Happy Birthday to you Poonam Dhillon

Poonam Dhillon in the 1979 smash hit movie Noorie

Happy Birthday to dear Poonam Dhillon, one of my favourite bollywood sweethearts. She burst onto the movie scene in 1978 when Yash Chopra cast her in Trishul shortly after she had just won Femina Magazine's Miss Young India. Following Trishul, Poonam appeared in a number of Box office hits such as Noorie, Karma, Sohni Mahiwal etc. But the first Poonam movie i ever watched was Yeh Vaada Raha a sweet love story which i heard flopped in India but that movie was in the same ranks if not even more popular than Sholay when i was a child in Nigeria, something my dear fellow blogger Daddy's Girl has testified to, another dear friend and fellow blogger Nicki has also testified how the movie was such a hit among Thai people.

Poonam never won any awards perhaps because she always played the hero's girlfriend and never really got to play strong roles, something i think her cuteness denied her and possibly something to do with her shyness, which she herself admitted to, on her website. However Poonam was always so delightful to watch, her innocent face always brightened up the screen and she always gives a charming performance so much so that in most movies you see her in, you can't help but like her and if it were possible you'd want to give her a hug from the screen. God bless you Poonam and i wish you many more happy years to come. I've included five of my fave Poonam Picturisations to celebrate her 47th birthday

5. Hum Jis Raste pe chale from Teri Kasam (1982) In a movie dominated mostly by Amit Kumar singing for Kumar Gaurav, Lata Mangeshkar joins him in this duet, Poonam looks so adoring and i really like her and Kumar Gaurav together


4. Gapoochi Gapoochie Gum from Trishul (1979) Listen to this song once and you'll be
singing it all day,Poonam looks ravishing as usual


3. Sawan ke din aaye from Teri Meherbaniyan (1985) Every bollywood actress usually

needed a sexy rain song and dance usually with another bollywood actor,

however Poonam sizzles alone
in this one


2. Chori Chori koi aaye from Noorie (1979) Poonam looks like the

embodiment of sweetness and cuteness in this catchy song from the sweet,

simple and sad smash hit film Noorie


1.Yeh vaada Raha from Yeh Vaada Raha (1982) This was the first movie

that i saw Poonam in,

and the rest as they say is History, Asha's voice really suits
Poonam's in this classic song and i like the romantic dance between her

and Rishi

Noorie (1979)

Noorie (1979) is a very cute, romantic film produced by Yash Chopra. Upon its release in 1979, the film became a box office hit in India (i have an obssession watching movies that were hits in India, of course i watch non hit films as well, but i like seeing what Indian cinema goers paid to watch)

Noorie tells the story of a girl called 'Noorie' ( a very cute Poonam Dhillon) who lives in the valleys with her Dad, and her dog Khairoo, she has a boyfriend Yusuf (Farooq Shaikh) and they're both deeply in Love with one another

Yusuf is eager to marry her, but Noorie tells him to go and ask her father for her hand in marriage

Yusuf takes Noorie's advice and makes his desires known to her father 'Ghulam Nabi' (Iftekhar) The Ghulam Nabi agrees and Noorie and Yusuf's wedding preparations begin

While preparation's are being made for Noorie and Yusuf's wedding , another villager Bashir Khan (Bharat Kapoor) takes a strong liking to Noorie and decides he wants her for himself, he approaches Noorie's father and tells him his intentiontions, but Noories' father disagrees
A very angry Bashir Khan then arranges the murder of Gulam Nabi, who gets killed by Bashir Khan's men. Following his death, Noorie and Yusuf decide to suspend their marriage, a few months later the marriage preparations are back on, however a few days before the marriage Bashir Khan, who happens to be Yusuf's boss sends him on an errand out of town. While Yusuf is out of town Bashir Khan goes over to Noorie's house and then rapes her.

Noorie's dog tries to help but he's been chained down
A very distraught Noorie after the rape

What will happen to Noorie, will she be able to leave with herself after the rape? What will be the Villager's reaction to Noorie? Will Yusuf still be willing to marry her? Will Bashir Khan's evil deeds ever be found out? For all these answers watch Noorie.

Closing in at about 1hr 54mins Noorie is one of the shortest hindi films i've ever seen. Its hard for me to criticise Noorie, as it's a simple, sweet & straight to the point story, although it gets all sad and dramatic towards the end. If you like lighthearted, simple entertainment that's easy to follow, and one has great songs that you'll find yourself singing even after the movie is over, then definitely check out Noorie.

The songs of 'Noorie' scored by Khayyam (who also scored bollywood classics such as Kabhie Kabhie,Umrao Jaan) are memorable classics that linger in your head upon listening, from the delightful Qawalli 'Aashiqi ho to aisa ho' (the only video of this song i could find on youtube were of some Russian bollywood dancers miming & dancing to it at some function, make sure you watch it), the sweet 'Chori Chori koi aaye' and my personal favourite the haunting 'Aaja Re' (see below). The simple storyline, the character's, plus wonderful cinematography, the beautiful locales and classic music is what i believe made Noorie a box office hit in India.




Total Score: 6/10
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