on the Ground: New Media and the Transformation of Culture, Class, and Gender in India that through the character of Madhubala, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke becomes one of the films which portray "excessively sexual, greedy women who are redeemed by being remade as consumers". Derné further credited the film with melding the stereotypical "heroine" and "vamp" roles of Hindi heroines in contrast to how they were portrayed in previous decades, describing Zinta as a "legitimate heroine" in the film. S. Banaji spoke of a "transformation in the 'moral' consciousness of the prostitute". Bhawana Somaaya, while critical of the film's "regular packaging of commercial clichés", commended it for the unique portrayal of the wife, played by Mukerji, who is the sole decision-maker in the family throughout the entire process of surrogacy. Soundtrack The soundtrack for Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was composed by Anu Malik and the lyrics were written by Sameer. It was released in 2000 by Universal Music India. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around two million units sold, the soundtrack became the sixth highest-selling music album of the year. Release The film's initial release date of 22 December 2000 was delayed when producer Nazim Rizvi was arrested in December and film financier Bharat Shah was arrested in January; both were charged with receiving funding from Chhota Shakeel of the Mumbai underworld and pressuring leading Bollywood actors—specifically, Khan—to appear in the film and for the profits to be shared with Shakeel. Rizvi had reportedly been under telephone surveillance by the Mumbai Police for a number of months. The Central Bureau of Investigation seized the film's prints and delivered them to the court receiver. The negatives were released on 12 February 2001 on a judicial order. In its ruling, the court ordered all profits from the film to go to the Maharashtra state government. Rivzi and Shah were still incarcerated when Chori Chori Chupke Chupke opened to the public on 9 March 2001. The film was released with an opening credit thanking the Special Court, MCOCA, the Crime Branch, the Mumbai Police, and the court receiver, "without whose untiring efforts and good office this picture would never have been made". The film's release took place amid protests due to its alleged funding by the underworld. Due to the controversy surrounding its delayed release—and the recurrent publicity around it—the film was expected to be a big success,