Khoon Ka Karz (1991) - Review in English

About the story: After good-hearted Savitri Devi (Sushma Seth) once had been robbed of her baby by her criminal husband, she had started raising orphaned children in an ashram, teaching them truth and honesty. But not all her children follow this path as grown-ups, e.g. Arjun (Sanjay Dutt) and Kishan (Rajnikant). Society didn’t grant them access to a better future because they are orphans and poor, so they took on the criminal path and got in with dubious Champaklal (Kader Khan) whose son Robin (Kiran Kumar) wants to establish a mighty mafia imperium in India. But Karan (Vinod Khanna), another former foster child of Savitri's, gives them a rough time of it as Savitri has begged him to save Arjun and Kishan from the path of crime. For this purpose, Karan not only gets help from his ladylove, tough taxi driver Tara Lele (Dimple Kapadia), but even from Kishan’s and Arjun’s girlfriends Sheetal (Kimi Katkar) and Sagarika (Sangeeta Bijlani). But only when Kishan and Arjun learn about some unexpected truths, their aversion for Karan decreaes a bit...


Phew. Giving a preferably short synopsis of this film's story is a real problem. Too many plots are running parallel, meet at the most different places and drift apart again which makes the film and its dramaturgy very stuttering and holey. Too bad, because the film starts very promising with a flashback: Karan, Kishan and Arjun defend themselves in court by telling their life stories. And the idea of orphans on the wrong path is not bad per se, but unfortunately carried out very crudely. Add some ineffable minor characters: Kiran Kumar as wannabe mafia boss struggles honestly, but when Kader Khan as his raving bonkers foster father appears alternately as reincarnation of Ravana and Hitler, it’s nothing more than embarrassing. Shakti Kapoor, on the other hand, saves his inspector PK Lele from becoming a complete comic relief (as it obviously was planned) and gives him some human facets, too. And the actresses are more than just props, especially stunning Dimple Kapadia as self-confident taxi driver and Sushma Seth as stately Savitri Devi whose fierce discussion about values and the meaning of life with Kishan and Arjun is a highlight of this film.

Sanjay delivers a sovereign performance as usual with much emotion and heart. With his rocker outfit (I love him wearing such tight trousers which bring to bear his long legs and slender waist) and his red headband he looks delicious; his boozing scene with Rajnikant is gorgeous; and once again he manages to make a seemingly criminal figure a lovable angel who surely makes a mess of things, but only after having been driven into this mess by others. Even Rajnikant has his aweful moments, e.g. the touching reunion with an important person in his life. Just Vinod Khanna is a bit colourless, and he better had given the black net shirt to Sanju than to wear it himself...

In short: Sanjay-hardliner may have quite a nice time with Khoon Ka Karz (= debt of blood), but all in all it is no recommendation.

Produced by Bhappi Sonie; Directed by Mukul S Anand
158 Min.; DVD: WEG, English Subtitles (not for the songs)
© Diwali

P.S. In one scene, Sanjay as Arjun poses as "Commissioner Yamraj" and thus calls himself after the God of Death he was to embody so ingeniously in Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! fourteen years later.