Madhumati - Influence

Influence

Madhumati went on to become the source of inspiration for many later works dealing with the theme of reincarnation in Indian cinema, Indian television, and perhaps world cinema. It may have been the source of inspiration for the American film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975) (though that film was based upon a 1973 novel by Max Ehrlich) and the Hindi film Karz (1980), both of which dealt with reincarnation and have been influential in their respective cultures. Karz in particular was remade several times: as the Kannada film Yuga Purusha (1989), the Tamil film Enakkul Oruvan (1984), and more recently the Bollywood film Karzzzz (2008). The Reincarnation of Peter Proud and Karz may have also inspired the American film Chances Are (1989). The most recent film to be directly inspired by Madhumati is the hit Bollywood film Om Shanti Om (2007), which led to the late Bimal Roy's daughter Rinki Bhattacharya accusing the film of plagiarism and threatening legal action against its producers.

Other later Indian films featuring reincarnation as a main theme include:

• Mooga Manasulu (1963)
• Milan (1967)
• Mehbooba (1976)
• Karz (1980)
• Kudrat (1981)
• Janam Janam (1988)
• Suryavanshi (1992)
• Prem Shakti (1994)
• Karan Arjun (1995)
• Hamesha (1997)
• Mr Ya Miss (2005)
• Valley of Flowers (2006)
• Love Story 2050 (2008)

Reincarnation has also appeared as a main theme in the following Indian soap operas and television serials:

• Banoo Main Teri Dulhann
• Kaajjal
• Kumkum