# Zanjeer (2013 film)

Zanjeer (transl. Shackles) is a 2013 Indian action crime film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. The film is shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages, the latter titled Thoofan (transl. Typhoon). A remake of the 1973 Hindi film of the same name, it stars Ram Charan Teja (in his Hindi film debut) and Priyanka Chopra (in her Telugu film debut) with Sanjay Dutt in a pivotal role in the Hindi version who is replaced by Srihari in Telugu. Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni, and Mahie Gill play supporting roles.
Reliance BIG Entertainment bought worldwide distribution rights for ₹105 crore (US$12 million). Upon release the film got mostly negative reviews.

## Plot

Assistant Commissioner of Police Officer Vijay Khanna is a dedicated and honest officer frequently transferred for his relentless pursuit of corrupt underworld figures. Haunted by the memory of his parents' murder on his birthday, he recalls a mysterious man in a black raincoat involved in the crime.
Vijay is assigned a case involving the brutal murder of a district collector. The key eyewitness, Mala, has seen Teja's gang commit the crime but is initially unwilling to cooperate. Teja, the head of a powerful oil mafia, wants Mala eliminated. Vijay persuades Mala to testify, which puts her life in danger. To protect her, he shelters her in his home, and over time, they fall in love.
During his investigations, Vijay encounters Sher Khan, a dealer in illegal cars. Impressed by Vijay's integrity, Sher Khan reforms and becomes a staunch ally, vowing to support Vijay. Vijay also meets Jaydev, a reporter who initially criticizes him but later admires Vijay's dedication and provides valuable information about the oil mafia.
Vijay arrests Kataria, a member of Teja's gang, who reveals the mafia's operation of stealing petrol and oil, mixing it with kerosene, and smuggling it. However, Kataria is murdered while in custody, casting doubt on Vijay's progress. Vijay learns about Prashant Khanna, a man killed by Teja years ago, and starts connecting the dots. Despite setbacks, including his suspension from the police force, Vijay vows to dismantle Teja's empire by his own means.
Vijay begins to systematically destroy Teja's oil refineries, despite Mala's concerns about the potential dangers. One evening, while dining out, Vijay is ambushed by Teja's men. He kills them and warns Teja that even his entire gang won't be able to stop him. Teja responds by sending more men to attack Vijay and Mala, but with the timely intervention of Sher Khan, they manage to survive.
Teja mocks Vijay at the hospital, prompting Mala to urge Vijay to end Teja's reign of terror. Shortly after, Teja's men, led by his trusted lieutenant Bosco, murder Jaydev, causing widespread panic. Sher Khan uncovers evidence implicating Inspector Saalwe and Bosco in Kataria's murder, carried out on Teja's orders. With this information, the commissioner declares Teja a wanted criminal and reinstates Vijay.
Teja flees to an old mine with his accomplice Mona, but Vijay tracks them down. During their confrontation, Vijay recognizes a tattoo on Teja's arm, realizing he is his parents' murderer. Teja admits to killing Prashant Khanna, Vijay's father, because Prashant had filed a case against him. Enraged, Vijay viciously beats Teja, ultimately killing him by causing an explosion.
In the aftermath, the government seizes Teja's wealth and implicates Mona in his crimes. The film concludes with Sher Khan and Mala visiting Vijay at the police station. Mala prepares a meal for Vijay, who smiles at Sher Khan as a new drug mafia case appears on television, ready for his next battle.

## Cast

| Actor (Hindi) | Actor (Telugu) | Role |
| Ram Charan Teja | A.C.P Vijay Khanna | Dubbing Voice Artist by Viraj Adhav |
| Priyanka Chopra | Priyanka Chopra | Mala |
| Sanjay Dutt | Srihari | Sher Khan |
| Prakash Raj | Prakash Raj | Rudra Pratap Teja |
| Elisha Kriis | Elisha Kriis | Shital |
| Mahie Gill | Mahie Gill | Mona Darling |
| Atul Kulkarni | Tanikella Bharani | Jayadev |
| Ankur Bhatia | Ankur Bhatia | Bosco |
| Bikramjeet Kanwarpal | Bikramjeet Kanwarpal | Kataria |
| Daya Shankar Pandey | Daya Shankar Pandey | Inspector Prem |
| Charanpreet Singh | Charanpreet Singh | Vilas (Informer) |
| Chetan Pandit | Chetan Pandit | Police Commissioner |
| Apoorva Lakhia | Apoorva Lakhia | Ship Captain (uncredited) |
| Taran Bajaj | – | Singh |
| Kavita Kaushik | Kavita Kaushik | item number "Shakila Banoo" / "Shakila Scentu" |

## Marketing

The first look and theatrical trailer of Zanjeer (Hindi version) were released on 4 July 2013. The dubbing process started from 26 March 2013, where Sanjay Dutt plays the role played by Srihari. Sanjay Dutt finished Zanjeer filming − with only a few days left at his disposal before returning to jail. One of India's leading male voice artist Viraj Adhav dubbed the voice of Ramcharan. Zanjeer in US by BlueSky. The first look and official theatrical trailer of Thoofan (Telugu version) were launched by Reliance Entertainment on its YouTube Official Channel on 25 March 2013 featuring Ram Charan Teja, Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Raj and Srihari. Zanjeer's worldwide distribution rights were bought by Reliance BIG Entertainment for ₹105 crore (US$12 million). The Telugu version was then dubbed and released in Tamil during January 2017 as Super Police.

## Production
### Casting

Director Apoorva Lakhia signed up Telugu star Ram Charan Teja and Priyanka Chopra for the lead roles. Prakash Raj was roped in to play the character of Rudra Pratap Teja. There were reports that Sonu Sood and Arjun Rampal were being considered for the role of Sher Khan. It was also reported that Sanjay Dutt was cast for the role. In September 2012, The Times of India reported that both Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt opted out citing date issues and the makers had finalised Sonu Sood for the role. Later Sanjay Dutt was chosen to play the character in the Hindi version, while Srihari portrayed the same character in the Telugu version. Bindu's iconic 'Mona Darling' act was taken over by Mahi Gill, after talks with actresses Jacqueline Fernandez, Mallika Sherawat and Malaika Arora Khan fell through. Atul Kulkarni was seen in a new role in this film. After Sonu Sood was injured in the CCL match playing for Mumbai Heroes, he was replaced with Srihari for the Sher Khan role in Thoofan. Popular TV artist Kavitha Kaushik was roped in for a special song in the movie. Zanjeer's script cost ₹6 crore (US$690,000) and was re-bought by Apoorva Lakhia.

### Filming

The Telugu version of the film is titled Thoofan. Priyanka Chopra took an acting fee of ₹9 crore (US$1.0 million) while Ram charan was paid as highest debut hero with an acting fee of ₹12 crore (US$1.4 million) including Toofan. The director planned for a 25-day schedule in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh from 14 November to 5 December 2012.

## Soundtrack

All lyrics are written by Manoj Yadav and Shabbir Ahmed
All lyrics are written by Chandrabose

## Critical reception

The film received mixed to negative reviews from the critics. Taran Adarsh rated 3/5 noting, "The new Zanjeer borrows from the original, but it is more of an updated avatar of that film. On the whole, Zanjeer is a triumph for Ram Charan, who gets abundant opportunity to exhibit his talent and scores exceedingly well. However, the film comes across as a regular masala fare that caters to the single screen spectator mainly and also for enthusiasts of typical Bollywood entertainers." Meena Iyer of The Times of India rates 3/5 telling "Yet, this film should be judged as a stand-alone offering because attempts to compare the two versions will find the current one falling short, especially in the dialogue and music departments. Ram Charan, as the brooding policeman, excels in action. His dark eyes with long lashes adeptly convey anger. Sanjay Dutt is competent and lovable."
Its affiliation newspaper Mumbai Mirror gave a 1.5 star rating and the reviewer Karan Anshuman said "If Salim-Javed do watch this film, one wouldn't be surprised if they decided to give the money and 'core story' credit back and disassociate themselves from this embarrassment of a "remake". Anupama Chopra termed the movie 'a ramshackle remake' and wrote, "This remake is wrong on so many levels that I don't know where to begin. This isn't a film. It's sacrilege."
Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave a zero rating and said it was an unforgivably bad remake. Shubra Gupta of The Indian Express said "It's neither faithful remake nor campy, knowing tribute. It's just a poor copy". Rajeev Masand of IBN-live gave 0/5 saying "The new 'Zanjeer' isn't just a bad film, it's a shameless exercise in laziness."
India Today – "Zanjeer makes it to the list of the worst films ever made". Times of Oman – "It would be a sin to compare this lazy attempt to the original. Even as a standalone film, it fails miserably".
MSN India – "Thoofan is like paying money to dig your own grave." Sunday Guardian – "Two and a half hours of uninterrupted idiocy".

## Box office

Zanjeer/Toofan was released in 2,085 theatres in India and about 3550 theatres worldwide.