Agneepath

Infobox_Film
name = Agneepath (Path of Fire)


caption =
director = Mukul S. Anand
producer = Yash Johar
writer = Kader Khan
Santosh Saroj
starring = Amitabh Bachchan
Mithun Chakraborty
Madhavi
Neelam
Danny Dengzongpa
Archana Puran Singh
music = Laxmikant Pyarelal
cinematography = Pravin Bhatt
editing = Waman Bhonsle,
Gurudutt Shirali
distributor = Dharma Productions
released = 1990
runtime = 174 min
country = India
language = Hindi
Budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www3.dharma-production.com/FMovie/FMovieDetails.aspx?movieid=8bc11b19-2a31-4b2d-b1b3-0428da32d2e8
imdb_id = 0098999

"For the TV series, see here."

"Agneepath" is a National Award-winning Hindi film produced in Bollywood, Mumbai's film industry.

It was released in 1990 and starred Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, and Rohini Hattangadi, with Danny Dengzongpa as the villain. It was produced by Yash Johar and directed by Mukul S. Anand. Bachchan and Chakraborty received the National Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award respectively for their performances, and Hattangadi earned a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

It has earned Rs. 17,24,91,040, equivalent to US$ 4 million, after adjusting for inflation. The title was taken from a poem penned by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh's father, and which is recited by the main character throughout the film.

Plot synopsis

The film opens with a school master Dinanath Chavan (Alok Nath) and his 10 year old son Vijay (Manjunath) watching the sunset over their village of Mandwa, India. Vijay innocently asks why their village becomes dark (there is no electricity) at night when the city (Mumbai) remains lit. Dinanath is a reformer. He runs a small school, leads a (rather weak) campaign to obtain electricity and infrastructure, and generally uplift the village. He teaches Vijay an inspirational poem Agneepath [The poem Agneepath ("Fire Path") was originally written by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, the real life father of Amitabh Bachchan and is available here] . Unbeknownst to him, the village of Mandwa has been insidiously taken over by a powerful crime baron Kancha Cheena (Danny Denzongpa). Kancha uses the coastal village as a landing point for his contraband from abroad. The village must remain an unnoticed hamlet on the west coast of India, so Kancha opposes any move for improvement, and specifically intends to remove or eliminate Dinanath.

Kancha buys off a local merchant Dinkar Rao (Goga Kapoor). Dinkar Rao stages a scandal where the upright Dinanath is lured to the town brothel, drugged, and found to be in bed with a local prostitute. The angry villagers lynch Dinanath before his wife Suhasini (Rohini Hattangadi) and his young children Vijay and Siksha. Suhasini and the children are forced to flee Mandwa. Young Vijay swears to avenge his father.

They arrive, penniless and destitute, in Bombay. As is common for street children, Vijay becomes a bootblack. Vijay is polishing a rich man's shoes when he witnesses an attempt to assassinate Kancha Cheena. The assassins are hired by the rival dons Terelin (Sharat Saxena), Usman bhai (Avtar Gill) and Anna Shetty (Deepak Shirke). Some time after, when Suhasini applies for a job at a nearby gas station (owned by Kancha), some of Kancha's goons try to molest her. Young Vijay files a police complaint, but quickly realizes that the cops are in league with the thugs, and so Vijay decides to blow up the gas station. Vijay is hauled before the senior Inspector Gaitonde (Vikram Gokhale). Gaitonde is a good cop and tries to get Vijay off the streets. But Vijay asks why the cops did not act, for their failure forced Vijay to take matters into his own hands; and Gaitonde is simply unable to answer. Some 25 years later, Vijay has grown (played by Amitabh Bachchan in an National Film Award-winning performance) to become a don in his own right. He sits before Gaitonde (now a police commissioner). When asked his name, Vijay replies: "Vijay Dinanath Chavan, poora nam, maa ka naam Suhasini Chavan, gaon Mandwa" This becomes Vijay's tagline and is repeated throughout the movie.

Gaitonde, still sympathetic towards Vijay, urges him to give up crime. Vijay asks why. He has risen from utter poverty, fought through a hard and bitter world, and become a wealthy don; the system (including several corrupt cops) has failed him entirely; and why must Gaitonde, who is unable to eliminate corruption in his own house, speak to Vijay of law, order and a just society? Vijay points out that for all of Gaitonde's efforts, the cops have no real evidence (yet another failing of the system) to prosecute him. Gaitonde resignedly warns Vijay of danger and death at every turn. Vijay retorts that he knows who his enemies are, whereas Gaitonde must forever be subject to a irrecoverably failed system. This interchange forms an important theme in the film where a such a society will produce Vijays.

Vijay arrives next at a gathering of the dons Terelin, Usman bhai and Shetty. As he expected, they attempt to assissinate him; they are stunned when he bares himself and invites them to shoot him at point blank range; they shoot him nonetheless and leave him to die. Vijay is rescued by a comical coconut seller, Krishnan Iyer MA (Mithun Chakraborty in a Filmfare-award winning performance). The dons try to kill him in the hospital, but he is saved by Krishnan, and nursed back to health by Nurse Mary Matthew Madhavi. Vijay appoints Krishnan as a bodyguard for Siksha (Neelam).

Vijay faces another battle on the personal front. His mother Suhasini strongly disapproves of his life of crime, and wishes him to follow Dinanath's noble footsteps. Vijay grows apart from his mother and seeks a shoulder with Mary; their association blossoms into a relationship and they marry. Mary gives birth to a baby boy. Around this time, Siksha develops an affection for Krishnan; Vijay is initially okay with this, but discovers that Siksha wishes to lead a normal life and must inevitably distance herself from Vijay. As a result of the alienation from his mother, and drifting apart with Siksha, Vijay's family life with Mary suffers. He gradually becomes uncomfortable with his status as a crime don.

Realizing Vijay's growing stature on the crime scene, Kancha arranges a meeting. Vijay arrives at Kancha's beachfront home. Vijay demands a piece of the action at Mandwa. Unaware of Vijay's identity, Kancha agrees, but with a warning to never try to cross Kancha. Vijay arrives in Mandwa (where Dinkar Rao is now the de facto mayor). Vijay stages a reverse controversy. He applies police pressure on Dinkar Rao until Dinkar Rao signs over the town deeds; Vijay immediately reveals this two-faced deal to the villagers who promptly proceed to lynch Dinkar Rao. Vijay stands over a dying Dinkar Rao and reveals his identity. Kancha arrives on the scene. But Vijay has already turned Kancha's assistant Laila; it is revealed that Laila is the illegitimate daughter of the prostitute used to frame Dinanath Chavan, and that Laila has always aspired revenge on Kancha. The cops show up (as planned by Vijay). Laila produces critical evidence (collected over her years as Kancha's assistant) whereupon the cops swiftly arrest Kancha and take him away as Vijay utters his tagline. Having thus accomplished his purpose, Vijay decides to retire from crime, returns to his mother and asks her to move back with him to a peaceful life in Mandwa.

In the meantime, Kancha pulls some strings and escapes from prison. He immediately moves to Mandwa, forcibly takes over the town, abducts Suhasini and Siksha, and has Krishnan shot by a drive-by shooter. Vijay and Krishnan take to the war path and storm into Mandwa. After a long and violent battle, Kancha is killed and Vijay is mortally wounded. Vijay returns to his mother and recites, with his dying breath, the poem Agneepath. Suhasini is mortified to understand why Vijay initially chose crime, and why things came to such a pass to achieve redemption. The film ends with Vijay, now forgiven and redeemed, gently passing away.

Cast

*Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan
*Mithun Chakraborty as Krishna Iyer M.A.
*Madhavi as Mary Matthew
*Neelam as Siksha Chauhan
*Danny Dengzongpa as Kancha Cheena
*Alok Nath as (Master) Dinanath Chauhan
*Rohini Hattangadi as Suhasini Chauhan
*Tinnu Anand as Nathu (Kaka)
*Vikram Gokhale as Commissioner M.S. Gaitonde
*Archana Puran Singh as Shanti/Laila
*Master Manjunath as (Young) Vijay
*Sharat Saxena as Teralin
*Goga Kapoor as Dinkar Rao
*Monty as Shetty
*Avtar Gill as Usman Bhai
*Shakti Kapoor as Himself (in song "Ali Baba")

Awards

Won
*National Film Award for Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan
*Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award - Mithun Chakraborty
*Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award - Rohini HattangadiNominated
*Filmfare Best Actor Award - Amitabh Bachchan

Notes

References

* [http://www.illuminatedlantern.com/cinema/review/archives/agneepath.php Peter Nepstad's review]

External links

*imdb title|id=0098999|title=Agneepath