Ghulami

Right from the opening scene of the movie till the end what you see is the most realistic protrayal of Ranjit Singh Chaudhary, the titular character of a village in Rajasthan,India. How he fights for equality and bondage free lives forms the story. Each character is perfectly chosen and enacted with even more finesse by the ensemble cast. The songs and the story keep haunting you for many days. Cinematography, dialogues, realistic locations, never boring plot make this one of the finest performances of Dharmendra's life.

You never feel you are watching first film made by somebody ,where everything is just consummate.

Best part is visuals of the film , the place Fatehpur , the landscape which is huge covered awesomely by cinematographer .

The score of the film is haunting and energetic.

Screenplay is detailed as said in previous reviews.

Dharmendra is extra ordinary, his dialogues delivery so wonderful that the viewer feels the urge of listening to them again and again , apart from him Nasiruddin Shah is refreshing, Smita Patil had limited scope but she shined as always. Mithun Da ,Reena Roy and Kulbhushan Kharbanda also performed very well .

By reading previous reviews i doubt that many people misunderstood the SP-wife-rebel triangle in the film , the police officer does not follow the rebel out of jealousy that his wife loved him , he follows him as he believes in law , although he is clearly biased towards his own clan and its people as he does not know the wrong doings done by them , he does not have any ill thoughts towards his wife and her past , even he asks her to help him to trace the rebel.

Overall one of the best films produced by Bollywood , Go for it !!

The film marked the debut of one the greatest film directors in Bollywood, JP Dutta.

It deals with the inequality of land ceilings in rural India. It focuses on a young boy who grows up to rebel against the cruel land owners, who have been ripping of poor farmers. Dharmendra delivers his greatest performance, aided fabulous performances by the supporting cast.

Technically, the movie is great like all JP Dutta films. The score is haunting. The dialogues by OP Dutta is brilliant. The screenplay is as detailed as you can get.

A movie that should not be missed by any movie fan.

After many years Dharmendra acted in a top class movie without his usual tom foolery. I have watched this movie 6-7 times and I don't tire watching it. The dialogues and emotions are heart rendering. The acting by each and every of the legendary cast were spot on. The social commentary of prejudice, injustice and discrimination that exists in our society is very bold and succinct. The songs are melodious with the evergreen "Zilhal-e-miskin" coming to memory. "Koi shaque nahin" what Mithun could do with a good script and great direction. "Thank you" to Kulbushan for one of his finest roles in his career. Smita Patel was very elegant both in looks and acting. Reena Roy and Anita Raaj were superb in their respective roles. To top it off the final scene was both poignant and symbolically perfect. Amitabh's narration in the end summed up the movie nicely. It's nearly 40 years since this movie was released but it is still relevant. I wished there were more movies of this caliber today.

"Ghulami" presents the clash between the peasants and the tyrannical landlords, a story-line that has been reprised much of the time and feels dated. It has gained a cult status as J.P. Dutta's directorial debut that brought a moribund genre to a spectacular level. Undoubtedly, it's a director's film. The use of camera and its lavish canvass just satiates the screen. The dialogues are fabulous with the famous "Koi shaque" and "Thank you" or the power pact narration of Amitabh Bachchan along the hit song "Zihale-E-Miskin."

Technically, the film sets a benchmark in the 80s; but there are certain flaws, which can't be overlooked. The performances from Dharmendra, Mithun, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda are notable; but the same doesn't hold for the heroines or the supporting cast. Besides, the editing is muddled; and the film goes for an inordinate length. Overall, it's a lavish and spectacular blockbuster which achieves a notable achievement in direction but lacks the nuances in the script.

Rating: 1 star out of 4