Taaqatwar (1989) - Review in English

About the story: Influential contractor Munjal Khurana (Shakti Kapoor) has made a habit of violating rules, so honest officer Vijay Sharma (Anupam Kher) of the city building authority watches him closely. Assisted by corrupt police officer Gangya (Paresh Rawal), Khurana kills Sharma and puts the blame on Peter D’Mello (Anil Dhawan). Sharma’s widow (Tanuja) knows the true murderers, but when Khurana threatens to kill her little son Amar, she does not dare to give evidence against him in court. So D’Mello can not prove his innocence, is sentenced to death, and executed. To settle her debt, Sharma’s widow adopts D’Mello’s orphaned son John. Amar and John love each other like brothers, but for John it is hard to endure the scorn by other children, who call him the son of a murderer. One day he runs away. Many years later, Amar (Sanjay Dutt) has become a tough police inspector, while John (Govinda) makes a living as trickster and crook, together with occasional drinker Bijali (Neelam). Not recognising their childhood brothers, inspector Amar and pickpocket John fiercely clash and quarrel with each other. But Amar’s ultimate ambition is to make Khurana (who meanwhile has become a big-time smuggler, aided by his son Vicky [Gulshan Grover]) accountable for his father’s murder. The acquaintance with Khurana’s daughter Anju (Anita Raaj) comes in handy for him. When Amar openly threatens Khurana, the smuggler hires none other than John to dispatch Amar...




The role of Amar was no big challenge for Sanjay. But as opponent to spirited Govinda, who masters all situations of his character’s pickpocket life with the gift of the gab, Sanjay as worthy representative of the law was needed as he even at that time of his career already could emanate the authority he effortlessly enacted in his later movies. The beauty of this role (which probably made the character more attractive for Sanju) is, that this inspector does not come across stiffly or grimly, but as a rather cool and groovy guy – wearing jeans, shades and black leather jackets and driving a motorbike. This kind of advantage assures a fair balance of the two protagonists. Had Sanjay been compelled to hunt Govinda in a correct uniform, Govinda would easily have advanced to the film’s main hero. But this tough inspector, who even catches wrongdoers on the hood of his jeep, to drive them through the entire police station directly to the cell – that is an equal opponent. Sanju quite simply looks hot in his outfit, and he comes across as a strong character. His ice-cool glance when he takes Khurana’s measurement for handcuffs is truly haunting, and his hole-in-one in the golf scene shows a lot of style. ;) 



But the plot has one walloping flaw: Why does inspector Amar never look at the headstone of the grave, at which he saw John on the graveyard (which is Peter D’Mello’s)? Since John never changed his last name, Amar should have realized much earlier that this crook is his foster brother...



Produced by Bobby Raaj and Manu Talreja; Directed by David Dhawan

142 Min.; DVD: Madhu, English Subtitles (including songs)
© Diwali; Translated by Anamika