool that he would sign Manmohan to direct a movie if he ever became a producer. The movie, Noorie, was a huge success. Manmohan Krishna only made one movie, Noorie, and he never made another. The film was also introduced. The music for this movie, which starred Farooq Sheikh and Poonam Dhillion, was excellent by Khayyam; the songs were huge hits and among their best.
When Poonam Dhillon was in school, she completed Trishul in 1978 and went back to finish her studies, but she had never been instructed about an acting career. While attending college, she had a desire to work on a single film following the release of Trishul. Yash Chopra called her and persuaded her to pursue this project.
Movie Review
Love, innocence, and the harsh realities of life in a traditional society are among the themes that are explored in the film. The film takes a darker turn as Noorie’s life is tainted by terrible circumstances, culminating in a heartbreaking ending, even if the romance remains at its core.
Farooq Shaikh’s performance gave the movie a delicate yet genuine touch, and Poonam Dhillon’s portrayal of Noorie was praised for its emotional depth. The soundtrack, especially “Badi Der Bhayi,” gained a lot of popularity and enhanced the emotional appeal of the movie.
Noorie is renowned for its moving plot, moving performances, and the way it examined the complexities of rural life and relationships in India, even if it didn’t have a significant impact at the box office. Those who enjoy tragic love stories will find an accent in this film.
References
- Wikipedia contributors. (2025a, January 9). Noorie. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noorie
- Noorie (1979) | Drama, family, romance. (1979, May 11). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309926/
