Imaandaar (1987) - Review in English

About the story: Ramesh Sinha (Ranjeet) bribes Sudhir (Subbiraj), sale manager of his former employer Sudarshan Rai’s (Pran) pharmaceutical company, who in return sells to him some of the medicaments newly-developed by Rai’s partner Dr Raj Bahadur Verma (Sudhir Dalvi). Soon Verma discovers cheap and lethal copies of his medicaments on the market, unveils Sinha’s conspiracy and is shot by Sinha. By and by, Verma’s now orphaned little son Vijay lands in an orphanage where Amina (Shammi), the leader’s sister, raises him and another orphan, Raju, like her own sons. Meanwhile, Sinha manages to escape from prison. Raju (Sanjay Dutt) and Vijay (Rohan Kapoor) grow up and love each other like brothers. Raju's only purpose in life is to provide access to a good education for the highly gifted Vijay, whom he as a child had saved from drowning; for this purpose, Raju accepts every job he can get. When Raju infringes a murderous attack Sinha’s on Rai, the latter hires Raju as an actor: He has learned that his daughter Renu’s (Farha Naaz) fiancé Kailash (Sumeet Saigal) is his enemy Sinha’s son, and he instructs Raju to set an end to this alliance. So Raju charms Renu, and when Kailash jealously thrashes Raju, Renu breaks off her engagement. But by now, Raju has really fallen in love with Renu, and Renu’s obvious love for him brings him on the horn of a dilemma, as Rai has forbidden every kind of true love between Renu and Raju. When Rai learns about Renu’s love for Raju, he reveals to her that Raju was paid for wooing her, and when Raju before her eyes takes the money (without telling what it’s destined for), Renu, deeply hurt, accepts another bridegroom – which is Vijay who in the meantime has finished his studies in London. Rai has met him there and learnt that he is his murdered partner’s son, and now he takes him on as his partner and son-in-law. When Raju comes to know about this, he decides to make one more sacrifice for the sake of Vijay: He doesn’t tell him about his love for Renu and leaves the town...


Imaandaar (= honesty) was made at the same time as Naam and was released in the same year. And that shows clearly; Sanjay had overcome his drug addiction and was in top form. And so the film belongs hundred per cent to him. He is the angel who dedicates his life completely to his friend, who never cares for himself but just for other people and for this has to suffer suspicions and insults, and who outclasses everyone morally and, at the finish, even in sharpness. Sanjay carries this film single-handedly without any effort; he sings, dances, fights, feels, loves, suffers – and, adding to that, looks simply mind-blowing. All the others are at most garnishment, including Farha Naaz (who was to be his well-harmonizing co-star in Mohabbat Ke Dushman soon after that) and the colourless Rohan Kapoor – the only reason that you can’t miss him is that he must be about 6’5’’ tall, for it might not have happened often in Sanjay’s career that he with his height of 6’1’’ had to look up to one of his co-stars... *g*

Produced by Sarla Sandhu and Surendrapal Chaudhary; Directed by Sushil Malik
152 Min.; DVD: Bombino, English Subtitles (not for the songs); the subs are permanently too late and twice or thrice for a short time fall out completely.*
© Diwali

*Thanks to Shemaroo for the new release with good subs, even for the songs!