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Shahenshah (1988 film)

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Shahenshah
Movie poster
Directed by Tinnu Anand
Written by Inder Raj Anand
Screenplay by Santosh Saroj
Story by Jaya Bachchan
Produced by Bitu Anand
Tinnu Anand
Naresh Malhotra
Starring Amitabh Bachchan
Meenakshi Sheshadri
Cinematography Peter Pereira
Edited by A. Habib
Music by Amar Haldipur
Utpal Biswas
Production
company

Shiva Video
Release date
12 February 1988
Running time
175 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
Box office ₹12 crore[1]
Shahenshah (transl. Emperor) is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language vigilante action film
starring Amitabh Bachchan in the title role, along with Meenakshi Sheshadri. The
film was produced and directed by Tinnu Anand. The story of the film was written by
Amitabh Bachchan's wife Jaya Bachchan and the screenplay was written by veteran
screenwriter Inder Raj Anand, who died before the film was released.

The film marked Bachchan's comeback to films after a three-year hiatus during which
he had entered politics. Bachchan still had films releasing during the hiatus, as
they were projects he had previously completed. The film became the third highest-
grossing film in 1988. It is remembered for the famous dialogue "Rishte Mein To Hum
Tumhare Baap Hote Hain, Naam Hai Shahenshah". The film is also remembered for
Amitabh Bachchan's dual performances as a comic policeman and a crimefighting
vigilante. Meenakshi Sheshadri's performance as the leading lady was also
appreciated.[2] The advance booking shattered all the records and in Shiela Cinema
(Delhi) a crowd of 20,000 people had gathered for the first show.[3]
Plot

Mathur is a corrupt and sniveling bank manager who has illegally borrowed 2.5
million rupees and loaned them to crime baron J.K. Verma, who orchestrates a bank
robbery to bail him out. DCP Anand Kumar Srivastava gets wind of this plot and is
about to crack the case when J.K. enlists an exotic dancer named Julie to use the
robbery as a backdrop and frame Anand for corruption. Anand is arrested by the CBI
and is imprisoned for three months. Anand gets depressed about the false charges
where he hangs himself at home after being released on bail. This creates a lasting
and powerful impression on his 8 year-old son Vijay Kumar Srivastava.

Vijay retains the noose his father used to hang himself and vows someday to restore
his father's honour. Vijay and his mother leave their house and live in the house
of Inspector Aslam Khan. Years later, Vijay becomes a cop and is in friends with
Shaheena, Aslam Khan's daughter. Aslam Khan is an honest cop much like Vijay's
father. Vijay is an obsequious and cowardly inspector, prone to bribery and
generally scared of powerful criminals. It doesn't take JK long to find Vijay,
where he gets him on the payroll and run his crime empire past the cops. However, a
new apparition bursts upon this scene who calls himself as Shahenshah, a costumed
crime fighter who is actually Vijay. When wearing Shahenshah's attire, Vijay
describes himself as "one who doesn't hold a cop's job but does the same work; one
who apprehends criminals himself, conducts the trials himself, pronounces and
executes the sentences himself".

Vijay Kumar Srivastava/ Aka / Shahenshah's outward mission is to take out crime and
track the perpetrators behind his father's death. Shahenshah quietly breaks up
several of J.K.'s gambling dens and illicit liquor distilleries, where he also
halts the demolition of a slum. This catches the eye of small-time trickster Shalu
who lives there with her aging and ailing mother Julie. J.K. had ordered her
assassination after she helped frame Vijay's father; she has been on the run from
him ever since, which becomes Shalu's motivation for seeking out and eliminating
J.K. Shalu decides to infiltrate J.K.'s coterie by becoming an exotic dancer. One
night, Shalu attempts to kill J.K. by shooting him, but is shocked when J.K.
reveals he had been wearing a bullet-proof vest the whole time. Vijay lies to J.K.
that Shahenshah's weakness is not letting Shalu die and also lies that if J.K.
returns Shalu to Shahenshah, Shahenshah will return J. K.'s goods worth millions.

However, J.K. is ultimately fooled and Shahenshah later detonates a bomb planted in
J.K.'s truck. J.K. murders Mohammed Salim, a crime reporter and Shaheena's husband
who was about to expose J.K.'s crime ring. Vijay decides to turn around his image
as a cowardly cop and openly defies J.K. Julie agrees to testify against J.K. Shalu
provides ancillary evidence. And J.K. prepares for an all out war against
Shahenshah / Aka / Vijay Kumar Srivastava, Shalu and his enemies. At Salim's
funeral, one of the many witnesses of his death were present. He was about to
reveal J.K.'s name, but a sharpshooter shoots him to death. A veritable bloodbath
on the streets ensues as Vijay tries to get Julie into the courthouse.

A final showdown occurs where Shahenshah reveals his secret identity and becomes
the nemesis for all the culprits. To give himself a chance to escape, J.K. abducts
Shalu and a showdown leads Shahenshah chasing J.K. to the roof of the courthouse
where J.K. is pleading his case, because his cover is blown. J.K. falls through a
hole in the roof and is clinging on for dear life, with the whole court looking in
astonishment. Shahenshah then reveals his identity before the whole court, where he
throws the noose down to J.K., and gratefully accepts it, but J.K. attempts to
attack Vijay, where Vijay lets go of the noose, which slips around J.K.'s neck and
is hanged, thus avenging Anand and Salim's death.
Cast

Amitabh Bachchan as Police Inspector Vijay Kumar Srivastava / Shahenshah (as

the son of Anand and Shanti)
Meenakshi Sheshadri as Shalu
Pran as Inspector Aslam Khan
Aruna Irani as Julie
Prem Chopra as Bank Manager Mathur
Amrish Puri as J.K.
Kader Khan as Deputy Commissioner of Police Officer Anand Kumar Srivastava (as
the father of Vijay and as the husband of Shanti)
Rohini Hattangadi as Shanti Srivastava (as the mother of Vijay and as the wife
of Anand)
Supriya Pathak as Shaheen
Vijayendra Ghatge as Editor Mohammed Salim
Jagdeep as Tarachand Badlani
Sudhir as J.K's Man
Avtar Gill as Corrupt Police Officer
Anjan Srivastav as Corrupt Politician
Sharat Saxena as Abdul
Praveen Kumar Sobti as Mukhtar Singh
Dan Dhanoa as J.K.'s Goon
Goga Kapoor as J.K's Lawyer
Dinesh Hingoo as Shalu's Friend
Sameer Khakhar as Shalu's drunkard Friend
Murad as Judge
Yunus Parvez as Journalist
Aftab Shivdasani as Young Vijay Kumar Srivastava

Development

Tinnu Anand, who had made the very successful film Kaalia (1981) with Amitabh,
wanted to make another movie with him during the early 1980s. The story of
Shahenshah was written by Amitabh's wife, Jaya Bachchan and further refined by
Tinnu Anand's father Inder Raj Anand. Even though Anand signed up Bachchan in 1983,
the film could not commence shooting because only three days before shooting was to
begin in Bangalore, Amitabh fell seriously ill.[4] After a thorough medical
examination it was revealed that he had developed myasthenia gravis, a rare chronic
autoimmune disease marked by muscular weakness without atrophy.

Due to Amitabh's illness and his commitments to other movies, the start of
Shahenshah's shooting was delayed until 1985.[4] By this time, the female lead of
the film, Dimple Kapadia, was replaced by Meenakshi Sheshadri.[4] The now iconic
costume that Amitabh donned in this movie weighed almost 18 kg, and despite his
illness, Amitabh insisted on wearing the costume in all of his fight scenes.[5]
During shooting, Amitabh and Tinnu got into a disagreement over one particular
scene in which Tinnu wanted Amitabh to wear his police uniform but Amitabh insisted
on wearing a blazer instead. The argument got quite heated and with neither of the
two willing to change his stance, shooting was temporarily halted. It was not until
Tinnu's father, Inder Raj Anand, intervened and convinced Amitabh to wear the
police uniform by explaining its significance in the scene that the shooting
resumed.[6]

The shooting eventually wrapped up in October 1987. Even though the film was
initially planned to be released in November, the release date kept on being pushed
back due to the threat of a boycott of the movie by some opposition political
parties.[4] These parties had had some conflict with Amitabh while he was a
Congress MP and they maintained bitterness towards him even after he had retired
from politics.

Shahenshah was finally released on 12 February 1988 and went on to become a huge
blockbuster earning over 6 crores by its fifth week.[7] The film performed very
well at the box office despite strong competition from other big-banner films like
Tezaab and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, both of which were targeted towards the newer
generation.
Music

Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Song Singer
"Andheri Raaton Mein" Kishore Kumar
"Hoga Thanedaar Tu, Mera Dildaar Tu" Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
"Jane Do, Jane Do, Mujhe Jana Hai, Vada Jo Kiya Hai Woh Nibhana Hai" Lata
Mangeshkar, Mohammed Aziz
"O Behna, O Behna" (Happy) Mohammed Aziz
"O Behna, O Behna" (Sad) Mohammed Aziz

Hai You Asha Bhonsle

Awards

34th Filmfare Awards:

Nominated

Best Actor – Amitabh Bachchan

References

"Shahenshah (1988) – Lifetime Box Office Collection, Budget & Reviews". 5 February
2018.
Thombare, Suparna. "5 memorable roles of Meenakshi Seshadri – Birthday special".
Cinestaan. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
Bhargava, Simran (15 March 1988). "Amitabh Bachchan makes spectacular come-back
with Shahenshah". India Today. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
"IndiaToday". Retrieved 30 October 2015.
"Tinnu Anand Interview - Rediff". Retrieved 30 October 2015.
"Tinnu Anand Interview - Rediff". Retrieved 30 October 2015.

"Indicine Box Office Results - 1988". Retrieved 30 October 2015.

External links

Shahenshah at IMDb

Categories:
 1988 films1980s Hindi-language filmsIndian vigilante filmsIndian action
filmsFilms about organised crime in IndiaIndian courtroom films1988 action
films1980s vigilante filmsHindi-language action films

This page was last edited on 19 September 2023, at 14:40 (UTC).

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