Qurbani

Plot synopsis:
Rajesh (Feroz Khan) was a motorcycle stuntman in a circus and is now a thief, expert in breaking open treasuries. In one such robbery, he is being watched by a jolly but shrewd police inspector Amjad Khan (Amjad Khan). Sheela (Zeenat Aman) is a gorgeous disco club dancer and singer. Rajesh and Sheela are in love. Rajesh has not disclosed to Sheela that he is a thief. An evil brother-sister duo- Vikram (Shakti Kapoor) and Jwaala (Aruna Irani) seek revenge against crime boss Rakka (Amrish Puri) who cheated Jwaala and siphoned her money. Vikram meets Rajesh in jail. Inspector Amjad Khan arrests Rajesh for theft after he is seen by an officer at a traffic accident. The court sentences Rajesh to two years imprisonment. Sheela is devastated after she realizes Rajesh was a thief.
Meanwhile, Amar (Vinod Khanna) is an ace crime member in Rakka's gang who revolts against Rakka. He is a widower with a daughter Tina (Natasha Chopra) studying in a boarding school. However, before quitting Rakka's gang, Amar has committed a crime, masked, and inspector Amjad Khan is investigating that case. Amar saves Sheela from a gang of rowdy bikers. They meet regularly as Sheela likes Amar's daughter Tina. Soon Amar begins to love Sheela who does not reciprocate because she still loves Rajesh. After short time Amar and Shiela get together. Rajesh completes his jail sentence. While returning, he meets Vikram who again reminds him of the deal to rob Rakka. During the conversation, Amar incidentally reaches the site and a fist fight ensues between Amar and Vikram. While fleeing, Vikram swears revenge against Amar. Thus Rajesh and Amar meet for the first time. Rajesh takes Amar to introduce to Sheela; Sheela and Amar pretend as if they do not know each other since they don't want Rajesh to unnecessarily suspect them.
Later Vikram's goons kidnap Amar's daughter and beat Amar who is hospitalized. In return for Amar and his daughter's safety, Rajesh agrees to do Vikram's job. He nurses Amar back to normalcy and soon they turn thick friends. Amar promises Rajesh he will support him in this one last robbery. They plan to shift to London after the robbery with the money. They concoct a scheme whereby Amar would steal gold bars and jewellery from a safe, phone the police, let Rajesh take over, get arrested, and get a prison term for about 12 to 18 months. After his release, he will join Amar in the U.K. Things don't go according to plan as Rajesh gets arrested for killing Rakka while Amar and Sheela reach London with the money. Rajesh construes that Amar deliberately framed him so that he can get Rajesh out of the way, keep all the money (as well as Sheela) for himself. Rajesh escapes from jail and reaches London to apprehend Amar. After a brief tussle, Rajesh realizes the truth and that Amar did not frame him. Vikram and his goons reach London to take revenge against Rajesh and Amar. In the climax of the movie, Amar sacrifices his life to save Rajesh, Sheela and Tina from getting killed by Vikram.

Tags: cult, murder, romantic

Review:
Khan Decodes The Formula For Creating Blockbusters in 80s.
The Clint Eastwood of Bollywood, Feroz Khan went way out of the box to deliver a cult ahead of it's time.
This movie offers everything that you would expect of a crime thriller - Fast but on track screenplay, great music, action (couldn't expect anything less from the deadly duo of Khan & Khanna), romance, deception, misconception and finally an epic sacrifice.
Back then when most of the director's in Bollywood were struggling to deliver anything more than action and few dance numbers to the youths of the nation, Khan cleverly manages to deliver Bollywood its first iconic sex symbol (Zeenat Aman) without going overboard.
The sizzling dance numbers "Aap Jaisa Koi Meri Zindagi Mein Aye" & "Laila Main Laila" once witnessed will surely have a lasting impact.A complete entertainment package with some great dialogues, intense action sequences with few comical punches to ease the tension, wonderful music and choreography..
good action thriller.
this movie is a very  good action thriller with very good performances by  Vinod Khanna and Feroz Khan and good comedy by Jagdeep, dinesh Hingoo (probably the first movie where he plays a parsi) and Amjad Khan (as the sharp cop who pretends to be a buffoon).
The real show stealer is Zeenat  Aman with her sensuous dancing and hit songs "aap jaisaa koi mere" and "lailaa oh lailaa"..
state of the art ,then and today too.
That Firoz Khan was a suave filmmaker was proved by Dharmatma which he made in the seventies.
Qurbani confirmed the debonair director's skills.Qurbani is essentially a story of friendship and sacrifice.
Firoz himself and Vinod Khanna play the friends while Zeenat Aman is their common romantic interest.
The story revolves around friendship, love, and there is a sub plot of underworld excesses affecting the lives of the three protagonists.The film ends with the sacrifice of one friend.
Vinod Khanna dies thus uniting Firoz Khan and Zeenat Aman forever.
One of the film's songs {Aaap jaisa koi} sung by Nazia Haasan almost became a national anthem and made Nazia a legend..
Ultra-Cool Bollywood Gangster Flick.
Looking for a cool, stylish, action-packed Bollywood flick with some memorable musical numbers?
"Qurbani" fits the bill.I rented this from an Indian video store in town, on the advice of my wife.
The DVD is pretty easy to find and has English subtitles.
The music is exceptional.
Several of the tracks were lifted for the cult-classic compilation "Bombay the Hard Way," and I was shocked at how much of that album came directly from this film.
There are at least three musical numbers which will leave a vivid impression on you - particularly a disco number with trippy visuals.The action also doesn't disappoint, and there's a leg-breaking scene that's surprisingly intense.
This is one Bollywood classic that I actually think is worth owning..
good entertainer and excellent music.
Qurbani means 'sacrifice' and here it's about one man's sacrifice of his love for his friend (never mind if the girl, he loves ,was in any case already in love with the friend!) Anyways, the movie was a big hit of the year, primarily because of the music and a pleasantly surprize performance from Amjad Khan who plays a gum-chewing inspector constantly on the heels of both the heroes in the movie.
Feroze khan carries on his Clint-Eastwood hangover in this movie as well, but does not disappoint.
Vinod Khanna , highly under-rated in his times, comes up with a good performance.
Zeenat is supposed to look sexy and she does that with aplomb.Music of this movie, was a huge factor in it's success.
It introduced a new singer Nazia-Hassan (a brit-pakistani) to hindi filmdom and she was an overnight star.
The music director 'Kalyanji Anandji' got a new lease of life and it was also a stepping stone for 'Viju Shah' (I think he's the son of Kalyanji) to jump into the big league albeit temporarily.Overall, a good entertainer, that was a big hit.
Shtyle.
Think Feroz Khan and Qurbani crops up.
This is the actor-director-producer's signature work.
His other films are more about individual parts not quite adding up to a syncretic whole.
Not that Qurbani manages this entirely but it is the most well-knit of his oeuvre.
The elements themselves have acquired a special place in the history of Hindi films.
For starters, as with most movies that have done well at the box office, Qurbani's got great music.
Kalyanji - Anandji scored big time with songs like 'Laila O Laila', the Qawwali 'Qurbani Qurbani' and 'Kya Dekhte Ho'.
That the songs stand out in spite of the chart-buster 'Aap Jaisa Koi' scored by Biddu and rendered by Bangladeshi pop sensation Nazia Hassan, is credit to the duo.
Utlimately though, this film is about 'Aap Jaisa Koi' and I guess the late Khan-saab knew he had something on his hands even while making the film.
It features twice (so that Vinod Khanna can shake his head too !) and the guitar riffs are used extensively during the first half of the film.
Strangely enough, it did not spawn imitators and remains a singular composition even today.
There is a peculiar 'phoren' quality to it that other disco based Hindi songs do not have if one excludes the Arabic influences in our songs.Vinod Khanna and Feroz Khan pull off their dosti act rather well.
I still think of Vinod Khanna as an underrated actor despite his successful parallel wave during the Amitabh years.
Then there is the feisty Zeenat Aman in probably the most glamorous turn of her career.
You could watch Yaadon Ki Baaraat and Qurbani back-to-back and be forgiven for thinking they were released within a year of two of each other.
A 7-year gap doesn't reflect on screen at all.
Qurbani also gave me two chuckles.
I knew Amjad Khan played, in his own inimitable style as it turned out, a cop-who-won't-stop character.
Imagine this.
During his intro scene, he announces to a flustered Feroz Khan - "Khan naam hai mera, Amjad Khan" !
The other chuckle is a well-documented whim of Feroz Khan.
Only a man obsessed with translating his ideas on screen at any cost would import two Mercs, one for the rehearsal and the other for the actual scene, which involves the clinical decimation of a Merc.
I think its impact on Indian audiences merits comparison with the 'D'you want me to talk ?' scene from Goldfinger.
Just as world-wide audiences in 1964 had never seen a laser beam, Indian audiences hadn't even seen a Mercedes-Benz let alone ride in one.
The execution is good too.
At the end of the scene, when a suave Khan tells Amrish Puri to keep one rupiah - "half a rupee for losing the bet (that he couldn't drive a Merc which he demonstrates) and half for damage costs", one is watching the the essence of Feroz Khan's brand of cinema..
The second best Indian film.
Qurbani is undoubtedly one of the best film made in India.After Sholay(1975)this is the second best film which was viewed by more people and it created a history in Indian Cinema.Qurbani has action and also thrills.The song "Aap Jaisa Koi" has been the Favourite ring tone of Indians till date..Vinod Khanna has surprised the Audiences through his different acting style.Aruna Irani has attracted Audiences as a wicked woman.Her face reactions and Dialogues in the opening scene of movie is fantastic.Zeenat Aman is extremely sexy in this movie.I would salute Feroz Khan for producing and directing second best film in India.Nothing to say more about the film.I request my all brothers and sisters of India to watch this movie before the death takes place..
The very best Bollywood movie ever..
Trust me.
There is no better movie from Bollywood than this.
The actors are seriously hot, each one dominating each scene effortlessly.
No words to describe Feroz Khan, he puts all the James Bonds in the world to shame.
Zeenat is out of this universe hot, physically, mentally, everything.
Vinodh Khanna is the handsome second hero and injects emotions into the movie.
Amjad Khan as the cop owns all his scenes.
The dialogs from Kader Khan, all have double meaning so each time you watch the movie, you learn something more.
The songs in the movie, from Kalyanji-Anandji and Biddu Apaiah, are mega classics still played at clubs today and remembered by all the Bollywood watching world to this day.
The background music is thrilling and i still hum it.
The theme underlying the movie is the Islamic belief in personal sacrifice.
As the lyrics of one of the songs says: "Angels do not have this one benefit that humans have.
Lucky are those people that give their lives in sacrifice." Lucky are those who are able to watch this movie once, and luckier are those who enjoy it like I do..
Sacrifice.
Qurbani means sacrifice which is something that plays an important plot point in the climax of this movie.The film when it was released brought a new ultra kinetic violence to Bollywood cinema in this tale of two guys who become thick as thieves but end up falling for the same woman which would cause ructions.
In the mean time they are pursued by a dogged hard nosed detective Amjad Khan (in a rare good guy role) who is also there to provide some humour.The film was directed, produced and stars Feroz Khan who had the vision to shake up the Bollywood formula and brought it into the 1980s well before the rest of the industry followed suit.
Parts of the film were shot in location in London.Zeenat Aman brings sexiness and at the time you can see why guys would instantly fall for her.
A classic of its era..
I'll tell you why it smashed all box office records !.
I didn't like the story.
Lots of forced and illogical matters, and for a Bollywood movie not much to pay off, or rather make you forget.
For instance, just one song caught my attention; Kya Dekhte Ho, and no action scene did.
However, the cinematography is incredibly vivid, the colors are dazzling, and the image is crystal, DVD crystal !
You will notice something about the costumes of the leads, or all the cast for that matter; they are all so chic to say the least, even their sunglasses.
The movie looks like a long ad about Armani (Well, the Indian Armani then !).
Mostly in Bollywood, the music numbers are what used to be taken care of chromatically, but this time it's the whole movie.(Feroz Khan), as a director and producer maintained a formula of action, romance, and sex in all of his movies.
With the emphasis of sex.
However I didn't like him as a leading man.
(Vinod Khanna) is more charismatic and persuasive for me.
But while the movie has the fabulous (Zeenat Aman), and (Amrish Puri) as well, in one wig you will never forget!, (Amjad Khan) was the one who won them all.
He did a nice role nicely, looking like a smart version of Insp.
Clouseau.
Loved him while playing the drum disguised as a hippie, or regulating a car by his bare hands while praying god.(Qurbani) is cops and robbers stuff, with a story of a friendship.
It's brainless, yet elegant.
Smashing all box office records when it was released assures that sometimes all what a movie needs to be successful entertainment is nothing but being brainless and elegant !.
Assessment.
An interesting adaptation of a Western film in urban settings reflecting the westernized culture that came in so predominantly in the 1970's in India.The shift in scenes are well executed like when Feroz khan (Rajesh)is talking to the other convict Shakti Kapoor doing jail labour and the scene just shifts to Vinod Khanna (Amar)running towards a tree gazing Zeenat Aman(Sheela) and is child smoking.Vinod Khanna is at his brilliant best and his machismo blends superbly into the film.I have never seen a hero look as dashing on the Indian Film screen as Vinod Khanna in this film when he runs bare-chested towards a tree gazing at his baby daughter and Zeenat Aman who is playing with her.His friendship with Feroz Khan and the love triangle brings the film to a thrilling climax when finally he sacrifices his life to save his friend.It is a touching ending where the spirit of self-sacrifice is superbly depicted with the title-song.
Amjad khan plays the wise-cracking role to perfection,Zeenat exhibits sex appeal perhaps unsurpassed on the Indian Screen and Feroz Khan is dashing particularly when he enters the discotheque during the no'Aap Jaise Koi Nahi Zindagi me aye to Baat Banjaye.'The songs in this film are great and in the modern era I have never heard such a great collection of songs in a HindiMovie.THe no.'Kya Dekhte Ho'is a lyric'that i love more than any other Hindi song i have ever heard,almost a part of my life.
Not in a classic category ,but one of the most memorable films which reflect the aggressive and materialistic nature of people in the modern times in contrast to idealism.By Harsh Thakor.
Stylish and a superhit.
Feroz Khan after Dharmatma returned as a director with Qurbani(1980) The film which had him paired opposite Vinod Khanna(earlier offered to Amitabh) and Zeenat.
The film is known for it's stylish look and hit songs It's a typical friendship film, we have Feroz play a con artist, while Vinod Khanna befriends him, in twists and turns, both fall for Zeenat.
There's also a hilarious Interpol Cop played by Amjad Khan, There's Shakti Kapoor and Aruna Irani as villains, Amrish Puri however is introduced as a villain but then he is relegated to the background and suddenly killed.
The film has a scene when Feroz Khan smashes Amrish Puri's mercedes, at a time when Indians had not seen one, he imported 2 for that scene.
In typical style of FK, in most of his films the other actor died, be it Vinod Khanna in this film and later in Dayavan, Anil in Jaanbaaz or Sanju in Yalgaar.
Direction by Feroz Khan is decent Music was a big hit, Laila O Laila is still remembered, while the other songs too became famous like the title song, Aap Jaisa Koi by Biddu was a big hitFeroz Khan repeats his usual style, Zeenat Aman who also did Dostana in the same year with a similar role does well, Vinod Khanna is good in his role Amjad Khan is funny in his role, Kader Khan is decent, Shakti Kapoor and Aruna Irani are good in their negative roles, Amrish Puri has a brief role and is okay rest are okay.
why was this film made?.
this film offers almost nothing for the viewer.
it's one long bollywood joke, attempting to be every movie and settling on nothing.
i just can't understand what people like about this, it makes no sense - at one point showing one of the heroes willing to give up his girlfriend to his best friend in order to prove his friendship.
it's annoying that indians accept this kind of blatant cheating of the audience, as though we are supposed to believe that someone will just give their girlfriend to someone else, or that she is his possession to give away in the first place....however, three or four of the songs are quite excellent, and they basically show that this film was just an attempt to put out some good songs.
it seems like once that was realized, they just pulled bollywood clichés out of a hat and linked each of these scenes with a song...
sadly, that's how most of these masala films are made, yet so many fools praise this kind of audience-hating....