Kaalia (1981)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Tinnu Anand

Writers:

Inder Raj Anand (dialogue)
Tinnu Anand (screenplay)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Family | Musical

Plot:

Kaalia - A name that spells terror in the minds of people, and the police but Kaalia was not always like this...

Cast

Amitabh Bachchan	...	Kallu / Kaalia
Asha Parekh	...	Shanti
Parveen Babi	...	Shalini / Rani Singh
Amjad Khan	...	Shahani Seth / Jaswant
Pran	...	Jailer Raghvir Singh
K.N. Singh	...	Convict
Sajjan	...	2nd Defense Attorney
Murad	...	IGP Officer
Sudhir	...	Rawat
Hiralal
Brahmachari	...	Gopal (as Brahmchari)
Ram P. Sethi	...	Crippled Prisoner (as Ram Sethi)
Brahm Bhardwaj	...	Judge (as Brahm Bhardawaj)
Yunus Parvez	...	Abdul
Dev Kumar	...	Convict

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Chandivali Studio, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Company:

Bobby Enterprises

Trivia:

The song "Jahan Teri Ye Nazar Hai" was filmed on the sets of Namak Halal (1982), another Amitabh Bachchan Blockbuster. This was due to financial and time constraints

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Kallu is driving the car which he borrowed from the showroom, he moves the gear lever inconsistently to put the car into reverse - sometimes backwards, sometimes forwards.

Soundtrack:

Dil To Dete Nahi

Really bad movie

The 80's was a time when Amitabh Bachan's name alone would make a movie a complete sell out. Kaalia was released in 1981 and was a huge hit. After watching this movie I can only assume that audiences went to see this movie just for Amitabh Bachan and nothing else because Kaalia offers nothing in terms of plot. Kaalia was directed by Tinnu Anand, scripted by father Inder Raaj Anand and starred Amitabh, this combo would be repeated in the 1988 movie Shahenshah, another movie that is ridiculously overrated. It is basically the same gangster movie that had been told millions of times before with a mild mannered man turning into a gangster and coming in and out of jail. In jail he comes across an uncompromising jailer Pran. There is a poorly tacked plot about Pran having a daughter who was lost as a child(as far as I remember). That plot strand was probably only included because by the time Kaalia was released the lost and found formula was ever so popular,particularly in Amitabh Bachan movies,Amar Akbar Anthony,Naseeb,Laawaris,Suhaag,Ram Balram etc. The only highlight is RD Burman's phenomenal soundtrack, I would call it one of his top five best. My favourites being Jahan teri nazar or the Mohammed Rafi number that takes place in jail. Kaalia in my opinion is one of Mr Bachan's most overrated movie and the it's success is completely undeserved. There are far more better underrated Amitabh starrers, for instance Amitabh's 1982 starrer Shakti with Dilip Kumar.