Shaan (film)

Infobox Film
name = Shaan


image_size = 200px
caption = Shaan DVD cover
director = Ramesh Sippy
producer = G.P. Sippy
writer = Javed Akhtar
Salim Khan
narrator =
starring = Sunil Dutt
Shashi Kapoor
Amitabh Bachchan
Shatrughan Sinha
Raakhee Gulzar
Parveen Babi
Bindiya Goswami
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
music = Rahul Dev Burman
cinematography = S.M. Anwar
editing = M.S. Shinde
distributor =
released = 12 December1980
runtime = 181 mins
country = India
language = Hindi
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0081491

"Shaan" (Hindi: शान, Urdu: شان) is a 1980 Indian Hindi film. It is director Ramesh Sippy's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan after "Sholay". The story was written by Salim-Javed.

Expectations were high as this was the film that was to have expected to match the success of Ramesh Sippy's previous blockbuster film Sholay. It didn't match the success of "Sholay" but still managed to have average success at the box office [http://boxofficeindia.com/80-89.htm] . Director Ramesh Sippy tried to round up the same people from Sholay, and he succeeded only partly by getting superstar Amitabh Bachchan and music composer R.D. Burman who composed the unforgettable songs for the film and earned the film's only Filmfare nomination for Best Music. The film took 3 years to make, because of the juggling around of stars busy schedules. While Sholay drew its inspiration from the American Western and spaghetti western films, Shaan took its lead from the James Bond films with fancy sets and beautiful costumes. The villain Shakaal (played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda) was based on the James Bond villain Blofeld.

ynopsis

The film opens with an honest cop, DSP Shiv Kumar (Sunil Dutt), arriving at a building. The violent criminal, Durjan Singh, has taken a few workmen hostage. In a daring rescue, the cop scales the far side of a building and subdues the criminal. He returns home to his wife Sheetal (Raakhee Gulzar) and their young daughter and announces that he has been transferred to Bombay.

Shiv Kumar has two brothers, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ravi (Shashi Kapoor), who live in Bombay. They are intelligent and capable guys, but spend their time loafing about the city and swindling unsuspecting people. (Vijay poses as a diamond smuggler and secures a room at a small city hotel to lay low. The unwitting manager, played by Yunus Parvez, overhears his fictitious conversation and confronts him, eventually giving him some petty cash in exchange for the gems. Ravi, posing as a cop, enters during the barter, sternly reprimands the manager and arrests Vijay. The booty is labeled "evidence" and the two chaps make off with the cash.) Vijay and Ravi then happen upon Chacha (old time actor Johnny Walker) and Renu (Bindiya Goswami) who are a similar swindler pair. The four of them get together and stage a few more petty frauds; during one such event, Vijay meets Sunita (Parveen Babi) who is yet another fraudster. One of their tricks eventually backfires and lands Vijay and Ravi in jail. Shiv Kumar bails them out and reads them the riot act at home. Sheetal, however, has a motherly soft-corner for the wayward boys and she gently admonishes them to mend their ways.

Shiv Kumar continues his career against crime by intercepting boats that arrive into Bombay with contraband. Around the same time, a mysterious man (Shatrughan Sinha) tries, on two separate occasions, to assassinate Shiv Kumar. Shiv Kumar escapes both attempts. Vijay and Ravi advise him to find a different line of work, arguing that his present profession is unpredictable, dangerous and unsuitable for a family man. Shiv Kumar, however, stands firm, citing his undying patriotic commitment to his corps and his country. The film now introduces Shakaal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda).

Shakaal is an international crime baron. (The character is very closely modeled on the James Bond villain Blofeld.) He operates out of a remote island (outside India). The island has all the accoutrements associated with SCEPTRE: sophisticated global communications, advanced armaments and weapons, and lavish living arrangements complete with gizmos and sexy women. Shakaal has four of his top henchmen brought to his "board room". In an elaborate ritual with a revolving table above a hidden pool with a crocodile, Shakaal brutally kills one of his henchmen after exposing him as a traitor who leaked information about his contraband to the cops.

Shiv Kumar gets progressively closer to the root of the crimes in the city. Shakaal has Shiv Kumar brought before him. Shakaal compliments Shiv Kumar on his wits and valor, and offers him a job. True to his form, Shiv Kumar firmly refuses the offer. Shakaal tries to kill him, but Shiv Kumar breaks loose and tries to escape from the island. Shakaal unleashes wild dogs upon Shiv Kumar and eventually shoots him dead upon the beach.

As Vijay, Ravi and Sheetal lament their tragic loss, the mysterious man who tried to kill Shiv Kumar shows up. Sheetal angrily calls him out as the murderer (having seen his face on his second attempt). The man gently denies the accusation and narrates his tale. He is Rakesh, a crack gun marksman and former circus performer who used to shoot targets blindfolded (by sound). He was recruited by Shakaal to assassinate Shiv Kumar. He had refused, but Shakaal held his wife hostage until he agreed. He deliberately missed Shiv Kumar on the two previous instances, hoping it would buy him time to rescue his wife. But on realizing this, an angry Shakaal killed his wife. Rakesh sought out Ravi and Vijay so they could work together to bring down Shakaal.

The trio seek the aid of a homeless cripple, Abdul (Mazhar Khan in his first movie appearance). Abdul is a beggar, but is also the man-who-knows-the-city. With Abdul's help, the trio manage to find and destroy Shakaal's contraband hideouts in the city. Enraged, Shakaal kidnaps Sheetal and has her brought to his island. Vijay, Ravi and Rakesh fume, knowing that Sheetal will almost certainly be killed and that they have no clue about the location of Shakaal's island. At this point, Jagmohan (Mac Mohan), another of Shakaal's aides, leads them to it.

Posing as a musical troupe, Vijay and Ravi (along with Renu, Chacha and Sunita), enter the island and perform (the smash hit, "Yamma Yamma") for Shakaal. But Shakaal has been tipped off already. Their cover is blown and they are secured. The rest of the film is an elaborate chase-action sequence as the three brave men escape, avoid the various booby traps and henchmen, capture Shakaal and ultimately end him.

The film ends with the island being blown up and the heroes (along with their girls) escape via helicopter.

Cast

* Sunil Dutt ... Shiv Kumar
* Amitabh Bachchan .... Vijay Kumar
* Shashi Kapoor .... Ravi Kumar
* Shatrughan Sinha .... Rakesh
* Raakhee Gulzar .... Sheetal Kumar
* Parveen Babi .... Sunita (Vijay's girlfriend)
* Bindiya Goswami .... Renu (Ravi's girlfriend)
* Kulbhushan Kharbanda.... Shakaal
* Mazhar Khan .... Abdul (Ravi and Vijay's friend)
* Dalip Tahil .... Kumar (Shakaal's henchman)
* Johnny Walker .... Chacha (Renu's uncle)
* Helen ..... Special appearance

Awards & Nominations

*Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award-S.M. Anwar
*Filmfare Nomination for Best Music-R.D. Burman [http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf]