Nikaah

Nikaah (Urdu: نکاح‎, English: Marriage Contract) is a 1982 Bollywood Hindi/urdu film produced and directed by B. R. Chopra. The film stars Raj Babbar, Deepak Parashar and Salma Agha in her Bollywood movie debut role. The film also had Asrani, Iftekhar and Gufi Paintal in support roles. The films music is by Ravi. The original name of the movie was Talaq Talaq Talaq, but was renamed Nikaah on the insistence of Islamic clerics .

Plot

In Nikaah,B.R Chopra makes a social comment on the sharia laws of divorce (Talaq) and its misuse in Indian Muslim society.

The film is set in Hyderabad, Deccan. Haider (Raj Babbar) and Nilofar (Salma Agha) study in the same college. Haider, an aspiring poet, falls in love with Nilofar without knowing she is in love with Wasim (Deepak Parashar), who is a Nawab. Nilofar and Wasim are engaged and they eventually marry. Meanwhile, Haider becomes a successful poet and editor of a magazine.

During their honeymoon, Wasim gets a new business contract and spends most of his time at work. Nilofer, who was expecting a happy married life is disappointed and feels neglected and lonely. On the occasion of their first wedding anniversary Wasim and Nilofar arrange a party for which Wasim fails to turn up. Nilofar can't face the questions of the guests and retires to her bedroom. The guests are insulted by the absence of the hosts and leave the party. This leads to a heated argument between the couple and in a moment of rage Wasim divorces Nilofar by saying Talaq three times, without fulfilling other conditions required by sharia laws to perform this (which was a usual practice in Indian Muslim society in those times).