Created by EdwardUK
Last edited March 4, 2026
No edit summary
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
further corrected formatting based on references and improved wording for consistency
 
(43 intermediate revisions by 19 users not shown)
Line 3: Line 3:
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name          = Majboor
| name          = Majboor
| image          =  
| image          = Majboor (1974) film poster.jpeg
| image_size    =
| caption        =  
| caption        =  
| director      = [[Ravi Tandon]]
| director      = [[Ravi Tandon]]
| producer      = Premji
| producer      = Premji
| writer        = [[Salim–Javed]]
| writer        = [[Salim-Javed]]
| narrator      =  
| narrator      =  
| starring      = [[Amitabh Bachchan]]<br/>Parveen Babi<br/>[[Pran]]<br/>[[Satyen Kappu]]<br/>[[Iftekhar]]<br/>[[Jagdish Raj]]<br/>[[Farida Jalal]]<br/>[[Sulochana Latkar]]<br/>[[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]]
| starring      = [[Amitabh Bachchan]]<br/>[[Parveen Babi]]<br/>[[Pran (actor)|Pran]]<br/>[[Farida Jalal]]<br/>[[Sulochana Latkar]]<br/>[[D. K. Sapru]]<br/>[[Iftekhar]]<br/>[[Satyen Kappu]]<br/>[[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]]<br/>[[Mac Mohan]]
| music          = [[Laxmikant–Pyarelal]]
| music          = [[Laxmikant–Pyarelal]]
| cinematography =  
| cinematography =  
Line 16: Line 15:
| studio        =  
| studio        =  
| distributor    = {{ubl|Suchitha Films Pvt. Ltd|[[Eros International]]}}
| distributor    = {{ubl|Suchitha Films Pvt. Ltd|[[Eros International]]}}
| released      = 6 December 1974
| released      = {{Film date|df=y|1974|12|06}}
| runtime        =  
| runtime        =  
| country        = [[India]]
| country        = [[India]]
Line 23: Line 22:
| gross          =  
| gross          =  
}}
}}
'''''Majboor''''' ({{translation|Compelled}}) is a 1974 Indian [[Hindi]]-language suspense thriller film directed by [[Ravi Tandon]] and written by [[Salim–Javed]]. The film stars an [[ensemble cast]] of [[Amitabh Bachchan]], Parveen Babi, [[Pran]], [[Satyen Kappu]], [[Iftekhar]], [[Jagdish Raj]], [[Farida Jalal]], [[Sulochana Latkar]] and [[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]]. In the film, Ravi (Bachchan), a terminally ill man, frames himself for a murder that he did not commit, so that his family can receive the reward money. However, he is ultimately treated from his terminal illness and escapes from the police custody in order to prove his innocence.  
'''''Majboor''''' ({{translation|'''''Compelled'''''}}) is a [[List of Hindi films of 1974|1974]] [[Cinema of India|Indian]] [[Hindi cinema|Hindi]]-language [[Action film|action thriller film]] directed by [[Ravi Tandon]]. Written by [[Salim-Javed]] ([[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]]), the film is loosely inspired by two 1970 [[American cinema|American]] films – ''[[Zig Zag (1970 film)|Zig Zag]]'' and ''[[Cold Sweat (1970 film)|Cold Sweat]]''. It stars an [[ensemble cast]] of [[Amitabh Bachchan]], [[Parveen Babi]], [[Pran (actor)|Pran]], [[Farida Jalal]], [[Sulochana Latkar]], [[D. K. Sapru]], [[Iftekhar]], [[Satyen Kappu]], [[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]], and [[Mac Mohan]]. Salim-Javed had initially narrated the story of ''Majboor'' to [[Ramesh Sippy]], who liked it but wanted to make a film on a larger scale, and it was Tandon who agreed to do and Sippy later made ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975) with the writer duo. The music was composed by [[Laxmikant-Pyarelal]] and the lyrics were penned by [[Anand Bakshi]].


The movie is loosely inspired by two English movies of 1970 - ''Zig Zag'' and ''Cold Sweat''. The film was later remade in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] by director K. Raghavendra Rao as ''Raja'' (1976) starring Shobhan Babu and [[Jayasudha]].  It was also remade in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] as [[Naan Vazhavaippen]] (1979) with Sivaji Ganeshan and [[K. R. Vijaya]] , in [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] as ''Naseeb No Khel'' (1982) and in Malayalam as ''[[Ee Kaikalil]]'' (1986).<ref>Ramachandran, Naman, ''Rajnikanth: The Definitive Biography''. India: Penguin Books (2012).</ref> The movie was also an inspiration for the 2008 movie ''[[Jimmy (2008 film)|Jimmy]]''.
''Majboor'' released on 6 December 1974, opening to positive reviews. A [[box office]] hit,<ref>[http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=180&catName=MTk3NA== Box Office India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922021128/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=180&catName=MTk3NA%3D%3D |date=22 September 2012 }}</ref> the film was later remade in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] by director [[K. Raghavendra Rao]] as ''Raja'' (1976), in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] as ''[[Naan Vazhavaippen]]'' (1979) and in [[Malayalam]] as ''[[Ee Kaikalil]]'' (1986).<ref>Ramachandran, Naman, ''Rajnikanth: The Definitive Biography''. India: Penguin Books (2012).</ref> The film was also an inspiration for the 2008 film ''[[Jimmy (2008 film)|Jimmy]]''.


== Plot ==
==Plot==
Ravi Khanna ([[Amitabh Bachchan]]) is an upper middle-class travel agent living happily with his widowed mother ([[Sulochana Latkar]]), wheelchair-bound sister Renu ([[Farida Jalal]]) and young brother Billu (Alankar Joshi), and is also in a relationship with the wealthy Neela Rajvansh (Parveen Babi). One rainy night, he deals with a wealthy client named Surendra Sinha ([[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]]) and accepts a lift in his car since there are no taxis around. Afterwards, Surendra is mysteriously abducted and shockingly found dead in a gutter, and police investigations for the murder lead two murder investigators - CID Inspector Khurana ([[Iftekhar]]) and Inspector Kulkarni ([[Jagdish Raj]]) - to the doors of Ravi's office to interrogate him about his meeting with Surendra. Their keen interest in Ravi makes him nervous as he is the last known person to have seen Surendra.
Ravi Khanna ([[Amitabh Bachchan]]) is a [[Commoner|common man]] working as a [[Travel agency|travel agent]] and living happily with his [[widow]]ed mother ([[Sulochana Latkar]]), [[wheelchair]]-using sister, Renu ([[Farida Jalal]]), and younger brother, Billu (Alankar Joshi). He is also due to get married with his girlfriend, Neela ([[Parveen Babi]]), who is the only daughter of a wealthy man, Mr. Rajvansh ([[D. K. Sapru]]). One night, a wealthy client, Surendra Sinha ([[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]]), visits Ravi's office to collect the [[Airline ticket|air tickets]] that have been reserved for him. Ravi notices a large [[emerald]] [[Ring (jewellery)|ring]] on the [[finger]] of Surendra, who also proceeds to offer a lift in his car to him as it has been raining heavily. Later, Ravi learns from the police that Surendra was apparently [[Kidnapping|kidnapped]] that same night, and that the kidnappers have demanded a [[ransom]] of [[Indian rupee|₹]]5 [[lakh]]s from Surendra's younger brother, Narendra Sinha ([[Satyen Kappu]]). Narendra has agreed to pay the ransom to save his brother, but there is no news about Surendra again. Six months later, [[Criminal Investigation Department (India)|CID]] [[Inspector]] Khurana ([[Iftekhar]]) and Inspector Kulkarni ([[Jagdish Raj]]) shockingly discover Surendra's [[Cadaver|dead body]] in a [[Street gutter|gutter]] and visit Ravi's office for [[interrogation]] regarding the murder. Ravi is innocent, but nervous for Khurana and Kulkarni taking a keen interest in him, since he is the last known person to have met Surendra. He believes himself to be having an [[alibi]] and seeks legal advice from his [[lawyer]] friend, [[Advocate]] P. V. Rane (Shiv Kumar), for being a simple man with a family to be taken care of, and not willing to deal with the police and the courts.  


Around the same time, Ravi's life is turned upside-down when his regular attacks of headache, seemingly triggered by stress, is diagnosed as the terminal illness of brain tumour, which needs to be extracted immediately through a brain surgery. However, his examiner Dr. Shah (Sajjan) unintentionally scares Ravi with the range of possible outcomes of either paralysis or blindness or mental disorder. This shocking revelation puts Ravi in a dilemma and therefore, he hesitates to declare his decision to Dr. Shah, since he is deeply concerned about his family and Neela's future.
However, the stress seems to be triggering several [[headache]]s which causes Ravi intense pain for a couple of minutes. After a second episode, he takes it seriously enough to visit Dr. Shah ([[Sajjan (actor)|Sajjan]]) and undergoes an [[X-ray]] of his [[brain]]. The shocking [[diagnosis]] is that Ravi has a [[brain tumour]] that needs to be extracted immediately through a [[brain surgery]], and if not, will cause his death within six months. Ravi is willing to undergo the brain surgery, but Dr. Shah states that it could either cure him completely, or could result in very unintended side-effects from [[Visual impairment|blindness]] to [[Mental disorder|mental illness]] to [[paralysis]]. Ravi is shattered for having many responsibilities on his mother, sister, and brother, and feels that he neither has the right to die nor become a burden on them. As a result, Ravi leaves without making a decision when the choices are death and a life worse than death. At the same time, he receives the interesting [[news]] of the grieving Narendra having declared a handsome [[Bounty (reward)|reward]] of ₹5 lakhs (which he was previously ready to pay to his brother's kidnappers) to the person who will help him capture Surendra's murderer. In an attempt to better his family's financial conditions after him, Ravi comes up with a scheme to frame himself for Surendra's murder and collect the reward money for his family, justifying that he has nothing to lose himself and is going to die in six months nevertheless. He [[Anonymity|anonymously]] calls Khurana at the [[police station]] as an [[Informant|informer]] about Surendra's murder, who declares Ravi as the culprit and instructs the police to deposit the money at the office of his [[solicitor]], Rane. As a result, a desperate Narendra agrees to pay out the reward after Khurana informs him about the anonymous [[telephone call]].  


While aware of the fact that his brain tumour is set to consume him in six months, Ravi learns from the daily newspaper that Surendra's younger brother Narendra Sinha ([[Satyen Kappu]]) has announced a reward of [[Indian rupee|₹]]500,000 for the capture of Surendra's killer. This news provokes Ravi to come up with a scheming plan in hopes of bettering his family's financial conditions. As per the plan, he anonymously contacts Khurana in the police station and names "himself" in tip as Surendra's murderer. Also, Ravi instructs the police to deliver the reward money to the office of his solicitor named Advocate Rane (Shiv Kumar), who is his close friend and a lawyer. On the other hand, Ravi sends an anonymous letter to Rane's office, which reads that he should deduct his fees and hand over the amount of money to Ravi's own mother.  
Meanwhile, Ravi also sends an anonymous [[Letter (message)|letter]] at Rane's office, instructing him to open the letter and follow its instructions only after Surendra's killer has been sentenced by the court. He also plants [[circumstantial evidence]] (his burnt [[shirt]], [[cigarette]] butts, pieces of [[rope]] and an [[iron]] rod with his [[fingerprint]]s) to prove that Ravi kidnapped Surendra, brought him to an isolated place, and then killed him with an iron rod. Acting upon the received information, Khurana and Kulkarni recover the evidence and [[arrest]] Ravi after fingerprint testing. During the trial, Ravi falsely confesses in the court that he kidnapped Surendra for the ransom of ₹5 lakhs, tied him up at the isolated place, and when Surendra tried to escape, he accidentally killed him and threw his dead body off in the gutter. As a result, Ravi is sentenced to death by the court, devastating his family, Neela and her father. Moreover, Ravi's mother and Neela's attempts to make some sense out of Ravi's confession and also request Narendra for [[clemency]] fail miserably. However, things take a drastic turn when Ravi suffers from another headache episode in [[prison]] and is rushed by Khurana and Kulkarni to the [[hospital]], where, serendipitously, it is Dr. Shah who examines him. Aware of Ravi's [[medical history]], Dr. Shah wastes no time in performing an emergency surgery of his brain, which miraculously ends up a successful with no side-effects. Nevertheless, it is too late now as Ravi is now a [[Conviction|convicted]] criminal for kidnapping, ransom and murder, which he planted on himself.  


With the help of the evidences manipulated by Ravi and fingerprinting, Khurana and Kulkarni become sure of his deception, resume their pursuit and arrest him. During the trial, Ravi makes a fake confession of having abducted Surendra and killed him with an iron rod (which is also a part of the unreal evidences). On the basis of reasonable doubt, the court announces a verdict of death sentence to Ravi, much to his family and Neela's devastation. In a last attempt to change the family's fate, Ravi's mother visits Narendra and appeals for mercy before him, begging him to change Ravi's punishment into life imprisonment. Nevertheless, Narendra stands firm with his determination about Ravi's imminent fate at the tragic loss of his brother.
Two months later, Ravi summons Neela and Rane for a permitted meeting at the hospital and confesses about his innocence. However, Rane states that now there is no way out and that they will need fresh evidence to reopen the case. In an attempt to save himself from execution, Ravi successfully escapes from the hospital on the mission to search for Surendra's real murderer and is aided by Neela in his pursuit. The couple escapes to a hotel to safety, where Ravi meets a wealthy man, Mahipat Rai ([[Madan Puri]]), who has a girlfriend, Madhu (Sabina), despite being married to a [[millionaire]] wife, Sulakshana (Lalita Kumari). Ravi notices that Mahipat is shockingly wearing the same ring he had noticed on Surendra's finger. On being questioned by Ravi, Mahipat reveals that the ring was sold to him by a curio shop owner, Prakash ([[Mac Mohan]]). With the help of Prakash, Ravi traces the origin of the ring to Michael D'Souza ([[Pran (actor)|Pran]]), a kind-hearted and happy-go-lucky professional [[Theft|thief]], whom Prakash had purchased the ring from. Ravi meets Michael and confronts him over Surendra's ring, when Michael confesses of stealing the ring but claims to be the sole [[witness]] to Surendra's murder. On that rainy night, Michael had prevented the way of a car with a man driving and another man sleeping on the [[Car seat|backseat]], and had threatened the driving man at [[Coercion|gunpoint]]. The driving man claimed that the sleeping man is his friend, who is sick and is being taken to the hospital by him. Since he had nothing to give, the driving man removed the ring the sleeping man was wearing and handed it over to Michael. On learning this, Ravi realises that the sleeping man was Surendra and that he was already dead, while the man driving was his murderer. In exchange for tracking down Surendra's real murderer, Ravi offers the reward of ₹5 lakhs as well as Surendra's ring to Michael.  


Despite this, things take a turn when Ravi's yet another attack of headache in prison lands him up at the hospital under police custody. While there, he fortunately undergoes a successful brain surgery with no side-effects for being rushed in on time by Khurana and Kulkarni, much to Dr. Shah's happiness. However, it is too late now since Ravi is already a convicted criminal of abduction, ransom and murder. Well aware of having condemned himself to be hung for a murder that he did not commit, Ravi reveals his suicidal conspiracy to Neela and Rane during a permitted meeting with them at the hospital, and they explain to him that the only way out to escape the consequences of his ill-advised actions is to find the real culprit of the crime.
However, Prakash advises Michael to betray Ravi and go to make a deal with Narendra, who will give him ₹5 lakhs for the information on the murderer. Michael visits Surendra's house to meet Narendra for the same, but is shocked to identify Narendra as the driver of the car, whom he had stolen Surendra's ring from. Seeing no other way out, Narendra admits that Surendra's wife, Mona (Ashoo), had an [[Affair|extramarital affair]] with him, which Surendra discovered on the rainy night and banished Narendra from the house. He also alleged that Narendra is his adopted brother, but a furious Narendra immediately retaliated by smashing [[glass bottle]]s on Surendra's [[head]], killing him instantly due to [[Head injury|head injuries]]. Narendra then threw Surendra's dead body off in the gutter, faked his kidnapping and ransom, and announced the reward of ₹5 lakhs to cover up his crime. After learning this, Michael agrees to hand over Ravi to Narendra in exchange for ₹7.5 lakhs. Michael instructs both Ravi and Narendra to reach an isolated cabin at the same time, where Ravi will find Surendra's real killer, and Narendra will find Ravi. Michael is now perplexed as he is aware that Ravi never murdered Surendra, and yet he admitted to the crime in the court.  


Seeing no other way out, Ravi escapes from the hospital using some clever tricks and reunites with Neela, therefore leaving in search of Surendra's real murderer with her. During his mission, Ravi investigates a significant ring that could lead him back to the killer, and after interrogations from a one-time accquaintance named Mahipat Rai ([[Madan Puri]]) to a black market dealer named Prakash ([[Mac Mohan]]), Ravi comes across a kind-hearted and happy-go-lucky professional thief named Michael D'Souza ([[Pran]]).
In an attempt to find out the truth about Ravi's strange actions, Michael visits Ravi's house to realise that Ravi took the blame of the murder just to provide for his family, and takes an [[oath]] that Ravi will return home to them. Later, Michael meets Narendra at the place where he had summoned him and Ravi. When Ravi and Neela arrive there, they are horrified to witness Narendra [[shooting]] three [[bullet]]s in the [[stomach]] of Michael, already aware that he will expose the truth about his crime. At this point, Ravi learns that the murderer of Surendra is none other than Narendra, Surendra's own brother. He drives away desperately to bring a doctor back in time, while a gravely injured Michael holds Narendra at gunpoint along with Neela during the time. As Ravi is returning with a doctor, Kulkarni and the police discover his car and pursue Ravi to the [[crime scene]]. As Michael's health deteriorates, Narendra attempts to escape, but Ravi appears on time and captures him. Michael provides his [[testimony]] to Kulkarni about Ravi's innocence and Narendra being Surendra's killer, and eventually dies in Ravi's arms. As a result, Kulkarni and the police arrest Narendra for both Surendra and Michael's murders, and [[Acquittal|acquitt]] Ravi from the charge of Surendra's murder. The film ends with the [[funeral]] of Michael when his oath of reuniting Ravi with his family is recalled.
 
After learning of Ravi's plight, Michael pledges to help him nab the real culprit since he had robbed the same ring from the driver of a car on a rainy night, unmindful of the fact that it belonged to the dead Surendra at the backseat. After all, Ravi is double-crossed by Michael as Prakash influences him to sell out Ravi to Narendra in exchange of the reward money. Thus, Michael ends up at the late Surendra's house where, in a twisted climax, he runs into Narendra and recalls him to be the driver of the car, whom he had robbed Surendra's costly ring from.
 
After a brief confrontation, Narendra admits that Surendra's wife Mona (Ashoo) was having an extramarital affair with him and that as Surendra walked in on them and saw them together, he killed the latter with the infliction of head injuries and threw his body off in the gutter, faking the latter's abduction in order to cover up his crime. Upon learning this, Michael sets up the meeting point of an abandoned, ramshackle wooden house on the [[Thal Ghat|Kasara Ghat]] with Narendra, where he will hand over Ravi to him in exchange of the reward money.
 
The following day, Michael visits Ravi's house in order to find out his reason for framing himself for the murder. While there, he has a change of heart on seeing Renu emotionally lamenting their unfortunate separation from Ravi and mercifully promises her that he will bring their smiles back. Meanwhile, Narendra secretly carries his revolver gun to the meeting point, fearing that Michael might expose his crime. Right as Ravi and Neela arrive at the scene, Narendra's conspiracy is exposed before them due to the three gunshots inflicted by him upon Michael.  
 
Keeping the promise he had made to Renu, a gravely injured Michael turns the tables on Narendra and confesses about his crime to Ravi. On this development, Ravi is forced to leave from the scene to bring some help for Michael, who holds Narendra at gunpoint in a gravely injured state while being taken care of by Neela. Whilst returning with a physician, Ravi also leads Kulkarni and the police to the place on time where the dying Michael confesses about Ravi's innocence and Narendra's conspiracies. As a result, Narendra is arrested and sent to prison for his crimes, while all charges against Ravi are dropped. In the end, Michael expresses his wishes of happiness for Ravi's family before Ravi and dies succumbing to his serious injuries, having fulfilled his promise.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Amitabh Bachchan]] as Ravi Khanna
* [[Amitabh Bachchan]] as Ravi Khanna
* Parveen Babi as Neela Rajvansh
* [[Parveen Babi]] as Neela Rajvansh
* [[Pran]] as Michael D'Souza
* [[Pran (actor)|Pran]] as Michael D'Souza
* [[Satyen Kappu]] as Narendra Sinha
* [[Iftekhar]] as CID Inspector Khurana (murder investigator)
* [[Jagdish Raj]] as Inspector Kulkarni (murder investigator)
* [[Farida Jalal]] as Renu Khanna (Ravi's sister)
* [[Farida Jalal]] as Renu Khanna (Ravi's sister)
* [[Sulochana Latkar]] as Mrs. Khanna (Ravi's mother)  
* [[Sulochana Latkar]] as Mrs. Khanna (Ravi's mother)
* [[D. K. Sapru]] as Mr. Rajvansh (Neela's father)
* [[Iftekhar]] as CID Inspector Khurana 
* [[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]] as Surendra Sinha (murder victim)  
* [[Rehman (actor)|Rehman]] as Surendra Sinha (murder victim)  
* [[Mac Mohan]] as Prakash (Michael's friend)  
* [[Satyen Kappu]] as Narendra Sinha (Surendra's adopted younger brother and murderer)
* [[Madan Puri]] as Mahipat Rai (Ravi's one-time accquaintance)
*Mac Mohan]] as Prakash (Michael's friend)
* Alankar Joshi as Billu Khanna (Ravi's younger brother)  
* [[Sajjan (actor)|Sajjan]] as Dr. Shah (Ravi's doctor)
* D.K. Sapru as Mr. Rajvansh (Neela's father)  
* [[Madan Puri]] as Mahipat Rai
* Shiv Kumar as Advocate Rane (Ravi's friend)  
* [[Alankar Joshi]] as Billu Khanna (Ravi's younger brother)
* Ashoo as Mona Sinha (Surendra's widow and Narendra's accomplice)  
* [[Jagdish Raj]] as Inspector Kulkarni (Khurana's assistant)
* Sajjan as Dr. Shah (Ravi's examiner and surgeon) 
* [[Shiv Kumar (actor)|Shiv Kumar]] as Advocate P. V. Rane (Ravi's friend)
* [[Sudhir (Hindi actor)|Sudhir]] as Ravi's colleague
* [[Sudhir (Hindi actor)|Sudhir]] as Sharma (Ravi's colleague)  
* Lalita Kumari as Sulakshana Rai (Mahipat's wife)
===Cameo Appearances===
* [[Murad (actor)|Murad]] as Judge 
* [[K. N. Singh]] as Public Prosecutor for Ravi in court
* [[Pinchoo Kapoor]] as Doctor who is brought by Ravi for Michael's treatment in the climax (Guest Appearance)
* [[Murad (actor)|Murad]] as Judge who sentences Ravi to death in court
* [[Ashoo]] as Mona Surendra Sinha (Surendra's widow)
* [[Lalita Kumari]] as Sulakshana Mahipat Rai (Mahipat's wife)
* [[Sabina (actress)|Sabina]] as Madhu (Mahipat's girlfriend)
* [[Anoop Kumar]] as Frightened Air Passenger


==Soundtrack==
==Soundtrack==
{| class="wikitable"
{{Track listing
|-
| extra_column = Singer(s)
! # !! Title !! Singer(s)
| title1 = Aadmi Jo Kehta Hai Aadmi Jo Sunta Hai
|-
| extra1 = [[Kishore Kumar]]
| 1
| all_lyrics = Anand Bakshi
| "Aadmi Jo Kehta Hai"
| length1 =
| [[Kishore Kumar]]
 
|-
| title2 = Dekh Sakta Hoon Main Kuch Bhi Hote Hue
| 2
| note2 = Male Version
| "Dekh Sakta Hoon" (Male Version)
| extra2 = Kishore Kumar
| Kishore Kumar
| length2 =
|-
 
| 3
| title4 = Roothe Rab Ko Manana Aasan Hai
| "Roothe Rab Ko"
| extra4 = [[Mohammed Rafi]], [[Asha Bhosle]]
| [[Mohammed Rafi]] & [[Asha Bhosle]]
| length4 =
|-
| 4
| "Phir na kehna Michael daru peeke danga karta hai"
| Kishore Kumar
|-
| 5
| "Dekh Sakta Hoon" (Female Version)
| [[Lata Mangeshkar]]
|}


==Success==
| title3 = Michael Daru Peeke Danga Karta Hai
The film was a Hit at the box office.<ref>[http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=180&catName=MTk3NA== Box Office India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922021128/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=180&catName=MTk3NA%3D%3D |date=22 September 2012 }}</ref>
| extra3 = Kishore Kumar
| length3 =
 
| title5 = Dekh Sakta Hoon Main Kuch Bhi Hote Hue
| note5 = Female Version
| extra5 = [[Lata Mangeshkar]]
| length5 =
}}


==Awards and nominations==
==Awards and nominations==
*[[Filmfare]] Supporting Actor Nomination--[[Pran (actor)|Pran]]
'''[[23rd Filmfare Awards]]:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://filmfareawards.indiatimes.com/articleshow/articleshow/366907.cms |title=The Nominations - 1975 - the 49th Manikchand Filmfare Awards |website=filmfareawards.indiatimes.com |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040323041928/http://filmfareawards.indiatimes.com/articleshow/articleshow/366907.cms |archive-date=23 March 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>'''
*[[Filmfare]] Supporting Actress Nomination--[[Farida Jalal]]<ref>http://filmfareawards.indiatimes.com/articleshow/articleshow/366907.cms{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
 
'''Nominated'''
 
* [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] – [[Pran (actor)|Pran]]
* [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] – [[Farida Jalal]]


==References==
==References==
Line 112: Line 108:


[[Category:1974 films]]
[[Category:1974 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:1974 Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1970s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1974 Indian films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal]]
[[Category:Films scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal]]
[[Category:Hindi films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Hindi films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Salim–Javed]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Salim–Javed]]
[[Category:Urdu-language films]]
[[Category:Urdu films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Urdu films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Indian remakes of American films]]
[[Category:Indian remakes of American films]]
[[Category:Indian films about cancer]]
[[Category:Indian films about cancer]]
[[Category:Fratricide in fiction]]
[[Category:Fiction about fratricide]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ravi Tandon]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ravi Tandon]]
[[Category:Urdu-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Films about siblicide]]

Latest revision as of 05:01, 4 March 2026

Majboor
Directed byRavi Tandon
Produced byPremji
Written bySalim-Javed
StarringAmitabh Bachchan
Parveen Babi
Pran
Farida Jalal
Sulochana Latkar
D. K. Sapru
Iftekhar
Satyen Kappu
Rehman
Mac Mohan
Music byLaxmikant–Pyarelal
Distributed by
Release date
  • 6 December 1974 (1974-12-06)
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Majboor (transl.Compelled) is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ravi Tandon. Written by Salim-Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar), the film is loosely inspired by two 1970 American films – Zig Zag and Cold Sweat. It stars an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Parveen Babi, Pran, Farida Jalal, Sulochana Latkar, D. K. Sapru, Iftekhar, Satyen Kappu, Rehman, and Mac Mohan. Salim-Javed had initially narrated the story of Majboor to Ramesh Sippy, who liked it but wanted to make a film on a larger scale, and it was Tandon who agreed to do and Sippy later made Sholay (1975) with the writer duo. The music was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and the lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi.

Majboor released on 6 December 1974, opening to positive reviews. A box office hit,[1] the film was later remade in Telugu by director K. Raghavendra Rao as Raja (1976), in Tamil as Naan Vazhavaippen (1979) and in Malayalam as Ee Kaikalil (1986).[2] The film was also an inspiration for the 2008 film Jimmy.

Plot[edit | edit source]

Ravi Khanna (Amitabh Bachchan) is a common man working as a travel agent and living happily with his widowed mother (Sulochana Latkar), wheelchair-using sister, Renu (Farida Jalal), and younger brother, Billu (Alankar Joshi). He is also due to get married with his girlfriend, Neela (Parveen Babi), who is the only daughter of a wealthy man, Mr. Rajvansh (D. K. Sapru). One night, a wealthy client, Surendra Sinha (Rehman), visits Ravi's office to collect the air tickets that have been reserved for him. Ravi notices a large emerald ring on the finger of Surendra, who also proceeds to offer a lift in his car to him as it has been raining heavily. Later, Ravi learns from the police that Surendra was apparently kidnapped that same night, and that the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of 5 lakhs from Surendra's younger brother, Narendra Sinha (Satyen Kappu). Narendra has agreed to pay the ransom to save his brother, but there is no news about Surendra again. Six months later, CID Inspector Khurana (Iftekhar) and Inspector Kulkarni (Jagdish Raj) shockingly discover Surendra's dead body in a gutter and visit Ravi's office for interrogation regarding the murder. Ravi is innocent, but nervous for Khurana and Kulkarni taking a keen interest in him, since he is the last known person to have met Surendra. He believes himself to be having an alibi and seeks legal advice from his lawyer friend, Advocate P. V. Rane (Shiv Kumar), for being a simple man with a family to be taken care of, and not willing to deal with the police and the courts.

However, the stress seems to be triggering several headaches which causes Ravi intense pain for a couple of minutes. After a second episode, he takes it seriously enough to visit Dr. Shah (Sajjan) and undergoes an X-ray of his brain. The shocking diagnosis is that Ravi has a brain tumour that needs to be extracted immediately through a brain surgery, and if not, will cause his death within six months. Ravi is willing to undergo the brain surgery, but Dr. Shah states that it could either cure him completely, or could result in very unintended side-effects from blindness to mental illness to paralysis. Ravi is shattered for having many responsibilities on his mother, sister, and brother, and feels that he neither has the right to die nor become a burden on them. As a result, Ravi leaves without making a decision when the choices are death and a life worse than death. At the same time, he receives the interesting news of the grieving Narendra having declared a handsome reward of ₹5 lakhs (which he was previously ready to pay to his brother's kidnappers) to the person who will help him capture Surendra's murderer. In an attempt to better his family's financial conditions after him, Ravi comes up with a scheme to frame himself for Surendra's murder and collect the reward money for his family, justifying that he has nothing to lose himself and is going to die in six months nevertheless. He anonymously calls Khurana at the police station as an informer about Surendra's murder, who declares Ravi as the culprit and instructs the police to deposit the money at the office of his solicitor, Rane. As a result, a desperate Narendra agrees to pay out the reward after Khurana informs him about the anonymous telephone call.

Meanwhile, Ravi also sends an anonymous letter at Rane's office, instructing him to open the letter and follow its instructions only after Surendra's killer has been sentenced by the court. He also plants circumstantial evidence (his burnt shirt, cigarette butts, pieces of rope and an iron rod with his fingerprints) to prove that Ravi kidnapped Surendra, brought him to an isolated place, and then killed him with an iron rod. Acting upon the received information, Khurana and Kulkarni recover the evidence and arrest Ravi after fingerprint testing. During the trial, Ravi falsely confesses in the court that he kidnapped Surendra for the ransom of ₹5 lakhs, tied him up at the isolated place, and when Surendra tried to escape, he accidentally killed him and threw his dead body off in the gutter. As a result, Ravi is sentenced to death by the court, devastating his family, Neela and her father. Moreover, Ravi's mother and Neela's attempts to make some sense out of Ravi's confession and also request Narendra for clemency fail miserably. However, things take a drastic turn when Ravi suffers from another headache episode in prison and is rushed by Khurana and Kulkarni to the hospital, where, serendipitously, it is Dr. Shah who examines him. Aware of Ravi's medical history, Dr. Shah wastes no time in performing an emergency surgery of his brain, which miraculously ends up a successful with no side-effects. Nevertheless, it is too late now as Ravi is now a convicted criminal for kidnapping, ransom and murder, which he planted on himself.

Two months later, Ravi summons Neela and Rane for a permitted meeting at the hospital and confesses about his innocence. However, Rane states that now there is no way out and that they will need fresh evidence to reopen the case. In an attempt to save himself from execution, Ravi successfully escapes from the hospital on the mission to search for Surendra's real murderer and is aided by Neela in his pursuit. The couple escapes to a hotel to safety, where Ravi meets a wealthy man, Mahipat Rai (Madan Puri), who has a girlfriend, Madhu (Sabina), despite being married to a millionaire wife, Sulakshana (Lalita Kumari). Ravi notices that Mahipat is shockingly wearing the same ring he had noticed on Surendra's finger. On being questioned by Ravi, Mahipat reveals that the ring was sold to him by a curio shop owner, Prakash (Mac Mohan). With the help of Prakash, Ravi traces the origin of the ring to Michael D'Souza (Pran), a kind-hearted and happy-go-lucky professional thief, whom Prakash had purchased the ring from. Ravi meets Michael and confronts him over Surendra's ring, when Michael confesses of stealing the ring but claims to be the sole witness to Surendra's murder. On that rainy night, Michael had prevented the way of a car with a man driving and another man sleeping on the backseat, and had threatened the driving man at gunpoint. The driving man claimed that the sleeping man is his friend, who is sick and is being taken to the hospital by him. Since he had nothing to give, the driving man removed the ring the sleeping man was wearing and handed it over to Michael. On learning this, Ravi realises that the sleeping man was Surendra and that he was already dead, while the man driving was his murderer. In exchange for tracking down Surendra's real murderer, Ravi offers the reward of ₹5 lakhs as well as Surendra's ring to Michael.

However, Prakash advises Michael to betray Ravi and go to make a deal with Narendra, who will give him ₹5 lakhs for the information on the murderer. Michael visits Surendra's house to meet Narendra for the same, but is shocked to identify Narendra as the driver of the car, whom he had stolen Surendra's ring from. Seeing no other way out, Narendra admits that Surendra's wife, Mona (Ashoo), had an extramarital affair with him, which Surendra discovered on the rainy night and banished Narendra from the house. He also alleged that Narendra is his adopted brother, but a furious Narendra immediately retaliated by smashing glass bottles on Surendra's head, killing him instantly due to head injuries. Narendra then threw Surendra's dead body off in the gutter, faked his kidnapping and ransom, and announced the reward of ₹5 lakhs to cover up his crime. After learning this, Michael agrees to hand over Ravi to Narendra in exchange for ₹7.5 lakhs. Michael instructs both Ravi and Narendra to reach an isolated cabin at the same time, where Ravi will find Surendra's real killer, and Narendra will find Ravi. Michael is now perplexed as he is aware that Ravi never murdered Surendra, and yet he admitted to the crime in the court.

In an attempt to find out the truth about Ravi's strange actions, Michael visits Ravi's house to realise that Ravi took the blame of the murder just to provide for his family, and takes an oath that Ravi will return home to them. Later, Michael meets Narendra at the place where he had summoned him and Ravi. When Ravi and Neela arrive there, they are horrified to witness Narendra shooting three bullets in the stomach of Michael, already aware that he will expose the truth about his crime. At this point, Ravi learns that the murderer of Surendra is none other than Narendra, Surendra's own brother. He drives away desperately to bring a doctor back in time, while a gravely injured Michael holds Narendra at gunpoint along with Neela during the time. As Ravi is returning with a doctor, Kulkarni and the police discover his car and pursue Ravi to the crime scene. As Michael's health deteriorates, Narendra attempts to escape, but Ravi appears on time and captures him. Michael provides his testimony to Kulkarni about Ravi's innocence and Narendra being Surendra's killer, and eventually dies in Ravi's arms. As a result, Kulkarni and the police arrest Narendra for both Surendra and Michael's murders, and acquitt Ravi from the charge of Surendra's murder. The film ends with the funeral of Michael when his oath of reuniting Ravi with his family is recalled.

Cast[edit | edit source]

Cameo Appearances[edit | edit source]

  • K. N. Singh as Public Prosecutor for Ravi in court
  • Murad as Judge who sentences Ravi to death in court
  • Ashoo as Mona Surendra Sinha (Surendra's widow)
  • Lalita Kumari as Sulakshana Mahipat Rai (Mahipat's wife)
  • Sabina as Madhu (Mahipat's girlfriend)
  • Anoop Kumar as Frightened Air Passenger

Soundtrack[edit | edit source]

All lyrics are written by Anand Bakshi.

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Aadmi Jo Kehta Hai Aadmi Jo Sunta Hai"Kishore Kumar 
2."Dekh Sakta Hoon Main Kuch Bhi Hote Hue" (Male Version)Kishore Kumar 
3."Michael Daru Peeke Danga Karta Hai"Kishore Kumar 
4."Roothe Rab Ko Manana Aasan Hai"Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle 
5."Dekh Sakta Hoon Main Kuch Bhi Hote Hue" (Female Version)Lata Mangeshkar 

Awards and nominations[edit | edit source]

23rd Filmfare Awards:[3]

Nominated

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Box Office India Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Ramachandran, Naman, Rajnikanth: The Definitive Biography. India: Penguin Books (2012).
  3. "The Nominations - 1975 - the 49th Manikchand Filmfare Awards". filmfareawards.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2004. Retrieved 22 May 2022.

External links[edit | edit source]