Saathiya (film)

Saathiya (transl. Companion) is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Shaad Ali in his directorial debut and produced by Mani Ratnam and Yash Chopra under the banners Madras Talkies and Yash Raj Films. A remake of Ratnam's Tamil film Alai Payuthey (2000), the film stars Rani Mukerji and Vivek Oberoi, with supporting performances from Sandhya Mridul, Tanuja, Swaroop Sampat, Satish Shah, Sharat Saxena, and Kunal Kumar. 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.

Cinematography was handled by Anil Mehta and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. The soundtrack and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Gulzar. The music, particularly the title track "Saathiya" sung by Sonu Nigam, received widespread acclaim and commercial success.

Released theatrically on 20 December 2002, Saathiya received critical praise 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").