Armaan (2003 film)

The film finally performed poorly at the box office.

Armaan was a highly anticipated 2003 release mainly due to its cast. The film upon release met with mixed critical reviews. The film's production and performances were lavishly praised. Most of the praise was directed towards Zinta for her villainous turn.[3] The film however received a fair share of bad reviews as well for its slow pace and lack of freshness. Sanjeev Singh Bariana of The Tribune was impressed with the film's technical detail, and commended Zinta for having "outclassed everyone".[3] Khalid Mohamed, writing for Mid Day, noted Irani's sincerity but was critical of the outcome. He did, however, praise Bachchan as "faultless" and call Zinta "the peppy scene-stealer, achieving her manic mood swings dexterously".[4] Similar views were written by Vinayak Chakravorty of Hindustan Times concluded that there was "nothing to write home about in this film" except for Zinta's performance, who "takes over the script and, indeed, the film, unleashing a brilliant act as the deceptively bubbly but manipulative wife".[5]

Screen magazine's reviewer Deven Sharma described the film as "the film is a truthful depiction of a professional's integrity to his calling and to himself, and despite the somewhat slow pace, manages to tug at your heart." He further noted the cast, writing, "The four principal actors have risen above their roles and have given splendid performances."[6] Ziya Us Salam of The Hindu wrote of Hirani's direction: "Her ways have to be admired, her lines good enough to bear repetition, her sensitivity worthy of emulation. However, let's refrain from too much adulation as her debut venture Armaan has its bleak moments too, just as it has its sunny ones." He further praised Singh "poised, pleasant" acting and Zinta for her "verve and vivacity" as a "blundering, scheming spoilt child who marries innocence with guile", hailing her performance as "just about perfect".[7] Sify called the film "an entertainer" which is "pleasing to the eye" and with a good storyline. The reviewer noted Irani for having "brought out some of the best moments in Amitabh Bachchan's and Anil Kapoor's career", and took note of Zinta's screen presence, commending her for proving "she is one among those actresses who can combine good looks with histrionics".[8]

Jitesh Pillai of The Times of India was left with "mixed feelings" about the film, disliking the film's "crippling pace", but appreciating the credibility of the script, the cinematography, and the actors, calling Bachchan "brilliant", Kapoor "first-rate" and commending Singh for bringing dignity to her underdeveloped role and Zinta for adding "vim, vigour and sparkles with comic timing" to her part.[9] Rediff.com's critic Deepa Gumaste was particularly critical of the film, disliking the performances and finding the overall product to be "way off the mark".[10] Namrata Joshi of Outlook found the film disappointing.[11] Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama praised the acting but concluded that Armaan "[12] Another review for Mid Day, by Narendra Kusnur, wrote it off as extremely slow but liked the performances.[13]

Manish Gajjar from the BBC wrote that "thanks to Honey Irani's approach, we revisit the same formula with added freshness and zest", further noting Kapoor for delivering "his best", Zinta for her "superb acting", and Bachchan for "outstanding performance".[14] Derek Elley of Variety was pleased with the film: "Headlined by veteran Amitabh Bachchan, but largely driven by fresh playing from the other three leads, pic moves at a brisk pace and isn’t overburdened by too much extreme emotion or the usual formulae. Bollywood watchers should keep an eye out for this well-scripted item." He further noted the most colourful performance by Zinta, who, "though playing an archetypal bad sort, manages to make the self-obsessed Soniya an almost sympathetic character through the sheer vivaciousness of her part-child, part-vamp playing."[15]

Zinta was nominated for two awards: the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role at the 49th Filmfare Awards, and the Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[16]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Planet Bollywood	[17]

The album garnered positive responses from critics. Bollywood Hungama's Joginder Tuteja in his review called the album a class product which has though been composed keeping the elite in mind, still strikes a chord with everyone alike[18] while The Hindu review, described the score as uplifting.[19] Planet Bollywood was full of praise for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - " For Armaan, Shankar Ehsaan Loy have shown us why their talent is worth our attention and how they are different from other great composers, like A.R. Rahman"[17]

The track "Mere Dil Ka Tumse Yeh Kehna" was also featured in the 5th edition of 100 Love Songs To Die For (Limited Edition) by T-Series.