Shaan (film)
Encyclopedia
Shaan is a 1980 Indian Hindi film. It is director Ramesh Sippy
's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan
after Sholay
. The story was written by Salim-Javed
.
Expectations were high as this was the film that was to have expected to match the success of Ramesh Sippy's previous blockbuster film Sholay
. It didn't match the success of Sholay but still it was another "blockbuster" of Bachchan. http://boxofficeindia.com/80-89.htm. Director Ramesh Sippy tried to round up the same people from Sholay
, and he succeeded only partly by getting superstar Amitabh Bachchan
and music composer R.D. Burman who composed the unforgettable songs for the film and earned the film's only Filmfare
nomination for Best Music.
drew its inspiration from the American Western and spaghetti western
films, Shaan took its lead from the James Bond
films with fancy sets and beautiful costumes. The famous bald villain Shakaal, played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda
, was based on the James Bond
villain Blofeld.
) returns home to his wife Sheetal(Raakhee Gulzar
) and their young daughter and announces that he has been transferred to Bombay. Shiv Kumar has two brothers, Vijay(Amitabh Bachchan
) and Ravi(Shashi Kapoor
), who live in Mumbai. They are intelligent and capable guys, but spend their time loafing about the city and swindling unsuspecting people. After resuming his work at Mumbai, however, a mystery man(Shatrughan Sinha
) tries to assassinate Shiv Kumar. Shiv Kumar survives both the times.
Vijay and Ravi team up with Chacha(Johnny Walker
) and Renu(Bindiya Goswami
) who are a similar swindler pair. Vijay meets Sunita(Parveen Babi
), yet another fraudster during one of their adventures. One of their tricks eventually backfires and lands Vijay and Ravi in jail. Shiv Kumar bails them out and reads them the riot act at home. After the two attemots on his life, Vijay and Ravi advise him to find a different line of work, arguing that his present profession is unpredictable, dangerous and unsuitable for a family man. Shiv Kumar, however, stands firm, citing his undying patriotic commitment to his corps and his country.
The film now introduces Shakaal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda
). Shakaal is an international crimelord(The character & his hideout are very closely modelled on the James Bond
villain Blofeld & his headquarters). He operates out of a remote island outside India. Shakaal is a sadistic villain, who rejoices in pain of his enemies & traitors. Shiv Kumar gets progressively closer to the root of the crimes in the city. Shakaal has Shiv Kumar brought before him. Shakaal compliments Shiv Kumar on his wits and valour, and offers him to come on the other side. True to his form, Shiv Kumar firmly refuses the offer.
Shakaal tries to kill him, but Shiv Kumar breaks loose and tries to escape from the island. Shakaal unleashes wild dogs upon Shiv Kumar and eventually shoots him dead upon the beach. As Vijay, Ravi and Sheetal lament their tragic loss, the mysterious man who tried to kill Shiv Kumar shows up. Sheetal angrily identifies him. The man introduces himself as Rakesh, a crack gun marksman and former circus performer who used to shoot targets blindfolded(by sound). He was recruited by Shakaal to assassinate Shiv Kumar, by keeping Rakesh's wife hostage.
Rakesh deliberately missed Shiv Kumar on the two previous instances, hoping it would buy him time to rescue his wife. But on realizing this, an angry Shakaal killed his wife. Rakesh sought out Ravi and Vijay so they could work together to bring down Shakaal. The trio seek the aid of a homeless cripple, Abdul (Mazhar Khan
in his first movie appearance). Abdul is a beggar, but is also the man-who-knows-the-city. With Abdul's help, the trio manage to find and destroy Shakaal's contraband hideouts in the city. Enraged, Shakaal kidnaps Sheetal and has her brought to his island.
Vijay, Ravi and Rakesh fume, knowing that Sheetal will almost certainly be killed and that they have no clue about the location of Shakaal's island. At this point, Jagmohan(Mac Mohan
), another of Shakaal's aides, who has been mercilessly crippled by Shakal offers his help to the group to gain entry in Shakal's hideout.
Posing as a musical troupe, Vijay and Ravi (along with Renu, Chacha and Sunita), enter the island and perform for Shakaal. Shakaal, however, reveals that Jagmohan was deliberately sent by him to trap them. Jagmohan's fracture was a lie. Their cover is blown and they are secured. In an elaborate chase-action sequence as the three brave men escape, avoid the various booby traps and henchmen, capture Shakaal and ultimately end him. Finally, the island is blown up and the heroes escape via helicopter to safety.
The playback singer for the song "Shaan Se" is Usha Uthup
Ramesh Sippy
Ramesh Sippy is an Indian film director, probably best-known for directing the popular and critically acclaimed film Sholay ....
's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
after Sholay
Sholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...
. The story was written by Salim-Javed
Salim-Javed
Salim-Javed were a scriptwriter duo who wrote a number of commercially and critically successful Hindi films in the 1970s and early 1980s. The duo, composed of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, made the writer's role popular with their names appearing in the posters of the films, and in some films they...
.
Expectations were high as this was the film that was to have expected to match the success of Ramesh Sippy's previous blockbuster film Sholay
Sholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...
. It didn't match the success of Sholay but still it was another "blockbuster" of Bachchan. http://boxofficeindia.com/80-89.htm. Director Ramesh Sippy tried to round up the same people from Sholay
Sholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...
, and he succeeded only partly by getting superstar Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
and music composer R.D. Burman who composed the unforgettable songs for the film and earned the film's only Filmfare
Filmfare
Filmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
nomination for Best Music.
Production
The film took 3 years to make, because of the juggling around of stars busy schedules. While SholaySholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...
drew its inspiration from the American Western and spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
films, Shaan took its lead from the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films with fancy sets and beautiful costumes. The famous bald villain Shakaal, played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...
, was based on the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
villain Blofeld.
Plot
DSP Shiv Kumar(Sunil DuttSunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
) returns home to his wife Sheetal(Raakhee Gulzar
Raakhee Gulzar
Raakhee is an Indian film actress, who has primarily appeared in Hindi films, as well as several Bengali films. She is popularly known as Raakhee Gulzar after her marriage with lyricist-director Gulzar ....
) and their young daughter and announces that he has been transferred to Bombay. Shiv Kumar has two brothers, Vijay(Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
) and Ravi(Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
), who live in Mumbai. They are intelligent and capable guys, but spend their time loafing about the city and swindling unsuspecting people. After resuming his work at Mumbai, however, a mystery man(Shatrughan Sinha
Shatrughan Sinha
Shatrughan Sinha is an Indian film actor and politician. Apart from being member of Rajya Sabha twice he was also Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shipping...
) tries to assassinate Shiv Kumar. Shiv Kumar survives both the times.
Vijay and Ravi team up with Chacha(Johnny Walker
Johnny Walker (actor)
Johnny Walker is the screen name of an Indian movie comedian, who acted in over 300 movies. He was born as Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi in Indore, India, the son of a mill worker. The family shifted to Mumbai when the textile mill his father worked in closed...
) and Renu(Bindiya Goswami
Bindiya Goswami
Bindiya Goswami is a former Bollywood actress. She acted in Hindi films from the late 1970s to early 1980s.-Film career:...
) who are a similar swindler pair. Vijay meets Sunita(Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi was an Indian actress, who is most remembered for her glamorous roles alongside top heroes of the 1970s and early 1980s in blockbusters like Deewar, Namak Halaal, Amar Akbar Anthony and Shaan...
), yet another fraudster during one of their adventures. One of their tricks eventually backfires and lands Vijay and Ravi in jail. Shiv Kumar bails them out and reads them the riot act at home. After the two attemots on his life, Vijay and Ravi advise him to find a different line of work, arguing that his present profession is unpredictable, dangerous and unsuitable for a family man. Shiv Kumar, however, stands firm, citing his undying patriotic commitment to his corps and his country.
The film now introduces Shakaal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...
). Shakaal is an international crimelord(The character & his hideout are very closely modelled on the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
villain Blofeld & his headquarters). He operates out of a remote island outside India. Shakaal is a sadistic villain, who rejoices in pain of his enemies & traitors. Shiv Kumar gets progressively closer to the root of the crimes in the city. Shakaal has Shiv Kumar brought before him. Shakaal compliments Shiv Kumar on his wits and valour, and offers him to come on the other side. True to his form, Shiv Kumar firmly refuses the offer.
Shakaal tries to kill him, but Shiv Kumar breaks loose and tries to escape from the island. Shakaal unleashes wild dogs upon Shiv Kumar and eventually shoots him dead upon the beach. As Vijay, Ravi and Sheetal lament their tragic loss, the mysterious man who tried to kill Shiv Kumar shows up. Sheetal angrily identifies him. The man introduces himself as Rakesh, a crack gun marksman and former circus performer who used to shoot targets blindfolded(by sound). He was recruited by Shakaal to assassinate Shiv Kumar, by keeping Rakesh's wife hostage.
Rakesh deliberately missed Shiv Kumar on the two previous instances, hoping it would buy him time to rescue his wife. But on realizing this, an angry Shakaal killed his wife. Rakesh sought out Ravi and Vijay so they could work together to bring down Shakaal. The trio seek the aid of a homeless cripple, Abdul (Mazhar Khan
Mazhar Khan
Mazhar Saleem Khan, born 11 September 1964 in Rawalpindi, is an Pakistan-born Omani cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler. He made several appearances as a batsman in the 2005 ICC Trophy and has also played List A cricket for the Oman national cricket team.-References:...
in his first movie appearance). Abdul is a beggar, but is also the man-who-knows-the-city. With Abdul's help, the trio manage to find and destroy Shakaal's contraband hideouts in the city. Enraged, Shakaal kidnaps Sheetal and has her brought to his island.
Vijay, Ravi and Rakesh fume, knowing that Sheetal will almost certainly be killed and that they have no clue about the location of Shakaal's island. At this point, Jagmohan(Mac Mohan
Mac Mohan
Mohan Makijany , popularly known as Mac Mohan, was a well-known Indian character actor in Hindi language films...
), another of Shakaal's aides, who has been mercilessly crippled by Shakal offers his help to the group to gain entry in Shakal's hideout.
Posing as a musical troupe, Vijay and Ravi (along with Renu, Chacha and Sunita), enter the island and perform for Shakaal. Shakaal, however, reveals that Jagmohan was deliberately sent by him to trap them. Jagmohan's fracture was a lie. Their cover is blown and they are secured. In an elaborate chase-action sequence as the three brave men escape, avoid the various booby traps and henchmen, capture Shakaal and ultimately end him. Finally, the island is blown up and the heroes escape via helicopter to safety.
Trivia
The climax of this film was repeated in Shekhar Kapoor's Mr.India.The playback singer for the song "Shaan Se" is Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup is a popular Indian pop, jazz and playback singer. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and went on work with music...
Cast
- Sunil DuttSunil DuttSunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
... Shiv Kumar - Amitabh BachchanAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
.... Vijay Kumar - Shashi KapoorShashi KapoorShashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
.... Ravi Kumar - Shatrughan SinhaShatrughan SinhaShatrughan Sinha is an Indian film actor and politician. Apart from being member of Rajya Sabha twice he was also Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shipping...
.... Rakesh - Raakhee GulzarRaakhee GulzarRaakhee is an Indian film actress, who has primarily appeared in Hindi films, as well as several Bengali films. She is popularly known as Raakhee Gulzar after her marriage with lyricist-director Gulzar ....
.... Sheetal Kumar - Parveen BabiParveen BabiParveen Babi was an Indian actress, who is most remembered for her glamorous roles alongside top heroes of the 1970s and early 1980s in blockbusters like Deewar, Namak Halaal, Amar Akbar Anthony and Shaan...
.... Sunita (Vijay's girlfriend) - Bindiya GoswamiBindiya GoswamiBindiya Goswami is a former Bollywood actress. She acted in Hindi films from the late 1970s to early 1980s.-Film career:...
.... Renu (Ravi's girlfriend) - Kulbhushan KharbandaKulbhushan KharbandaKulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...
.... Shakaal - Mazhar KhanMazhar Khan (actor)Mazhar Khan was an Indian film and television actor and producer and director.-Career:Mazhar made his debut in the 1979 film Baton Baton Mein. He came into recognition with the 1980 film Shaan which was directed by Ramesh Sippy...
.... Abdul (Ravi and Vijay's friend)This is Mazhar khan's first film - Dalip TahilDalip TahilDalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.-Films:...
.... Kumar (Shakaal's henchman) - Johnny WalkerJohnny Walker (actor)Johnny Walker is the screen name of an Indian movie comedian, who acted in over 300 movies. He was born as Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi in Indore, India, the son of a mill worker. The family shifted to Mumbai when the textile mill his father worked in closed...
.... Chacha (Renu's uncle) - Helen ..... Special appearance (in the song Yamma Yamma, previously she had danced in Sippy's Sholay too.
- Katy Mirza ...in a guest appearance talking with Amitabh which eventually irks his gal Parveen Babi before the song 'Jaanu Meri Jaan'
- BinduBinduBindu is a Sanskrit term meaning "point" or "dot". The feminine case ending is bindi which denotes a small ornamental, devotional and/or mystical dot that is cosmetically applied or affixed to the forehead in Hinduism....
.... in a guest appearance - Padmini Kapila .... Shatrughan's wife who Shakaal killed in revenge by cutting the brakes of her car before she drove down a mountain.
Awards and nominations
- Filmfare Best Cinematographer AwardFilmfare Best Cinematographer AwardThe Filmfare Best Cinematography Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.The awards started in 1953-Superlatives:Most AwardsKamal Bose - 5Radhoo Karmakar - 4Fali Mistry - 3Jal Mistry - 3...
-S.M. Anwar - FilmfareFilmfareFilmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
Nomination for Best Music-R.D. Burmanhttp://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf