| Zanjeer | |
|---|---|
_film_poster.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Prakash Mehra |
| Written by | Salim–Javed |
| Produced by | Prakash Mehra Productions |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | N. Satyen |
| Edited by | R. Mahadik |
| Music by | Kalyanji-Anandji |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Prakash Mehra Productions Baba Digital Media Digital Entertainment Eros Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 147 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Zanjeer (transl. Shackles) is a 1973 IndianHindi-languageaction crime film directed and produced byPrakash Mehra and written bySalim–Javed. The film starsAmitabh Bachchan,Jaya Bhaduri,Pran,Ajit Khan andBindu. The music was composed byKalyanji-Anandji, while cinematography and editing were handled by N. Satyen and R. Mahadik.
Zanjeer was the first of many collaborations betweenSalim–Javed and Bachchan. Ever sinceZanjeer, Salim–Javed wrote many of their subsequent scripts with Bachchan for the lead role and insisted on him being cast for their later films, including blockbusters such asDeewaar andSholay, establishing Bachchan as a superstar.[1] In addition to being a turning point for Bachchan's career and Hindi cinema,Zanjeer was also a turning point forSouth Indian cinema, with Bachchan's acting inspiringRajinikanth.[2]Zanjeer remains an important film in the history ofIndian cinema and is regarded as a classic today.
OnDiwali, a young Vijay Khanna witnesses the murder of his parents committed by a man of unknown identity with a white horse on his charm braceletZanjeer. Due to this traumatic event, Vijay has recurring nightmares of a whitestallion. Even as a child, Vijay stays socially awkward from other kids and believes himself to be alone. 20 years later, Vijay has become anInspector in a town, where few are honest. Vijay receives complaints about a local man named Sher Khan, who is running gambling dens. When Vijay calls Khan in for questioning, Khan's superiority complex chafes against Vijay's police authority as he scolds the officer, telling him he only orders him around due to his uniform.
Vijay takes him up on his challenge, and meets him in street clothes to fight him. After the fight, Sher Khan not only closes his gambling dens, but has gained respect for Vijay. Sher Khan becomes anauto mechanic and reforms his ways. Various dealings of thecrime syndicate continue unabated throughout the town, which traces back to Teja, a crime boss. A mysterious caller continuously calls Vijay to inform him when a crime is about to take place, but hangs up before Vijay can extract any more information from him. When a traffic accident perpetrated by gang members leaves several children dead, a street performer named Mala becomes the witness, where she is bribed by Teja's men to keep quiet.
Mala is questioned by Vijay, who becomes enraged at her and to sway her differently, takes her into themorgue to view the mangled bodies of the children. Mala has a change of heart and asks the money to be donated to anorphanage. Mala identifies the man behind the traffic accident. After learning that Mala has broken her word, Teja's men chases after her through the night. Mala arrives at Vijay's house, desperate for shelter and Vijay allows her to stay. The two discover that they are orphans and discuss the fears associated with living alone. Vijay kindly takes her to his brother and sister-in-law. Under the sister-in-law's tutelage, Mala begins to learn how to keep the house clean as well as learnEnglish.
Eventually, Teja frames Vijay for bribery, who is later imprisoned for 6 months on false charges. After getting released from prison, Vijay plans to exact revenge, but Mala, who developed feelings for Vijay, begs him to stop being so vengeful. Vijay reluctantly agrees, but soon must come to terms with such a promise. In aChristian cemetery, Vijay encounters the informant who had called him in the past when he was an inspector. The informer named D'Silva appears half-insane, holding onto an empty bottle. D'Silva tells that several years before onChristmas, his three sons drank poisonedmoonshine and died from it. Until the killer is found, D'Silva will continue to wander with the bottle. When local criminals mocked him, D'Silva vowed to get back at them by calling the inspector when a crime was about to happen.
After hearing this news, Vijay becomes depressed. Along with a concerted effort by Sher Khan to cheer up Vijay, Mala relents and vows that she will not try to control him and tells him to do what is right. The trail of tainted moonshine leads back to Teja. Upon finally cornering Teja on Diwali,fireworks bursting overhead, Vijay finds out that the person who murdered his parents is Teja after Vijay recognized theZanjeer on his wrist. Sher Khan helps him to fight Teja and his men, where Vijay takes justice into their own hands until the police arrive. As Teja is being taken into custody, he manages to overpower one of them, snatches their gun and holds Superintendent Singh at gunpoint. Vijay manages to retrieve a dropped pistol from the ground and shoots Teja, who falls dead into the swimming pool. Vijay finds Teja'sZanjeer fallen on the ground and throws it away, freeing him from his lifelong trauma. D'Silva and Vijay exchange a hug before Sher Khan drives off with Mala and Vijay into a new beginning after his arduous quest for justice.
| Actor/Actress | Character/Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amitabh Bachchan | Ex-Inspector Vijay Khanna | Protagonist |
| Jaya Bhaduri | Mala | |
| Pran | Sher Khan | |
| Om Prakash | D'Silva | Special appearance |
| Ajit Khan | Seth Dharam Dayal Teja | Antagonist |
| Bindu | Mona | |
| Iftekhar | Superintendent of Police Singh | credited as Iftikhar |
| Keshto Mukherjee | Gangu | credited as Kesto Mukherji |
| Randhir | Lala Ashok | Sherkhan's friend – Usurer |
| Gulshan Bawra | Street Singer | SongDeewane Hain |
| Sheela Vaz | Street dancer | SongDeewane Hain |
| Ram Mohan | Kabir | |
| Yunus Parvez | Constable | |
| M. Rajan | Ranjeet (Vijay's father) | |
| Purnima | Sumitra (Vijay's mother) | |
| Nandita Thakur | Shanti Bhabhi | |
| Satyendra Kappu | Police Inspector (Vijay's foster father) | credited as Satyen Kappoo |
| Ashalata Wabgaonkar | Police Inspector's wife (Vijay's foster mother) | credited as Asha Lata |
| Ram Sethi | Constable | |
| Sanjana | Street Dancer | SongDeewane Hain |
| Amrit Pal | Man offered 'Sher Khan' money to kill | credited as Amrit Paul |
| Bhushan Tiwari | Smuggler, Teja's man | credited as Bhooshan Tiwari |
| Javed Khan | Smuggler, Teja's man | credited as Khan |
| Ranvir Raj | Smuggler, Teja's man | credited as Ranbir |
| Krishan Dhawan | Smuggler, Teja's man | credited as Dhawan |
| Mac Mohan | Man caught in Teja's liquor warehouse | credited as Mack Mohan |
| D. K. Sapru | Patil | credited as Sapru |
| Goga Kapoor | Goga | credited as Goga |
The story and script were written bySalim Khan, who also conceived the "angry young man" persona of Vijay, played by Amitabh Bachchan. After completing the script, Khan shared the credit withJaved Akhtar as the screenwriting duoSalim–Javed.[3]Zanjeer was written as acrime film with violent action sequences, and the main character Vijay was conceived as a hard-hitting, 'angry with the system' young man.[2] At a time whenHindi cinema was dominated byromance films with "romantic hero" leads,Prakash Mehra saw the script as potentially groundbreaking and came on board as the film's director. However, they were struggling to find an actor for the lead "angry young man" role, which was turned down by a number of actors due to it going against their "romantic hero" image; at the time, the industry was dominated by the"King of Romance"Rajesh Khanna and similar "romantic hero" actors.[2] The role of the lead was first offered to many leading men of the time, includingRaaj Kumar, Rajesh Khanna,Dharmendra,Dev Anand andDilip Kumar, but they turned down the offer. Eventually, it went to a newcomer,Amitabh Bachchan and established his career.[4]
Salim-Javed were responsible for discovering and casting Bachchan. At the time, Bachchan was a "failed newcomer" who, by the age of 30, had twelve flops and only two hits (as a lead inBombay to Goa and supporting role inAnand).[2] According to Javed Akhtar, they "saw his talent, which most makers didn’t. He was exceptional, a genius actor who was in films that weren’t good."[1] According to Bachchan, Salim-Javed were close to Rajesh Khanna and could've convinced him to play the role, but they instead opted for the unknown Bachchan. According to Salim Khan, they "strongly felt that Amitabh was the ideal casting forZanjeer". Bachchan stated "Salim-Javed saw a fight sequence inBombay to Goa where I was chewing gum throughout the fight as an indicator that I would be the right choice forZanjeer.”[2] Salim Khan was responsible for introducing Bachchan to Mehra.[3]
For the female lead,Mumtaz was initially offered the role, but she was engaged at the time, and opted out, choosing marriage over career. Jaya Bhaduri, who was engaged to Bachchan at the time, immediately agreed to take the role for the sake of her future husband.[2] For the film's promotion, the posters ofZanjeer initially did not have the names of Salim-Javed on them. Salim-Javed hired a man with a jeep to drive around and paint "Salim-Javed" instencil font on all theZanjeer posters fromJuhu toOpera House. However, the man was sometimes drunk, which led to him painting "Salim-Javed" on the wrong places, such as Pran's face or Bachchan's hands, for some posters.[5]
The music was composed byKalyanji Anandji and the lyrics were written byPrakash Mehra, with the exception of 'Yaari Hai Imaan Mera', which was penned byGulshan Bawra.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chaaku Chhuriyan Tez Karaa Lo" | Asha Bhosle | |
| 2. | "Diljalon Ka Dil Jalaake Kya Milega Dilruba" | Asha Bhosle | |
| 3. | "Deewane Hai, Deewanon Ko Na Ghar Chahiye" | Lata Mangeshkar,Mohammed Rafi | |
| 4. | "Banaake Kyun Bigaada Re" | Lata Mangeshkar | |
| 5. | "Yaari Hai Imaan Mera Yaar Meri Zindagi" | Manna Dey |
With a total domestic Indiangross revenue of₹6crore in1973, including anett collection of₹ 3 crore, the film was declared a "Super Hit" according toBox Office India.[6] This was equivalent to a domestic gross ofUS$7.75 million in 1973,[n 1] or US$55 million (₹ 282 crore)[8] in 2016.
It was also anoverseas blockbuster at theSoviet box office, where it drew an audience of 37.3 million viewers in1980.[9] Its overseas gross in theSoviet Union amounted to 9.325 million Rbls (US$14.58 million,₹ 11.46 crore), equivalent to US$56 million (₹ 282 crore) in 2016.[n 5]
Worldwide, the film grossed a total of₹17.46 crore ($22.33 million). Adjusted for inflation, its worldwide gross is equivalent to₹564 crore ($84 million) in 2016.
| Year | Film | Language | Cast | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Nippulanti Manishi | Telugu | N. T. Rama Rao Kaikala Satyanarayana Latha Sethupathi | S. D. Lal |
| 1974 | Sirithu Vazha Vendum | Tamil | M. G. Ramachandran Latha Sethupathi | S. S. Balan |
| 1980 | Naayattu | Malayalam | Jayan Prem Nazir | Sreekumaran Thampi |
| 2013 | Zanjeer / Toofan (Simultaneously shot in Hindi and Telugu) | Hindi | Ram Charan Priyanka Chopra,Sanjay Dutt,Atul Kulkarni,Prakash Raj,Mahie Gill[13] | Apoorva Lakhia |
| Telugu |
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