Starcast: Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, Neelam Rohini Hattangadi, Danny, Archana Puran Singh, Goga Kapoor, Vikram Gokhale, ...
Starcast: Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, Neelam Rohini Hattangadi, Danny, Archana Puran Singh, Goga Kapoor, Vikram Gokhale, Alok Nath
Inspired by the lives of Mumbai gangster Manya Surve and don Varadharajan Mudaliar, the title Agneepath was taken from a poem of the same name penned by Harivansh Rai Bachchan. The poem is an integral part of the film, creating a thematic link throughout the movie from the beginning till the end. A Yash Johar production, directed by Mukul Anand, despite being one of the top grossers of 1990 it failed to make it big at the BO that year. One of the most memorable characters played by Amitabh, his outstanding performance as Vijay Deenanath Chauhan won him the National Award for Best Actor.
Initially released on February 16, 1990, with Amitabh delivering his
dialogues in a different voice modulation which was at times incomprehensible
like Marlon Brando's in The Godfather, people rejected the film outright, forcing
the producers to release a redubbed version in Amitabh’s famous baritone.
Agneepath has achieved cult status over the years and
inspired a remake starring Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt in 2012. Directed by
Karan Malhotra it was produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar as a tribute
to his father.
Village schoolmaster Deenanath (Alok Nath) is shamed
and lynched after Kancha Cheena (Danny) and his henchmen hatch a plot when he
tries to stop them from setting up a heroin smuggling den in the village. His
family wife Suhasini (Rohini), son Vijay (Amitabh) and daughter Shiksha
(Neelam) are forced to leave for Mumbai. Vijay, sworn to avenge the injustice
and father’s death, ends up joining the underworld, rising to become a dreaded
don with god-like status.
One day when his car is ambushed and Vijay is badly
injured a coconut vendor Krishnan Iyer M.A.(Mithun) comes to his rescue. Vijay
is nursed back to health at the hospital by a nurse Mary Mathews (Madhavi) who
Vijay later marries. Krishnan later becomes his sister’s bodyguard and then
lover.
Even as Vijay tries to mend his ways and redeem
himself in the eyes of his mother, he sets into motion his devious plan of
revenge against Kancha Cheena by getting rid of his associates one by one till
he wounds and burns Kancha alive in a raging fire and then himself succumbs to
his injuries in his mother’s lap.
For his role as a Tamilian Mithun took inspiration from a roommate of his during his struggling days, aceing it beautifully to become a favourite with the audience, be it his dialogue delivery or his dance steps. In fact, he contributed the comic element in a dark film replete with gruesome action scenes and bloody violence not normally seen in a Bachchan starrer then. Danny was hatefully deadly as the dreaded Kancha Cheena while Rohini's long-suffering mother act resonated with the audience. Over the years the film has struck a chord with viewers and reruns of the film on TV are avidly lapped up.
Incidentally, the iconic dance number Jhumma Chumma De
De was actually planned for Agneepath, but as the director rightly felt it
would not go with Amitabh's role, the song was replaced by Ali Baba and Jhumma
Chumma was used in Hum.
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