Aakrosh (1980 film): Difference between revisions

Name: Aakrosh (1980 film)
Director: Govind Nihalani
Released: 2021-05-01T07:24:30Z
Duration: 2 h 24 min
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Om Puri

Aakrosh
Aakrosh
Directed by	Govind Nihalani
Produced by	Devi Dutt; NFDC
Written by	Vijay Tendulkar
Starring	Naseeruddin Shah; Smita Patil; Amrish Puri; Om Puri
Music by	Ajit Varman
Cinematography	Govind Nihalani
Edited by	Keshav Naidu
Distributed by	Krsna Movies Enterprise
Release date	1980;
Running time	144 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹80 lakh
Box office	₹1.22 crore

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Latest revision as of 19:18, 18 March 2026

Aakrosh (transl. Outrage) is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language legal drama film directed by Govind Nihalani in his debut^[1], and written by Vijay Tendulkar.^[2] Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Amrish Puri in pivotal roles, the film was released to widely positive reviews, winning the Golden Peacock (Best Film) at the 8th International Film Festival of India, as well as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and several other honors.^[3]

Nihalani went on to be known for his dark and frighteningly real depictions of human angst in other landmark alternative films such as Ardh Satya and Tamas.^[4] Aakrosh is listed among the 60 films that shaped the Indian film industry over a period of six decades.^[5]

Plot[edit | edit source]

The story follows a peasant who faces oppression from landowners and foremen while working as a daily laborer to make ends meet. His wife (Smita Patil), is raped by the foreman, who then frames him for a crime he did not commit. Overwhelmed by shame, his wife commits suicide.

Following his father's death, the police escorts him to the funeral grounds in restraints to perform the last rites. As he stands by the burning funeral pyre, he notices the foreman casting lustful glances at his prepubescent sister. Anticipating her inevitable fate as a perpetual victim, he seizes an axe and beheads his sister to prevent her from suffering as he and his wife did. In the aftermath of this desperate and tragic act, the downtrodden man screams repeatedly into the sky.

Themes and influences[edit | edit source]

Allegedly based on a true incident reported on page 7 of a local newspaper, the film was a scathing satire on the corruption in the judicial system and the victimization of the underprivileged by the able and the powerful.^[6]

Aakrosh forms a part of the series of works, based around explorations in violence, written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar, who had earlier written Shyam Benegal's Nishant (1974) and went on to write Govind Nihalani's next surprise breakaway hit, Ardh Satya (1983).

Here the victim is shown so traumatized by excessive oppression and violation of his humanity, that he does not utter a single word almost for the length of the film and only bears a stunned look,^[7] though later he uses the same violence as a tool to express his own sense of violation and rage.^[8]

At the end of the film we hear the victim's voice for the second time (the first is in a flashback, as he vainly attempts to rescue his wife), which is a device similar to Andrei Tarkovsky's showing of the icons in brilliant color at the end of his three-hour black-and-white film Andrei Rublev.

Cast[edit | edit source]

Naseeruddin Shah as Bhaskar Kulkarni, Lawyer
Om Puri as Lahanya Bhiku
Smita Patil as Nagi Bhiku
Amrish Puri as Dusane, Public Prosecutor
Mohan Agashe as Bhonsle, chairman, Zilla Parishad
Mahesh Elkunchwar as Social worker
Nana Palsikar as Bhiku's father
Achyut Potdar as More, forest contractor
Deepak Shirke as ruffian
Bhagyashree Kotnis as Bhiku's sister
Reema Lagoo as lavni dancer
Arvind Deshpande as Dr Vasant M. Patil

Songs[edit | edit source]

"Kanha Re" - Vandana Khandekar - 7.33, Music : Ajit Varman, Lyrics : Vasant Deo
"Sanson Mein Dard" - Madhuri Purandare - 5.44, Music: Ajit Varman, Lyrics: Suryabhanu Gupta
"Tu Aisa Kaisa Mard" - Madhuri Purandare - 3.10, Music: Ajit Varman, Lyrics: Vasant Deo

Accolades[edit | edit source]

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
1980	National Film Awards	Best Feature Film in Hindi	Devi Dutt and Govind Nihalani	Won
1981	8th IFFI	IFFI Best Film Award	Devi Dutt and Govind Nihalani	Won
1981	Filmfare Awards	Best Film	Devi Dutt	Nominated
		Best Director	Govind Nihalani	Won
		Best Actor	Naseeruddin Shah
		Best Supporting Actor	Om Puri
		Best Story	Vijay Tendulkar
		Best Screenplay	Vijay Tendulkar
		Best Art Direction	C.S. Bhatti

References[edit | edit source]

↑ "Govind Nihalani | Art House Cinema". 10 June 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
↑ Kumar, Anuj (10 April 2014). "Blast from the past - Aakrosh (1980)". The Hindu.
↑ "NFDC films". Archived from the original on 19 October 2009.
↑ "Govind Nihalani profile". Jang.com.pk. 14 December 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007.
↑ Ganguly, Prithwish (10 August 2007). "Six decades of dynamic filmmaking in India". Hindustan Times. IANS. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.
↑ "a study of Aakrosh at filmreference". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
↑ "Om Puri at freshnews". Fresh News. 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007.
↑ "Ashish Nandy on Violence in Vijay Tendulkar's works". Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2007.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:IFFI Best Film Award

[1] "Govind Nihalani | Art House Cinema". 10 June 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2026.

[2] Kumar, Anuj (10 April 2014). "Blast from the past - Aakrosh (1980)". The Hindu.

[3] "NFDC films". Archived from the original on 19 October 2009.

[4] "Govind Nihalani profile". Jang.com.pk. 14 December 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007.

[5] Ganguly, Prithwish (10 August 2007). "Six decades of dynamic filmmaking in India". Hindustan Times. IANS. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.

[6] "a study of Aakrosh at filmreference". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.

[7] "Om Puri at freshnews". Fresh News. 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007.

[8] "Ashish Nandy on Violence in Vijay Tendulkar's works". Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2007.

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@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 | runtime        = 144 minutes
 | country        = India
-| language       = [[Hindi]]
+| language       = Hindi
-| budget         = {{INRConvert|0.80|c|year=1980}}
+| budget         = {{INR|80 [[lakh]]}}
-| gross          = {{INRConvert|1.22|c|year=1980}}
+| gross          = {{INR|1.22 [[crore]]}}
 }}
-'''''Aakrosh''''' ({{trans|Anger}}) is a [[Bollywood films of 1980|1980]] [[Hindi]] [[arthouse film]] directed by [[Govind Nihalani]] and written by Marathi playwright [[Vijay Tendulkar]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kumar|first1=Anuj|title=Blast from the past - Aakrosh (1980)|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/aakrosh-1980/article5894708.ece|work=The Hindu|date=10 April 2014}}</ref> The film stars [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Om Puri]] and [[Amrish Puri]] in lead roles and went on to win 1980 [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi]] and several [[Filmfare Awards]].
+'''''Aakrosh''''' ({{translation|'''''Outrage'''''}}) is a 1980 Indian [[Hindi]]-language [[legal drama]] film directed by [[Govind Nihalani]] in his debut<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-10 |title=Govind Nihalani {{!}} Art House Cinema |url=https://www.arthousecinema.in/people/govind-nihalani/ |access-date=2026-03-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>, and written by [[Vijay Tendulkar]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kumar|first1=Anuj|title=Blast from the past - Aakrosh (1980)|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/aakrosh-1980/article5894708.ece|work=The Hindu|date=10 April 2014}}</ref> Starring [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Om Puri]] and [[Amrish Puri]] in pivotal roles, the film was released to widely positive reviews, winning the [[IFFI Best Film Award|Golden Peacock (Best Film)]] at the [[8th International Film Festival of India]], as well as the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi]] and several other honors.<ref>{{cite web|title=NFDC films |url=http://www.geocities.com/curlybraces/movies/hindimovies.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019200018/http://geocities.com/curlybraces/movies/hindimovies.htm |archivedate=19 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
-It won the 'Golden Peacock' for the Best Film at the [[International Film Festival of India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=NFDC films |url=http://www.geocities.com/curlybraces/movies/hindimovies.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019200018/http://geocities.com/curlybraces/movies/hindimovies.htm |archivedate=19 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
+Nihalani went on to be known for his dark and frighteningly real depictions of human angst in other landmark alternative films such as ''[[Ardh Satya]]'' and ''[[Tamas (film)|Tamas]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2007-weekly/nos-09-12-2007/enc.htm#2 |title=Govind Nihalani profile|work=Jang.com.pk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214021016/http://jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2007-weekly/nos-09-12-2007/enc.htm#2 |date=14 December 2007|archive-date=14 December 2007 }}</ref> ''Aakrosh'' is listed among the 60 films that shaped the Indian film industry over a period of six decades.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/six-decades-of-dynamic-filmmaking-in-india/story-gVQkpXKtDBrJfQAhVmXdfP.html|title=Six decades of dynamic filmmaking in India|last=Ganguly|first=Prithwish|date=10 August 2007|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605133525/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/cinema/Six-decades-of-dynamic-filmmaking-in-India/Article1-241665.aspx|archive-date=5 June 2011|url-status=live|agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]]}}</ref>
-This was a debut film of Nihalani, who went on to be known for his dark and frighteningly real depictions of human angst in other landmark alternative movies such as ''[[Ardh Satya]]'' and ''[[Tamas (film)|Tamas]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2007-weekly/nos-09-12-2007/enc.htm#2 |title=Govind Nihalani profile|work=Jang.com.pk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214021016/http://jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2007-weekly/nos-09-12-2007/enc.htm#2 |date=14 December 2007|archive-date=14 December 2007 }}</ref>
+==Plot==
+The story follows a peasant who faces oppression from landowners and foremen while working as a daily laborer to make ends meet. His wife (Smita Patil), is raped by the foreman, who then frames him for a crime he did not commit. Overwhelmed by shame, his wife commits suicide.
-It is in the list of 60 films that shaped the Indian film industry spanning six decades.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/six-decades-of-dynamic-filmmaking-in-india/story-gVQkpXKtDBrJfQAhVmXdfP.html|title=Six decades of dynamic filmmaking in India|last=Ganguly|first=Prithwish|date=10 August 2007|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605133525/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/cinema/Six-decades-of-dynamic-filmmaking-in-India/Article1-241665.aspx|archive-date=5 June 2011|url-status=live|agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]]}}</ref>
+Following his father's death, the police escorts him to the funeral grounds in restraints to perform the last rites. As he stands by the burning funeral pyre, he notices the foreman casting lustful glances at his prepubescent sister. Anticipating her inevitable fate as a perpetual victim, he seizes an axe and beheads his sister to prevent her from suffering as he and his wife did. In the aftermath of this desperate and tragic act, the downtrodden man screams repeatedly into the sky.
-==Plot==
+== Themes and influences ==
-Allegedly based on a true incident reported on page 7 of a local newspaper, the film was a scathing satire on the corruption in the judicial system and the victimization of the underprivileged by the able and the powerful.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/nihalani.html |title=a study of Aakrosh at filmreference |access-date=9 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195304/http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/nihalani.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
+Allegedly based on a true incident reported on page 7 of a local newspaper, the film was a scathing satire on the [[corruption]] in the judicial system and the victimization of the underprivileged by the able and the powerful.<ref>{{Cite web |title=a study of Aakrosh at filmreference |url=http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/nihalani.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195304/http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/nihalani.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 |access-date=9 December 2007}}</ref>
 ''Aakrosh'' forms a part of the series of works, based around explorations in violence, written by noted playwright [[Vijay Tendulkar]], who had earlier written [[Shyam Benegal]]'s ''[[Nishant (film)|Nishant]]'' (1974) and went on to write Govind Nihalani's next surprise breakaway hit, ''[[Ardh Satya]]'' (1983).
-Here the victim is shown so traumatized by excessive oppression and violation of his humanity, that he does not utter a single word almost for the length of the film and only bears a stunned look,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freshnews.in/om-puri-444 |title=Om Puri at freshnews|work=Fresh News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020223703/http://www.freshnews.in/om-puri-444 |date=20 October 2007|archive-date=20 October 2007 }}</ref> though later he uses the same violence as a tool to express his own sense of violation and rage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/09/02/stories/1302017i.htm |title=Ashish Nandy on Violence in Vijay Tendulkar's works|work=Hindu |access-date=10 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405191222/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/09/02/stories/1302017i.htm |archive-date=5 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
+Here the victim is shown so traumatized by excessive oppression and violation of his humanity, that he does not utter a single word almost for the length of the film and only bears a stunned look,<ref>{{cite web |date=20 October 2007 |title=Om Puri at freshnews |url=http://www.freshnews.in/om-puri-444 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020223703/http://www.freshnews.in/om-puri-444 |archive-date=20 October 2007 |work=Fresh News}}</ref> though later he uses the same violence as a tool to express his own sense of violation and rage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ashish Nandy on Violence in Vijay Tendulkar's works |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/09/02/stories/1302017i.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405191222/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/09/02/stories/1302017i.htm |archive-date=5 April 2008 |access-date=10 December 2007 |work=Hindu}}</ref>
-Basically, the story is of a peasant who is oppressed by landowners and his foremen while trying to eke out a living as a daily laborer. His comely wife, played by [[Smita Patil]], is raped by the foreman who then has him arrested to hide his own crime. His wife commits suicide out of shame.
-Soon after his father's death, the police bring him to the funeral grounds in manacles and shackles to complete the last rites of his dead father. Standing beside the burning funeral pyre, he sees the foreman looking at his pre-pubescent sister with lustful eyes. Divining the fate that is in store for her, he grabs an axe and chops off his sister's head to forestall her dire future as a perpetual victim, as he sees it. Upon completion of this hapless act of a desperate and downtrodden man, he raises his face towards the skies and screams, and screams and screams – the second time that we hear his voice in the movie (the first is in a flashback, as he vainly attempts to rescue his wife) — a device similar to [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]'s showing of the icons in brilliant color at the end of his three-hour black-and-white film ''[[Andrei Rublev (film)|Andrei Rublev]]''.
+At the end of the film we hear the victim's voice for the second time (the first is in a flashback, as he vainly attempts to rescue his wife), which is a device similar to [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]'s showing of the icons in brilliant color at the end of his three-hour black-and-white film ''[[Andrei Rublev (film)|Andrei Rublev]]''.
-==Cast==
+== Cast ==
 * [[Naseeruddin Shah]] <small>as</small> Bhaskar Kulkarni, Lawyer
 * [[Om Puri]] <small>as</small> Lahanya Bhiku
 * [[Smita Patil]] <small>as</small> Nagi Bhiku
 * [[Amrish Puri]] <small>as</small> Dusane, Public Prosecutor
-* [[Mohan Agashe]] <small>as</small> Bhonsle, Chairman, Zilla Parishad
+* [[Mohan Agashe]] <small>as</small> Bhonsle, chairman, Zilla Parishad
 * [[Mahesh Elkunchwar]] <small>as</small> Social worker
 * [[Nana Palsikar]] <small>as</small> Bhiku's father
 * [[Achyut Potdar]] as More, forest contractor
 * [[Deepak Shirke]] as ruffian
-* [[Bhagyashree Kotnis]] as Bhiku's sister
+* Bhagyashree Kotnis as Bhiku's sister
 * [[Reema Lagoo]] as lavni dancer
 * [[Arvind Deshpande]] as Dr Vasant M. Patil
-==Similarity with Yagnam==
-The aggressive act of Lahanya Biku mirrors the climax of Telugu short story "Yagnam" by Kalipatnam Ramarao.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} Appalanaidu, a character in ''Yagnam'', cuts the throat of his child with an axe after the verdict delivered by village heads comes against him. In view of the future sorrow of his heirs, now that he will not be there to protect them or provide for them, Appalanaidu commits this act.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
 ==Songs==
-# "Kanha Re" - Vandana Khandekar - 7.33, Music : [[Ajit Varman]], Lyrics : [[Vasant Deo]]
+# "Kanha Re" - Vandana Khandekar - 7.33, Music : [[Ajit Varman]], Lyrics : Vasant Deo
-# "Sanson Mein Dard" - Madhuri Purandare - 5.44, Music : Ajit Varman, Lyrics : Suryabhanu Gupta
+# "Sanson Mein Dard" - Madhuri Purandare - 5.44, Music: Ajit Varman, Lyrics: Suryabhanu Gupta
-# "Tu Aisa Kaisa Mard" - Madhuri Purandare - 3.10, Music : Ajit Varman, Lyrics : Vasant Deo
+# "Tu Aisa Kaisa Mard" - Madhuri Purandare - 3.10, Music: Ajit Varman, Lyrics: Vasant Deo
 ==Accolades==
@@ Line 76: / Line 71: @@
 | [[National Film Awards]]
 | [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi|Best Feature Film in Hindi]]
+| Devi Dutt and [[Govind Nihalani]]
+| {{won}}
+|-
+! [[8th International Film Festival of India|1981]]
+| [[8th International Film Festival of India|8th IFFI]]
+| [[IFFI Best Film Award]]
 | Devi Dutt and [[Govind Nihalani]]
 | {{won}}
 |-
 ! rowspan="7"|[[28th Filmfare Awards|1981]]
-| rowspan="7"|[[Filmfare Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080322/awards |title=Filmfare Awards 1981 - Aakrosh (1980) Awards |publisher=[[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]]}}</ref>
+| rowspan="7"|[[Filmfare Awards]]
 | [[Filmfare Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
 | Devi Dutt
@@ Line 105: / Line 106: @@
 ==References==
-{{Reflist}}
+{{Reflist|2}}
 ==External links==
 * {{IMDb title|0080322|Aakrosh}}
-* [http://parallelcinema.blogspot.com/2005/10/aakroshcry-of-wounded-1980.html An insightful study of the film, Aakrosh]
+* [https://parallelcinema.blogspot.com/2005/10/aakroshcry-of-wounded-1980.html An insightful study of the film, Aakrosh]
 * [http://roshnai.wordpress.com/2007/11/03/movie-review-aakrosh/ A Movie Review]
+{{IFFI Best Film Award}}
 {{National Film Award Best Feature Film Hindi}}
 {{Govind Nihalani}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Aakrosh}}
 [[Category:1980 films]]
 [[Category:1980 drama films]]
-[[Category:1980s Hindi-language films]]
+[[Category:1980 Hindi-language films]]
-[[Category:Indian films]]
+[[Category:1980 Indian films]]
 [[Category:Indian drama films]]
+[[Category:Films about social issues in India]]
+[[Category:Indian courtroom films]]
+[[Category:Films about Indian slavery]]
+[[Category:Films about women in India]]
+[[Category:Films about social realism]]
+[[Category:Indian crime films]]
+[[Category:Films about rape in India]]
+[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Maharashtra Police]]
 [[Category:Films about corruption in India]]
+[[Category:Indian nonlinear narrative films]]
+[[Category:Films about the caste system in India]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Govind Nihalani]]
 [[Category:Films scored by Ajit Varman]]