Starcast :- Raaj Kumar, Asha Parekh, Danny Denzongpa, Raaj Kiran, Kim, Rakesh Bedi, Krishen Dhawan, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Kader Khan Di...
Starcast :- Raaj Kumar, Asha Parekh, Danny Denzongpa, Raaj Kiran, Kim, Rakesh Bedi, Krishen Dhawan, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Kader Khan
Direction :- Esmayeel
Shroff
Music :- R D Burman
I watched ‘Bulundi’, directed by Esmayeel Shroff. Released on January 30, 1981, this was a solid 80’s masala flick with some real heart, even if it feels a bit dated now. The story centres around Professor Satish Khurana, played by Raaj Kumar. An upright, respected college teacher he lives a simple life with his wife Sarla (Asha Parekh) and his sister Leena (Kim). Everything's fine until his friend ropes him into giving private tuitions to the spoiled, truant son of a super-rich, shady businessman named Ranjeet Singh Lobo—Danny Denzongpa in full gangster-vibe mode. At first, it's just about reforming this arrogant kid Manjeet (also played by Danny), and surprisingly, Satish actually gets through to him. The boy starts shaping up, which impresses Lobo and his rich buddies so much that they all want Satish to tutor their wayward sons too. Sounds innocent, right? Like a feel-good teacher movie.
But nope—this is
Bollywood, so things twist fast. These "businessmen" are actually
hardcore criminals running some big underworld racket, and poor Satish gets
pulled deeper into their world without fully realizing it at first. He becomes
this unwilling pawn in their deadly games, and the film shifts from family
drama and light romance to full-on crime thriller territory with revenge,
betrayal, and some intense confrontations. There's this whole thing about
justice, corruption, and how an honest man fights back when his family's
threatened. It's got that classic 80s moral core—good vs evil, family above
everything—without getting too preachy most of the time.
Raaj Kumar is the soul of
the movie. His Satish is calm, principled, but when pushed, he unleashes that
signature Raaj Kumar fire. The dialogue delivery, the piercing eyes—classic
stuff. Asha Parekh as his supportive wife doesn't have a ton to do, but she's
graceful and adds warmth to the home scenes. Danny Denzongpa as the villain
Lobo is menacing without overacting; he has this chess motif thing where he
treats people like pieces on a board, which is pretty cool as well as creepy.
The supporting cast has familiar faces like Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Kader Khan
(in a comedic-ish role?), Helen in a small part, and Krishan Dhawan. The sons
(the spoiled kids) are played by folks like Raj Kiran, Rakesh Bedi and others—
they're very good,especially raj kiran as Vicky showing that transformation
from brats to somewhat reformed under Satish's influence.
The music is by R.D.
Burman, which is a big plus. Pancham da delivers some really nice tracks.
"Kaho Kahan Chale" (Kishore and Asha) is super catchy—romantic,
breezy, perfect for picturization on Danny and Kim. Then there's "Abhi To
Hum Hue Jawan" by Kishore Kumar, which has that youthful energy, and
"Ab Raat Ho Gayee" (Rafi-Asha- Amit trio) that's sweet and emotional.
The disco-ish "Are Dil Se Dil Mile" feels very 80s party vibe. Not
every song is a blockbuster classic like in some RD films, but they fit the
mood well and aren't forced in. Majrooh Sultanpuri's lyrics are solid too.
Direction-wise, Esmayeel
Shroff keeps things moving. The first half builds the characters and the setup
nicely, almost like a family/social drama, then the second half ramps up the
action and tension. It's got that interesting mix—starts grounded, then goes
full masala with fights, chases, and emotional confrontations. Though, It's not
just mindless action, there's a message about standing up for what's right.
Is it perfect? Nah.
Pacing dips in spots, especially early on with the tuition angle, and some
twists feel predictable if you've seen enough 80s Bollywood. The action scenes
are okay for the era but nothing groundbreaking—no crazy stunts or anything.
And yeah, it's very much a product of its time—patriarchal vibes, dramatic
dialogues et al.
Still, I enjoyed it more
than I expected. It's got heart, strong performances (especially Raaj Kumar and
Danny), decent music, and that satisfying good-triumphs-over-evil payoff. If
you're into classic Bollywood dramas with a crime angle, or just want to see
Raaj Kumar in an intense role, give Bulundi a shot. Not a masterpiece, but
definitely has its moments of "bulandi" (height/glory) in the
storytelling.
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By Ayushmaan Mitra
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