Muqaddar Ka Sikandar

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar is the second biggest blockbuster of Amitabh to date after Sholay and when you watch this movie you feel that it deserves too.Prakash Mehra was in top form in this movie he made some other top movies with Amitabh like Sharaabi,Lawaaris,Zanjeer,Namak Halal,Hera Pheri but Muqaddar Ka Sikandar was his best, in my opinion.

STORY:-A poor orphan boy is kept as a servant by a man named Ramnath in Shimla but the boy is outsed when he delovopes a friendship with Ramnath's daughter Kaamna,Ramnath shifts to Mumbai with Kaamna and the orphan reaches Mumbai searching for Kaamna .In Mumbai the orphan boy is adopted by a Muslim woman named Fatima who names the orphan Sikandar.Fatima works as a servant for Ramnath in Mumbai.On Kaamna's birthday Sikandar steals a favourite doll of Kaamna from a shop and as he is secretly placing the doll in Kaamna's room Ramnath catches and falsely accuses him of theft and beats him up and removes Fatima also from his house, even Kaamna believes that Sikandar is a thief. Fatima dies of a heart attack leaving the responsibility of her younger daughter Mehroo on Sikandar.After burying Fatima, Sikandar meets Fakir Darvesh Baba(Kader Khan)who advises him to embrace sadness in life as it is faithful and remains with us forever whereas happiness in momentary and hence not trustworthy and this wouls make him the master of his fate(Muqaddar Ka Sikandar) which Sikandar decides to follow.

Sikandar(Amitabh) grows up and becomes rich by giving information of smuggled goods to police and receiving cash awards, as a result smugglers become Sikandar's enemy. Sikandar has set up his business and looks after Mehroo,he still loves Kaamna but Kaamna does not.Ramnath is not rich any more and has become very old.Whenever Sikandar tries to confess his love to Kaamna she refuses as she regards him as a thief and a betrayer to her family.As a result Sikandar starts drinking and visting Zohra Beghum's(Rekha)Kotha regularly.Once Sikandar is saved by a bomb attack planned by his smuggler enemies by a young advocate Vishal(Vinod Khanna)so Sikandar befriends him and also arranges a also arranges a case for him.Zohra Beghum is falls in love with Sikandar but a crimnal Dilawar(Amjad Khan)loves Zohra and as soon he escapes from the jail and goes to Zohra's kotha searching for Sikandar as soon as she finds Sikandar a fight ensues between them in which Sikandar beats up Dilawar.Dilawar swears to kill Sikandar.

Kaamna discovers Sikandar's kindness to her family and goes to thank him. Encouraged, Sikandar tries to profess his love to Kaamna through a love letter. Because Sikandar himself is illiterate, Vishal transcribes the letter for him, but the plan backfires when Kaamna mistakes the letter as actually being from Vishal. Vishal, unaware that Kaamna is the girl Sikandar loves, falls in love with her, and the two begin to date. Sikandar, upon learning this, struggles with his emotions but decides he must sacrifice his love for the sake of his friendship with Vishal.

Sikandar's visits to Zora Begum have hampered his reputation. His sister(Mehroo's) marriage is in dire straits because of this habit. Vishal then visits Zora and offers to pay her for the rest of his life if she would let Sikandar go. Zora, upon learning the reason, promises Vishal that she would die before letting Sikandar visit her again. Sikandar arrives at Zora's in the evening and Zora refuses to let him in. Sikandar demands entry, and when Zora is unable to stop him she swallows a diamond and lets Sikandar in, only to die in his arms.

Dilawar in the meanwhile has formed an alliance with Sikandar's arch smuggler enemy JD(Ranjeet)and upon learning of Zora's death hatches a plan to destroy Sikandar and his family. Dilawar kindaps Kaamna but Sikandar sees them and follows him. JD and his henchmen kidnap Sikandar's sister Mehroo but Vishal follows them and rescues her.

Sikandar rescues Kaamna and sends her home while he battles Dilawar. In the final battle both Dilawar and Sikandar are mortally wounded, and Sikandar tells Dilawar that he never loved Zora. A dying Sikandar reaches the wedding of Kaamna and Vishal. Just as the wedding ceremony is completed, Sikandar collapses. His dying words inadvertently reveal his love for Kaamna, and Vishal sings him his favourite song "Life is going to betray you someday...Death is your true love as it'll take you along..." Sikandar's entire life flashes before him and he dies in Vishal's arms just as the song is completed.

Amitabh was brilliant as Sikandar which had a mix of his "angry young man" image as well as a that of a "doomed lover" watch his scenes when he beats up Amjad Khan or when he breaks into a Shayari during "Salaam-E-Ishq" song or his speech before "O Saathi Re" song or the climax scene he oozes confidence in every scene. Vinod Khanna was very good and efficient, Rekha was great as the the Mujra dancer Zohra who falls in love with Sikandar, Raakhee was decent, Amjad Khan was good as usual in the villain role,Kader Khan was excellent as the 'fakir', Nirupa Roy is perfect in her short role, Ranjeet fits his role..

The script by Vijay Kaul,Kader Khan and Laxmikant Sharma is great and now we come to the biggest strength of this movie:-

THE MUSIC by Kalyanji-Anandji is just excellent with superb songs like 'Rote Hue Aate Hain Sab','O Saathi Re','Wafa Jo Na Ki To','Dil To Hai Dil','Pyaar Zindagi Hai','Salaam E Ishq','Zindagi To Bewaafa Hai'.

A movie you can't afford to miss, because this movie is the complete package it has everything action, romance,comedy specially the emotional quotient of this movie is too strong, you might shed a couple of tears in the climax scene...

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar review :

Prakash Mehra's interpretation of the classic 'Devdas'; Muqaddar Ka Sikandar was an intense love saga where each of its key characters is madly in love with someone who doesn't love him or her.

Amitabh Bachchan loves Rakhee Rakhee loves Vinod Khanna Rekha loves Amitabh Amjad Khan loves Rekha.

Mehra's execution was extraordinary as he beautifully blended the hearttouching characters with superlative songs.

"Rote hue aate hai sab Hastaa hua jo jaayegaa Woh Muqaddar Ka Sikandar Jaaneman kehlayega" sings Amitabh racing down Marine Drive in Mumbai on his bike setting the tone of the film.

"O saathi re" and "Pyaar zindagi hai" are ever memorable tracks while Rekha's mujra number "Salaam-e- ishq" has attained cult status today.

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar is as much Amitabh's film as it is Mehra's. The superhit actor-director jodi had truly reached a creative crescendo with this venture. I simply love Amitabh's expressions while seeing his love Rakhee dancing with Vinod Khanna in the "Pyaar Zindagi" song. Admittedly, Vinod Khanna was a formidable angle to this love quadrangle and he impressed me with his swag even in a somewhat underwritten role. Trust me, any other actor wouldve fallen flat in this role and it is to the credit of Khanna that he could stand strong in front of the unbeatable Amitabh. Rekha looks alluring as the kind hearted courtesan and this is one of the finest performances of her illustrious career.

Amjad Khan, as Dilawar, was another brilliant character and his climactic encounter with Amitabh is a major highlight of the movie. Both are fighting for their love willing to risk their life for it...Super!!

Rightfully, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, a 1978 Diwali release, took the biggest opening in history of Bollywood. It remains the biggest hits of that year and one of the top grossers of the '70s decade. Many films tried to replicate this theme later including Sajid Nadiadwala's Jeet (1996) but Sikandar remains special. And immortal like the great Alexander from whom its draws its name!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) : Brief Review -

The biggest Blockbuster of Prakash Mehra's Muqaddar for a reason. My father has seen this film in theaters 3 or 4 times and called it the most memorable masala entertainer of the 70s after Sholay. We have seen the film multiple times on TV, and since we all know the story and everything, I won't waste my and your time with that. I'll talk about cut-to and off-to elements. An orphan boy who starts with nothing in his hands ends up being a rich man with a golden heart and makes everyone cry over his death. "Rote hote aate hai sab, hasta hua jo jayega. Wo muqaddar ka Sikandar jaane man kehlayega" is how he starts. Big B with that sexy hair makes it the most handsome bike scene in Bollywood history. Period. The same lyrics hit differently in the last frame of Big B because Rafi's voice takes it to a whole new level. The girl he has loved since his childhood falls in love with his brother-like friend, and the girl who is in love with him is loved by someone else. So, there are two love triangles, and both have smartly written conflicts and misunderstandings that make the script and screenplay a rich experience. Kalyanji-Anandji gave 4 super hit songs, two of which have sad versions too. It's 2024, and I can still listen to Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Oo Saathi Re, Salaam-E-Ishq, and Dil Toh Hai Dil on repeat mode and never get bored. Oo Saathi Re has two versions, and both come in perfect situations. The same goes for the title track. I mean, those were the days when songs used to be part of the narrative and used to elevate the meaning of the scenes, unlike today, when there are no situations for songs but they are forced into them for commercial purposes. The dynamic personality of Sikandar ends up with a stature you can't just hate. More than a Sikandar, he is called "Farishta"-by his loved ones and the ones who hated him. Story, music, acting, dialogues, action, drama, heartbreak, emotions, and Mehra's direction-every single thing is "Sikandar" (conquering) in itself. Among the top 5 best commercial films of the 1970s.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

For me, the most beautiful thing about 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' is the song 'O Saathi Re'. It is a wonderful song and is sung beautifully by Kishore Kumar. Amitabh Bachchan does a good job of expressing the emotions of the song.

"Muqaddar ka..." is a tragedy (and a particularly tragic one), but it's a tragedy that manages to evoke just the right amount of sympathy, without becoming unduly weepy or maudlin. It's a tragedy done properly, with class, honesty and depth. Amitabh Bachchan is great as the lead character. I just loved him in this film, from start to finish (the little boy who played the young 'Sikandar' was wonderful too). Sikandar is at heart a good (even noble) man, but yet is a deeply flawed character, who feels deeply but is completely unable to express it. He's been hardened by his life, but he still has a very soft core, which few get to see. The scene at Memsahib's birthday celebration (when she's older), when Sikandar comes in with her precious gift, is breathtaking. It's a haunting echo of the experience Sikandar had at her 'younger' birthday party. A beautifully nuanced performance, definitely one of the Big B's best.

Vinod Khanna also does a lovely job as the young lawyer, Vishal, in this movie, and the rest of the cast does well, too ... with one notable exception: the lead female, Rakhee. By the time the film was over, I hated her character, and I'm not sure that was the intention of the film makers(or was it?). She managed to portray 'Memsahib' as extremely shallow, uncaring and fickle. It's difficult to see even what the character of Vishal sees in her (although Sikandar's love for her - being completely childlike, pure and unselfish, is perfectly understandable). Even her last-minute repentance rung hollow. I've seen Rakhee do loads better in other movies, so I won't hold it against her in this one .. although it does slightly retract from the overall quality of the movie.

Rekha, as Zohrabai, deserves a mention ... hauntingly lovely and tragic (which is what she does best), she puts in a very good performance. Her role is very stereotypical, but she pulls it off and makes it memorable. Watch out for the scene where she threatens to swallow the diamond.

All in all, this movie is simply unmissable Bollywood. Watch it, and I guarantee you'll be hearing 'O Saathi Re' in your head for a few days afterwards.

Muqaddar ka Sikandar is and will probably remain one of the greatest movies you and I will ever watch in our lifetime.The drama,pain,suffering,love are some of the things that leave you spell bound.The acting ,the story and suffering of this little boy "sikandar" and how he becomes a feared man in his neighborhood are breath taking.

Like all great movies of this golden period,this movie too has a social message -"love the pain and laugh at misery".

Once you finish watching the movie you will be overwhelmed and will never forget those haunting moments.like the one where sikandar stays outside the house with the doll,like when his mother dies,the beautiful songs - all breathtaking.

And yes , Amitabh Bachchan is Amitabh Bachchan.