''Majboor'' () is a 1974 Indian
suspense thriller
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
film directed by
Ravi Tandon
Ravi Tandon (17 February 1935 – 11 February 2022) was an Indian film director and producer. He also worked as an assistant director and story writer. He is the father of actress Raveena Tandon.
Ravi Tandon directed a number of hit movies, th ...
and written by
Salim-Javed. The film stars
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
,
Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...
,
Pran and
Satyen Kappu
Satyendra Kappu (born Satyendra Sharma; also credited as Satyen Kappu; 7 February 1931 – 27 October 2007), was an Indian character actor in Bollywood films. He has acted in 390 films. His most remembered role is Ramlal in the movie ''Sholay'' ...
with
Farida Jalal
Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...
,
Sulochana Latkar
Sulochana Latkar (born 30 July 1928) known by her screen name Sulochana, is a well-known actress of Marathi and Hindi cinema and has acted in 50 films in Marathi and around 250 films in Hindi. She is most known for her performances in Marathi ...
,
Iftekhar
Sayedna Iftekhar Ahmed Sharif (22 February 1924 – 4 March 1995), often mononymously credited as Iftekhar, was an Indian actor who mainly worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for his role as a police officer.
Career
Iftekhar was born in ...
,
Jagdish Raj
Jagdish Raj Khurana (1928 – 28 July 2013) was a Bollywood actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most type-cast actor. He played the role of a police inspector in 144 films.
Early life and career
He was born in 1928 in the tow ...
and
Rehman Rehman may refer to a Muslim surname which means, "Merciful", "King", " Lord". It's an honorary title used by some Muslims of Sheikh or Sayyid Caste of Middle Eastern Origin, it is a common surname or middle-name among some Pashtun tribemen. It is a ...
in supporting roles. The story revolves around Ravi Khanna (Bachchan), a terminally ill man who frames himself for a murder which he did not commit in order to help his family collect the reward money. After a successful operation, he escapes the police custody and sets out to search for the real killer.
The movie is loosely inspired by two English movies of 1970 – ''
Zig zag
A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular.
In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...
'' and ''
Cold Sweat
"Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a No. 1 R&B hit, and rea ...
''. The film was later remade in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
by director
K. Raghavendra Rao
Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema besides having directed a few Hindi films. He has garnered four state Nandi Awards and fiv ...
as ''Raja'' (1976) starring
Shobhan Babu
Sobhan Babu (born Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao; 14 January 1937 – 20 March 2008) was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema.Bangaru Panjaram in Venditera Paatalu, Krishnasastri Sahityam, third volume, Vishalandhra Publishing House ...
and
Jayasudha
Jayasudha Kapoor (born Sujatha Nidudavolu) is an Indian actress and politician known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema. She has also worked in few Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Known as natural actress, she received fiv ...
. It was also remade in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
as
Naan Vazhavaippen
''Naan Vazhavaippen'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language suspense thriller film, directed by D. Yoganand. It stars Sivaji Ganesan, Rajnikanth and K. R. Vijaya, while Jai Ganesh and Major Sundarrajan play supporting roles. The film was a remake ...
(1979) with
Sivaji Ganeshan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Gan ...
and
K. R. Vijaya
Deivanayaki better known by her stage name K. R. Vijaya is an Indian actress who has featured in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. She started her career in 1963 and has been acting for more than five decades in South Indian cinema. ...
, in
Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...
as ''Naseeb No Khel'' (1982) and in Malayalam as ''
Ee Kaikalil'' (1986). The movie was also an inspiration for the 2008 movie ''
Jimmy''.
Plot
Ravi Khanna (
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
) is a middle-class simpleton working for a travel company, and living with his widowed mother Sulochana (
Sulochana Latkar
Sulochana Latkar (born 30 July 1928) known by her screen name Sulochana, is a well-known actress of Marathi and Hindi cinema and has acted in 50 films in Marathi and around 250 films in Hindi. She is most known for her performances in Marathi ...
), wheelchair-user sister Renu (
Farida Jalal
) and younger brother Billu (
Alankar Joshi), who all are a happy family despite their financial problems and Renu's disability. Ravi is even planning to marry his wealthy girlfriend Neela Rajvansh (
Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...
). Six months ago, late millionaire Surendra Sinha (
Rehman Rehman may refer to a Muslim surname which means, "Merciful", "King", " Lord". It's an honorary title used by some Muslims of Sheikh or Sayyid Caste of Middle Eastern Origin, it is a common surname or middle-name among some Pashtun tribemen. It is a ...
) had visited Ravi's office and had even dropped him off to his friend's house. On the same night, he was abducted by some unknown person, who demanded ransom to Surendra's younger brother Narendra Sinha (
Satyen Kappu
Satyendra Kappu (born Satyendra Sharma; also credited as Satyen Kappu; 7 February 1931 – 27 October 2007), was an Indian character actor in Bollywood films. He has acted in 390 films. His most remembered role is Ramlal in the movie ''Sholay'' ...
). Surendra was subsequently killed and six months later, the police found his dead body in a
street gutter
A street gutter is a depression that runs parallel to a road and is designed to collect rainwater that flows along the street diverting it into a storm drain. A gutter alleviates water buildup on a street, allows pedestrians to pass without walki ...
. As Surendra had met Ravi before his abduction, Ravi is interrogated by CID Inspector Khurana (
Iftekhar
Sayedna Iftekhar Ahmed Sharif (22 February 1924 – 4 March 1995), often mononymously credited as Iftekhar, was an Indian actor who mainly worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for his role as a police officer.
Career
Iftekhar was born in ...
) and Inspector Kulkarni (
Jagdish Raj
Jagdish Raj Khurana (1928 – 28 July 2013) was a Bollywood actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most type-cast actor. He played the role of a police inspector in 144 films.
Early life and career
He was born in 1928 in the tow ...
) about Surendra, although the information given by Ravi turns out to be trivial.
Few days later, Ravi begins experiencing terrible
headache
Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches.
Headaches can occur as a result ...
s and
dizziness
Dizziness is an imprecise term that can refer to a sense of disorientation in space, vertigo, or lightheadedness. It can also refer to disequilibrium or a non-specific feeling, such as giddiness or foolishness.
Dizziness is a common medical c ...
while walking on the streets, and visits his regular physician Dr. Shah (
Sajjan). After a medical checkup, he is horrified to learn that he has a fast-growing
brain tumour
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...
in his head and has only six months to live. Ravi is even more horrified to learn that although this disease can be treated via
brain surgery
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...
, it can result in side-effects as well like he can become either
blind or
mentally disabled
Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...
, or his
limbs can be permanently damaged. Stuck in a dilemma, he worries about his family and Neela while thinking about their future.
One fine day, Ravi gets to know that Narendra has announced that he will give a reward of
₹500,000 to the person who traces Surendra's murderer for him. Hatching an unexpected plan, he anonymously calls up the police and claims that he knows the person who has killed Surendra. He makes them send the reward money to his friend Advocate Rane (
Shiv Kumar), who is also anonymously told by Ravi to hand over the money to his family, so that they will be able to live a peaceful future after his demise. Meanwhile, Ravi finds an abandoned place where he establishes fake evidences regarding he, "himself" having committed the murder, thinking that he will as it is die of brain tumour.
The police find the evidences and arrest Ravi, believing him to have killed Surendra. Ravi confesses his "crime" in the court, saying that he kidnapped Surendra and asked for ransom for the sake of his family, and that he was forced to kill Surendra when he freed himself and tried to escape. On a basis of reasonable doubt, the court announces a verdict of
death sentence
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
for Ravi, devastating his family and Neela. Ravi's family begs Narendra not to have Ravi hanged but in vain, much to their sadness.
While under police custody, Ravi suffers a tumour attack and collapses in prison. He is taken to the hospital where he undergoes a successful surgery with no side-effects. However, it is too late as Ravi is now a convicted criminal of abduction, ransom and murder. Feeling guilty over his actions, he reveals to Neela and Advocate Rane how he unnecessarily created his life problematic. They agree to do whatever they can to help them but lack evidence to prove his innocence. Now, Ravi can only be proved innocent after the real murderer of Surendra is tracked down.
Not knowing what to do, Ravi hesitantly escapes from the hospital and unites with Neela. The duo travels to
Khandala
Khandala is a hill station in the Western Ghats in the state of Maharashtra, India, about from Lonavala, 12 kilometres from Khopoli and from Karjat.
Khandala is located at the top end of the Bhor Ghat, a major ''ghat'' (meaning valley in ...
for safety as both Ravi and Neela's house is surrounded by the police. Over there, Ravi meets a one-time acquaintance Mahipat Rai (
Madan Puri
Madan Puri (30 September 1915 – 13 January 1985) was an Indian actor of Hindi and Punjabi films. His brothers were actors Chaman Puri and Amrish Puri. As a character actor mainly in negative roles (villain), he acted in about 430 films in a ca ...
), who has come to the hotel with a
prostitute
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
despite being married. While trying to hide from him, Ravi discovers Mahipat's
ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
and remembers that it is the same one, which Surendra had worn during his visit to his office.
Upon being confronted by Ravi, Mahipat tells him that he had bought the ring from a man called Prakash (
Mac Mohan
Mohan Makijany (24 April 1938 – 10 May 2010), popularly known as Mac Mohan, was an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi cinema. He was known for his villainous roles in films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in over 200 films, in ...
), a
black market
A black market, underground economy, or shadow economy is a clandestine market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality or is characterized by noncompliance with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the se ...
businessman. Ravi traces Prakash to his shop and confronts him too over the ring until he reveals that a small-time thief named Michael D'Souza (
Pran) sold him the ring. He takes him to Michael and Ravi believes him to have killed Surendra. However, Michael reveals to Ravi how he obtained the ring. Six months ago, he had stopped a car at midnight and showed his gun to the
chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.
Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...
, who ended up handing over his asleep owner's ring to Michael.
Learning this, Ravi has the realisation that the owner of the ring was none other than Surendra, who was already dead in the car, and that the chauffeur must be the one having killed him. He asks Michael to reveal the truth to Narendra and even offers him the reward money. Michael agrees and visits Surendra's house to inform Narendra that his chauffeur is the killer. However, he is shocked to see Narendra's face and realises that the chauffeur who had given him the ring was none other than Narendra, himself.
It is then revealed that Surendra had expelled Narendra from the house upon learning about his wife's
extramarital affair
An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...
with him. In retaliation, Narendra killed Surendra by breaking glass bottles on his head and hid his body in the street gutter, faking his brother's abduction in order to cover up his crime. Narendra offers Michael ₹250,000 to shut up and tells him to hand over Ravi to him with the additional ₹500,000. Micheal agrees while telling Ravi that he will bring the real killer before him.
The next day, Michael visits Ravi's house to extract the reason behind his self-framing for the murder. On seeing his family's love and concern for him, he has a change of heart and promises them that Ravi will return home safe. Later, Michael meets Narendra at the given remote place where the exchange is going to happen. However, Ravi arrives with Neela and learns about Narendra's crime, just as he shoots Michael fatally with his revolver, fearing he might expose his crime.
Ravi rushes to bring a doctor while a gravely injured Michael holds Narendra at gunpoint along with Neela. Eventually, Ravi succeeds in bringing a doctor (
Pinchoo Kapoor
Pinchoo Kapoor (1927 – April 28, 1989) was an Indian actor born in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province (British India), Punjab, British India in 1927. He acted in many Hindi films during the 1970s and 1980s. His film career lasted from 1969 to 1989. ...
) and calling in the police to the scene on time and catches Narendra when he tries to escape. Meanwhile, the dying Michael gives his statement to the police regarding Ravi's innocence and Surendra's murder, before succumbing to his serious injuries. As a result, Narendra is arrested by the police and sent to prison for his crimes, while all charges against Ravi are dropped.
Cast
*
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
as Ravi Khanna
*
Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...
as Neela Rajvansh
*
Pran as Michael D'Souza
*
Satyen Kappu
Satyendra Kappu (born Satyendra Sharma; also credited as Satyen Kappu; 7 February 1931 – 27 October 2007), was an Indian character actor in Bollywood films. He has acted in 390 films. His most remembered role is Ramlal in the movie ''Sholay'' ...
as Narendra Sinha
*
Rehman Rehman may refer to a Muslim surname which means, "Merciful", "King", " Lord". It's an honorary title used by some Muslims of Sheikh or Sayyid Caste of Middle Eastern Origin, it is a common surname or middle-name among some Pashtun tribemen. It is a ...
as Surendra Sinha
*
Sulochana Latkar
Sulochana Latkar (born 30 July 1928) known by her screen name Sulochana, is a well-known actress of Marathi and Hindi cinema and has acted in 50 films in Marathi and around 250 films in Hindi. She is most known for her performances in Marathi ...
as Mrs. Khanna (Ravi's mother)
*
Farida Jalal
Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...
as Renu Khanna (Ravi's sister)
*
Alankar Joshi as Billu Khanna (Ravi's brother)
*
Iftekhar
Sayedna Iftekhar Ahmed Sharif (22 February 1924 – 4 March 1995), often mononymously credited as Iftekhar, was an Indian actor who mainly worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for his role as a police officer.
Career
Iftekhar was born in ...
as CID Inspector Khurana
*
Jagdish Raj
Jagdish Raj Khurana (1928 – 28 July 2013) was a Bollywood actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most type-cast actor. He played the role of a police inspector in 144 films.
Early life and career
He was born in 1928 in the tow ...
as Inspector Kulkarni
*
Mac Mohan
Mohan Makijany (24 April 1938 – 10 May 2010), popularly known as Mac Mohan, was an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi cinema. He was known for his villainous roles in films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in over 200 films, in ...
as Prakash (Michael's friend)
*
Madan Puri
Madan Puri (30 September 1915 – 13 January 1985) was an Indian actor of Hindi and Punjabi films. His brothers were actors Chaman Puri and Amrish Puri. As a character actor mainly in negative roles (villain), he acted in about 430 films in a ca ...
as Mahipat Rai (Ravi's one-time acquaintance)
*
Shiv Kumar as Advocate Rane (Ravi's friend)
*
D. K. Sapru
Daya Kishan Sapru (16 March 1916 – 20 October 1979), was an Indian actor famed for a variety of character roles in Hindi cinema, particularly villains, judges and aristocrats in crime thrillers and dramas. His most notable performances were in ...
as Mr. Rajvansh (Neela's father)
*
Sajjan as Dr. Shah (Ravi's physician)
*
K. N. Singh as Prosecuting Attorney
*
Sudhir Sudhir is an Indian given name, Indian masculine given name. The Sanskrit word ' means "very wise", "resolute".
Notable people with the name include:
*Sudhir (Pakistani actor) (1922–1997), Pakistani actor
*Sudhir (Hindi actor) (1944–2014), ...
as Ravi's co-worker
*
Pinchoo Kapoor
Pinchoo Kapoor (1927 – April 28, 1989) was an Indian actor born in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province (British India), Punjab, British India in 1927. He acted in many Hindi films during the 1970s and 1980s. His film career lasted from 1969 to 1989. ...
as the doctor brought by Ravi to treat Michael
*
Rehana as Singer (Kabhi Sochta Hoon)
*
Ashoo as Mona Sinha (Surendra's widow)
Soundtrack
Success
The film was a Hit at the box office.
Awards and nominations
23rd Filmfare Awards
The 23rd Filmfare Awards were held on March 30, 1976.
''Sholay'' led the ceremony with 10 nominations, followed by '' Amanush'' and ''Deewaar'' with 9 nominations each, along with ''Aandhi'' and ''Sanyasi'' with 7 nominations each.
''Deewaar'' ...
:
Nominated
*
Best Supporting Actor –
Pran
*
Best Supporting Actress –
Farida Jalal
Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...
References
External links
*
{{Salim-Javed
1974 films
1970s Hindi-language films
Films scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal
Hindi films remade in other languages
Films with screenplays by Salim–Javed
1970s Urdu-language films
Urdu films remade in other languages
Indian remakes of American films
Indian films about cancer
Fratricide in fiction
Films directed by Ravi Tandon
Urdu-language Indian films