.jpeg)
Starcast: Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Prem Chopra, Nirupa Roy, Pradeep Kumar Direc...
Starcast: Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Prem Chopra, Nirupa Roy, Pradeep Kumar
Direction: Manoj Kumar
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Boasting of an ensemble cast comprising the who's who of Bollywood, Kranti, directed, edited and produced by Manoj Kumar based on Salim-Javed's story and screenplay saw the return of thespian Dilip Kumar after a 5-year hiatus. Released in February 1981, the historical drama was among the top 10 highest grossing Indian films of all time despite being one of the most expensive Indian films of the 1980s.
A cult classic which continues to be a favourite for repeat viewing, Kranti was set in British India and revolved around the fight for independence led by Sanga (Dilip Kumar) an honest employee of Raja Laxman Singh of Ramgarh (P Jairaj). Sanga discovers that the British are taking gold out and bringing in weapons through the port which they were supposed to use for trade. When he goes to the raja to report this he finds the raja stabbed. Sanga is charged for the murder and sentenced to death. He escapes to form a group of revolutionaries to oust the British from India. His son Bharat (Manoj Kumar) joins him in his patriotic endeavour. To aid his work Bharat kidnaps Rajkumari Meenakshi (Hema Malini) and plants Sureeli (Parveen Babi) in her place at the palace. The initially furious Meenakshi ends up falling for Bharat.
With lyrics by Manoj Kumar and Santosh Anand and music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kranti had some really memorable numbers like "Zindagi ki na toote ladi", "Chana jor garam babu", "Ab ke baras" "Mara thumka" and of course the fiery title track "Kranti kranti". With Mukesh, a must in all Manoj Kumar films, the actor-director turned to the late singer's son Nitin Mukesh to do the playback singing for himself.
Both Shashi Kapoor as Shakti and Parveen Babi as Sureeli were wasted in inconsequential roles. In fact, Vinod Kumar was to play Shakti, but bowed out due to date issues. Parveen Babi had a much bigger role but as she gave Manoj Kumar so much trouble during shooting, including fainting on the sets due to a strict diet, he had her character killed off pretty early in the film.
Vyjanthimala was offered the role of Radha opposite Dilip Kumar but she turned it down with Nirupa Roy doing the part instead.
Apart from Dilip Kumar's stupendous performance, Shatrughan Sinha scored big with his turn as Karim Khan, a role originally offered to Amitabh Bachchan who too couldn't come on board due to date issues.
Kranti was also the first film where Manoj Kumar directed Hema Malini. She too didn't give him an easy time as she had to balance her dates with 'Razia Sultan' which she was shooting for simultaneously. Moreover, she also got married to Dharmendra during this period.
With the budget spiralling out of control, Manoj Kumar had to even sell off some of his property to continue shooting.
Kunal Goswami, Manoj Kumar's son made his debut with this film playing his father's son in the opening scene.
The opulent sets and costumes, the vast starcast teeming with heavyweights and the rousing music by Laxmi-Pyare not to forget the patriotic fervour and the superb dialogues, helped to propel; Kranti towards box-office success. Kranti ended up being the crowning glory of Manoj Kumar's glittering career as a hero and filmmaker.
No comments