is a 1991 Hindi drama mystery film, loosely based on the 1895 short story Kshudhit Pashaan (Hungry Stones) by Rabindranath Tagore and directed by Gulzar.

It stars Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Amjad Khan, Alok Nath, and Beena Banerjee, and features a special appearance by Hema Malini.

The film tells the story of Reva, a restless ghost who seeks liberation and haunts the ancient palace of Raja Param Singh in Rajasthan when she is discovered by Sameer, a museum curator sent by the government to salvage valuables in the region.

Government officer Sameer Niyogi is sent to Rajasthan to take inventory of items in the abandoned haveli (mansion) of the long-deceased Maharaja Param Singh.

According to the story revealed through her recreation, Reva is a spirit stranded in a period of time, attempting to cross the desert to meet her long-lost sister Tara.

The King learns of this and imprisons Miraj Ali and Reva in the castle dungeons while Tara's camel runs ahead in the desert but is never heard of.

But in the attempt to cross the desert, Mehru is caught by the King's men and punished by lashes and dropped to his village in a near-dead condition.

As events unfold towards the end, we come to know that Sameer is the rebirth of Mehru and that Reva's elder sister, Tara successfully managed to cross the desert when her camel ran ahead.

[5] Having accepted her offer, he decided to adapt Rabindranath Tagore's 1895 spiritual short story Kshudhit Pashaan, also known as Hungry Stones.

[21] Writing for The Indian Express, Subhash K. Jha concluded his review of the film at the time of its release saying, "Lekin is a deeply satisfying work of incandescent beauty."

Filmed in the golden expanses of the Rajasthani desert and played with intense tragedy by Dimple, the insubstantial character is the essence of evanescence.

"[24] The same publication wrote in the same year of Kapadia's performance: "the role requires more than a simplistic understanding of the character and the actress ... approaches it with an instinctive maturity.

"[25] Throughout the years, Kapadia has maintained that the part of Reva is her personal favourite, calling it "the most fantastic role" of her career, and wished it had been given more screen time in the film.

"[31] In a piece about the film's costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, Lekha J. Tandon of The Indian Express wrote, "Lekin is striking, not just for its haunting story and music, and Dimple Kapadia's performance, but also for its mood and tone.

"[33] Author and journalist Rasheed Kidwai, in his book Neta–Abhineta: Bollywood Star Power in Indian Politics, called the film an "underrated metaphysical melodrama".

She elaborated, "The music follows, with Rajasthani folk tunes enhanced and embellished by Gulzar’s poetry and the komalswars (half notes) of Maand, Todi and the rarely performed Vihangini (a form of Raga created by Pt.

[22] Writing for Scroll.in, Damini Kulkarni wrote, "Lekin draws a powerful analogy between a ghost frozen in time and a woman repeatedly victimised by men.

[40] According to Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, the film "adds to the horror iconography" through the use of "ruins, dungeons, suggestive music and fluttering pigeons", as well as its portrayal of the tribal Banjaras.

[2] Ruth Vanita, author of the book Dancing with the Nation, claims that Lekin is "a good example of the merry mix that is Hindu–Muslim hybridity in Bombay cinema".

[41] She explained that kind Muslims dominate the background of the story, often saving the Hindu characters, and the order is reversed in present times with good Hindus.

In the same book, the author mentions the way the erotic undertone of the story is built, where the male lead is attracted more to the ghost than his wife, with "death and liberation portrayed as almost orgasmic experiences".

[43] Mangeshkar won the Best Female Playback Singer for "singing with outstanding expressions with the rarest and purest of styles"; Nitish Roy won the Best Art Direction for "maintaining the era, etching the characters against the canvas, with perfect colour, design and execution"; Bhanu Athaiya was named Best Costume Designer for her "texture and tone of the costumes, which heighten the visual quality of the film"; Hridaynath Mangeshkar's won the Best Music Direction for "using traditional tunes and instruments creatively, with litting melody and haunting perfection", and Gulzar was awarded the Best Lyrics for "evoking beautiful imagery, created through lyrical poetry".