Saathiya (film)

Saathiya (transl. Companion) is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film directed by Shaad Ali in his directorial debut, written by Mani Ratnam, and produced by Yash Raj Films and Kaleidoscope Entertainment. A remake of Ratnam's Alai Payuthey (2000), the film stars Rani Mukerji and Vivek Oberoi, with Sandhya Mridul, Tanuja, Satish Shah, Swaroop Sampat, and Sharat Saxena in supporting roles. The narrative follows Aditya and Suhani, a young couple who elope and marry despite parental opposition, only to find their relationship tested by personal struggles and a sudden tragedy.

The cinematography and editing were handled by Anil Mehta and A. Sreekar Prasad respectively. The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman, who composed the music for the original film, with lyrics written by Gulzar. The music, particularly the title track "Saathiya" sung by Sonu Nigam, was particularly well received and went on to win several awards.

Saathiya was released theatrically on 20 December 2002, and received critical acclaim for its direction, performances, screenplay, and music. It emerged as a commercial success, earning ₹291 million (US$3.4 million) and ranking as the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.

At the 48th Filmfare Awards, Saathiya received eight nominations and won six awards, including Best Actress (Critics) (Mukerji), Best Screenplay (Ratnam), and Best Male Playback Singer (Sonu Nigam for "Saathiya").