# Khal Nayak

Khal Nayak (transl. Villain) is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language action crime film written, directed, and produced by Subhash Ghai under the banner Mukta Arts Ltd.The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Jackie Shroff in lead roles. The plot focuses on the escape and attempted capture of criminal Ballu (Dutt) by sub-inspector Ram (Shroff) and his girlfriend Ganga (Dixit).
Released on 6 August 1993, Khal Nayak emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹240 million worldwide, ranking as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, surpassed only by Aankhen. Composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, the film's soundtrack album sold 10 million copies in India, making it the third best-selling album of the year, behind Dilwale and Darr.
At the 39th Filmfare Awards, Khal Nayak received 11 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Ghai), Best Actor (Dutt), Best Actress (Dixit), and Best Supporting Actor (Shroff), and won two awards – Best Female Playback Singer (Yagnik and Arun) and Best Choreography (Saroj Khan), both for the song "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai".

## Plot

Balram "Ballu" Prasad, a wanted gangster, is apprehended by Inspector Ram, who attempts to extract information about Ballu's mentor, Roshan Da, while treating him with leniency. Ballu refuses to cooperate and later vows to escape from custody.
During a visit to his girlfriend Ganga, a fellow police officer, Ram learns of Ballu's escape. With the media portraying him as negligent, Ram's reputation is damaged. Determined to restore his credibility, Ganga goes undercover as a street worker to locate Ballu. Over time, she discovers that Ballu was driven to crime due to adverse circumstances and attempts to rehabilitate him.
Ballu develops feelings for Ganga but becomes hostile upon realizing that she does not reciprocate his affection and is, in fact, working as an undercover officer. Despite this, Ganga continues to protect him, believing he is capable of reform. Meanwhile, Ram visits Ballu’s mother, Aarti, and learns that Ballu is his childhood friend. Aarti reveals that Roshan Da manipulated Ballu's family's poverty to lead him into crime and was responsible for the death of Ballu's sister, Sunita, falsely implicating the police. Seeking revenge, Ballu had killed a policeman, further entrenching himself in criminal activity.
As the police close in on Ballu, Ganga intervenes to prevent his execution, allowing him to escape. As a result, she is arrested and accused of aiding a criminal and engaging in an illicit relationship with him, severely damaging her professional and personal reputation.
Ballu's mother eventually finds him, while Ram secretly follows her. During the confrontation, she urges Ballu to surrender. Upon seeing Ganga’s photograph in Ram’s wallet, Ballu realizes that she is in love with Ram. Distraught, he flees to Roshan Da’s hideout, where Roshan Da, under the guise of offering refuge, betrays him and attempts to kill both him and his mother.
Ram leads a police operation against Roshan Da, during which Ballu learns the truth about his sister's murder. Ram ultimately kills Roshan Da, while Ballu manages to escape. Declaring himself the new crime boss, he later discovers that Ganga is facing trial for aiding him.
Realizing the impact of his actions, Ballu surrenders to the authorities and testifies to Ganga’s innocence, leading to her acquittal and reconciliation with Ram. Ballu is subsequently imprisoned.

## Cast

* Sanjay Dutt as Balaram "Ballu" Prasad, a notorious and wanted criminal working for Roshida; Navin and Aarti's son; Sunita's younger brother
* Madhuri Dixit as Inspector Gangotri "Ganga" Singh, an undercover police officer, Ram's girlfriend and Ballu's love interest
* Jackie Shroff as Inspector Ram Kumar Sinha, a hardworking and honest police officer; a former student at Aarti's school, Ganga's boyfriend, and Ballu's childhood friend "Babla"
* Anupam Kher as Ishwar Pandey, Inspector General of Police and Ram's distant uncle
* Rakhee Gulzar as Aarti Prasad, a retired teacher; Navin's wife, Sunita and Ballu's mother
* Siddharth Randeria as Navin Prasad, the public prosecutor appointed against Roshida; Aarti's husband, Sunita and Ballu's father
* Aloka Mukherjee as Sunita Prasad, Navin and Aarti's daughter and Ballu's elder sister
* Ramya Krishna as Sophia Sulochana, Ballu's girlfriend
* Pramod Moutho as Roshan "Roshida" Mahanta, Ballu's mentor who lured him into a life of crime and deceit
* Sushmita Mukherjee as Mrs. Maithili Pandey
* Navtej Hundal
* Arun Bali as Police Commissioner Kuljeet Chaddha
* Anand Balraj as a police inspector
* A. K. Hangal as Shaukat Bhai
* Sudhir Dalvi as Shambhu Master, a village school teacher. This was a special appearance
* Neena Gupta as Champa, a dancer in the song "Choli Ke Peeche"
* Ali Asgar as Munna, a thug working for Roshida
* Sunil Shende as the Judge of Ganga's trial
* Hans Dev Sharma as investigation officer, assistant to Ram Kumar Sinha.

## Production
### Background

Director Subhash Ghai initially envisioned the project as an art film starring Nana Patekar. The original narrative followed the protagonist's journey from Pune to Mumbai. However, during production, Ghai's screenwriter suggested reimagining the film as an action thriller rather than an arthouse project. Inspired by this idea, Ghai reworked the concept, shifting the film’s direction toward the action genre.

### Pre-production

Ghai was determined to cast Jackie Shroff in the role of Ram.
Anil Kapoor expressed interest in portraying the antagonist; however, Ghai advised against it, stating that Kapoor would not be suited for the role and that his casting could lead to the film's failure; Sanjay Dutt was subsequently cast in the role.
The film's lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi.

### Trivia

During filming, Sanjay Dutt was arrested and incarcerated in connection with the 1993 Bombay bombings case.

## Awards
### 39th Filmfare Awards
#### Won

* Best Female Playback Singer – Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun for "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai"
* Best Choreography – Saroj Khan for "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai"

#### Nominated

* Best Film
* Best Director – Subhash Ghai
* Best Actor – Sanjay Dutt
* Best Actress – Madhuri Dixit
* Best Supporting Actor – Jackie Shroff
* Best Music Director – Laxmikant–Pyarelal
* Best Lyricist – Anand Bakshi for "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai"
* Best Male Playback Singer – Vinod Rathod for "Nayak Nahin Khal Nayak Hoon Main"
* Best Female Playback Singer – Alka Yagnik for "Paalki Pe Ho Ke Sawaar"

## Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with lyrics being penned by Anand Bakshi.
The best-known songs from the soundtrack were "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai", "Palki Mein Hoke Sawar" and "Nayak Nahi Khal Nayak". According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 35,00,000 units sold, the soundtrack became the third highest-selling album of the year.
| # | Title | Singer(s) |
| 1. | "Khal Nayak Hai Tu" | Kavita Krishnamurthy & Ila Arun |
| 2. | "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" | Alka Yagnik & Ila Arun |
| 3. | "Palki Pe Hoke" | Alka Yagnik & Madhuri Dixit |
| 4. | "Aaja Sajan Aaja" | Alka Yagnik |
| 5. | "Aise Teri Yaad Aati Hai | Alka Yagnik & Mohammed Aziz |
| 6. | "O Maa Tujhe Salam" | Jagjit Singh |
| 7. | "Aye Sahib Yeh Theek Nahin" | Alka Yagnik & Manhar Udhas |
| 8. | "Pyar Ki Ganga Bahe" | Mohammed Aziz, Udit Narayan, Manhar Udhas & Jolly Mukherjee |
| 9. | "Choli Ke Peeche (Male)" | Vinod Rathod |
| 10. | "Khal Nayak Hoon Main" | Kavita Krishnamurthy & Vinod Rathod |
Upon release, "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" ("What's Behind the Choli") created controversy because of the inappropriate lyrics.

## Box office

Khal Nayak emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹240 million worldwide, ranking as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, surpassed only by Aankhen.

## Release

Khal-Naaikaa (1993), starring Jeetendra, was released on the same day as Khal Nayak. Prior to the release, Ghai raised objections against Khal-Naaikaa at the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA), arguing against its title. However, the IMPPA ruled against him, stating that while Ghai could change the release date of his film if he wished, the producers of Khal-Naaikaa would not alter theirs.

## Remakes

Khal Nayak was remade in Telugu as Khaidi No. 1, and in Tamil as Hero (1994).
In Pakistan, it was remade as Billa (2002).