Kurbaan

Kurbaan is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced by Karan Johar under Dharma Productions. It is based on a story by Johar who co-wrote the screenplay with D'Silva. Starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, the story revolves around Avantika Ahuja (Kapoor), a psychology professor in New York who returns to Delhi, India to caretake her ailing father and develops a relationship with Ehsaan (Khan). Avantika and Ehsaan fall in love, get married, and leave for the United States, where she discovers that Ehsaan and his family are linked to Islamic terrorist groups after witnessing the house arrest, domestic abuse and murder of now family member Salma (Nauheed Cyrusi). The film's backdrop on global terrorism forms the crux. The original story was conceptualized by Johar, who wanted D'Silva to direct it. In his directorial debut, D'Silva framed the script through the lens of the female protagonist, the romance between Kapoor and Khan, the thriller element, and a social message. The film was shot across Philadelphia, Brooklyn, New York City, Delhi and Mumbai between January 2009 to June 2009. The background score and soundtrack album are composed by the duo Salim–Sulaiman. The song sequences were choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. Anurag Kashyap and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar have penned the dialogues. Kurbaan released on 20 November 2009 and received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its direction, screenplay, soundtrack, and performances of the cast, with particular praise directed towards Kapoor's performance. However, despite critical acclaim, it was declared a flop by Box Office India. At the 55th Filmfare Awards, Kurbaan received 2 nominations – Best Actress (Kapoor) and Best Male Playback Singer (Sonu Nigam & Salim Merchant for "Shukran Allah").