Kaalia

Too much frames of this movie cannot forger so easily just because of the making,i have seen this movie more than three times with my family. amitab bachans performance is very outstanding.

"Kalia" was disappointing--overlong, illogical and generally ham-handed. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that a movie is bad--after all most Indian films suffer from these problems. The star of this film, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" (1977) which had similar problems but was still a wonderful film.

Bachchan is a charismatic actor but even he cannot save this film from its repetitious plot twists, insipid songs, laborious dialogue and bad acting.

Bachchan plays a good-natured fellow, who is forced to turn to a life of crime to support his family when his brother is injured at the unsafe mill where he works. The mill owner/criminal mastermind callously refuses to help with money for an operation, even though the injury is his fault. Kaalia seeks revenge for his brother and ends up in jail where he becomes a hardened criminal. Heists, fistfights, interminable chases flesh out this 3 hour film. None are particularly interesting. See "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" instead.

Review By Kamal K

Superb movie. One of the most stylish and iconic blockbuster of Amitabh. Plot is not new but still movie is entertaining.

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

Years ago he was a mere simpleton. Living simply in a shanty ch awl with his elder brother, Shyamtal (Kader Khan), Bhabhi (Sister-in-law), whom he adored and their daughter Munni. Apart from them there is no one else in Kallu's Little World until one day, an enemy in the guise of Shahani Seth (Amjad Khan) appears. Shahani shatters the happiness in Kallu's life.

That same day the young Kallu dies, and the dreaded Kaalia is born, Kaalia's main motive in life becomes wealth, and to destroy Shahani. This path of violence leads Kaalia to inspector Raghubir Singh's (Pran) jail. Outside of jail, Shahani starts reclaiming his power, and inside jail. Kaalia clashes with Raghubir Singh.

Kaalia review:

As a kid, I just loved the poster of Kaalia which had an angry looking Amitabh Bachchan with handcuffs on. I used to persuade my dear late grandfather to take me to Badal Cinema, Matunga every evening just to see the huge hoarding there.

Kaalia, released at peak of Bachchan's superstardom, relied totally on the actor's solid charisma and swag. A simpleton weakling Kallu (Amitabh) is framed by his brother's (Kader Khan in a superb cameo) rich employer Shaani Seth (Amjad Khan) and sentenced to nine months jail. The moment where Bachchan steps out of prison as an angry young man with new identity Kaalia is simply clap-worthy. How he teaches Shaani Seth a lesson forms the rest of the movie..

The charming Parveen Babi was cast as Kaalia's love interest while legendary Pran Saahab was super effective as the tough jailor who likes to mock Kaalia at every instance. Amjad Khan as the villainous Shaani Seth, set new standard for the sophisticated baddie. Amitabh destroying Jagdeep's brand new car was lifted from Feroz Khan's Qurbani (1980).

R. D. Burman's music was another positive factor. 'Jahan teri yeh nazar hai..' has Amitabh swinging to the beats so effortlessly that it later became his signature dance step!

Kaalia is ever memorable for Amitabh's punchline "Hum jahan khade hote hai...line wahin se shuru hoti hai". It was oft repeated by many others through '80s and '90s Bollywood. But none could match Bachchan!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.