| Sarfarosh | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Matthew Matthan |
| Screenplay by | John Matthew Matthan Hriday Lani Pathik Vats |
| Story by | John Matthew Matthan |
| Produced by | John Matthew Matthan |
| Starring | Naseeruddin Shah Aamir Khan Sonali Bendre Mukesh Rishi Shri Vallabh Vyas Govind Namdeo Pradeep Rawat |
| Narrated by | Naseeruddin Shah Sonali Bendre |
| Cinematography | Vikas Sivaraman |
| Edited by | Jethu Mundul |
| Music by | Songs: Jatin–Lalit Background Score: Sanjoy Chowdhury |
Production company | Cinematt Pictures |
| Distributed by | Eros Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 163 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹8 crore (equivalent to ₹34 crore or US$4.3 million in 2023)[1] |
| Box office | ₹33.46 crore (equivalent to ₹144 crore or US$18 million in 2023)[1] |
Sarfarosh (transl. Fervent) is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written, produced and directed by John Matthew Matthan and starring Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan, Sonali Bendre and Mukesh Rishi. John started working on Sarfarosh in 1992. Seven years were spent on the research, pre-production and production till it finally released in 1999. The film deals with an Indian police officer's quest to stop cross-border terrorism.[2]
The film was released just before the Kargil conflict when tensions between India and Pakistan were high. On release, the film was both, critically and commercially, successful. The movie received praise, for the cast performances, especially Shah, Khan and Rishi. Its technical aspects, music and story were also praised.[3][1] The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film, and was screened at the International Film Festival of India.[4] The film was remade in Kannada as Sathyameva Jayathe with Devaraj and in Telugu as Astram (2006) with Vishnu Manchu and Anushka Shetty.
Plot
Arms trafficking is taking place in India. Bala Thakur, a gun handler, provides the arms to Veeran, a brigand. Veeran and his gang attack a wedding bus, gunning down every person in it. The government appoints a Special Action Team in Mumbai to trace the attack.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajay Singh Rathod (Aamir Khan), a resident of Mumbai, attends a concert by famed ghazal singer, the elderly Gulfam Hassan (Naseeruddin Shah), a Muhajir. Gulfam is Indian by birth but had to move to Pakistan as a child during the partition; deeply scarred by the experience, he is happy that the government allows him to live in his palatial residence whenever he comes to India. Gulfam finds a huge fan in Ajay, who used to attend his programs as a child, and the two bond. Ajay also reunites with Seema (Sonali Bendre), whom he had a crush on when they were studying in Delhi. The duo falls in love.
Inspector Saleem (Mukesh Rishi), an honest policeman, is taken off the team when notorious gangster Sultan (Pradeep Rawat) escapes his clutches. He is reprimanded for this failure and for causing the death of three officers in the attempt. Despite Saleem doing his duty sincerely, his senior officers look down upon him because he is a Muslim. When Ajay, who is younger, inexperienced and was mentored by Saleem himself before assuming charge, is told to head the team, Saleem is annoyed and refuses to take part in the investigation. Ajay's past is revealed: his father was going to testify against a terrorist, and in an attempt to stop them, Ajay's elder brother was killed. His father was kidnapped, and by the time the terrorists spared him, the man had lost his voice. This motivated Ajay to join the police force.
Gulfam is revealed to be working for the Pakistani intelligence, which is attempting to indulge in a proxy war with India. Since Gulfam likes Ajay, he sees to it that nothing happens to him. Saleem finds the location of Bala Thakur and Sultan and gives the information to Ajay, who convinces him to join the team again. An encounter with the criminals results in the death of Bala Thakur while Ajay is injured. Though Sultan escapes, the operation is a success as the team is able to intercept a consignment of lethal arms meant for terrorist Veeran. Sultan is assassinated on Gulfam's orders because of his failure, with false information relayed to Salim's informer network that Sultan has escaped to Pakistan.
While recovering from his injuries in the hospital, Ajay has an epiphany which leads the team to Bahid in Rajasthan. Following his recovery, Ajay meets Gulfam in Bahid, who is temporarily staying in his ancestral manor. Gulfam's attempts to derail the investigation, even ordering an assault on Ajay, are of no avail. The repeated failures displease the Pakistani Intelligence, which dispatch Major Aslam Baig to take care of the business.
The team prepares for a final assault on the gun-running operation and land at Gulfam's mansion. Ajay feels betrayed when he learns of Gulfam's betrayal, but is aware of the lack of evidence to indict him for his crimes. He tricks Gulfam into killing Baig and arrests him for it. Gulfam reveals that he did what he did because of how his experiences during the partition hurt him. Ajay makes him realise that his actions are not benefiting any people of any religion, and Gulfam, unable to stand the humiliation and guilt, commits suicide. His suicide is hushed up, and the team returns to Mumbai to much accolades for busting the terrorist racket. Saleem is tipped on the whereabouts of Veeran, and Ajay embarks on another investigation with his team.
Cast
- Naseeruddin Shah as Gulfam Hassan, a Pakistani singer, the main antagonist who works for ISI a Pakistani Intelligence Agency
- Aamir Khan as ACP Ajay Singh Rathod: Gulfam's friend-enemy and Seema's boyfriend
- Sonali Bendre as Seema Nagrath: Ajay's girlfriend
- Vallabh Vyas as Major Aslam Baig
- Dinesh Kaushik as Roshan Nagrath, Seema's brother
- Mukesh Rishi as Inspector Saleem Ahmed
- Pradeep Rawat as Sultan Deep
- Govind Namdev as Veeran
- Akhilendra Mishra as Rambandhu Gupta / Mirchi Seth
- Makrand Deshpande as Shiva
- Rajesh Joshi as Bala Thakur
- Salim Shah as Inspector Rajan Yadav
- Manoj Joshi as SI Bajju
- Ramesh Goyal as Hawaldar Rakesh Kadam
- Smita Jaykar as Mrs. Rathod, Ajay's mother
- Akash Khurana as Mr. Rathod, Ajay's father
- Ahmed Khan as Haji Seth
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the goon in police custody which gives information after torture
- Surekha Sikri as Mrs. Deep, Sultan's mother
- Upasana Singh as Mala Sharma
- Ashok Lokhande as Chandrapur Hawaldar
- Dinesh Phadnis as a SI Crime Branch
- Sunil Shende as Deputy Commissioner of Police
- Sukanya Kulkarni as Ajay's sister-in-law
- Ali Khan as Captain Shafi
Music
| Sarfarosh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 30:47 | |||
| Label | Tips | |||
| Producer | Jatin–Lalit | |||
| Jatin–Lalit chronology | ||||
| ||||
The film's music was composed by Jatin–Lalit. Lyrics are penned by Israr Ansari, Nida Fazli, Sameer, and Indeevar. Hosh Walon ko khabar kya was penned by Nida Fazli according to Lalit Pandit. Jatin Pandit on his YouTube channel has specified how the ghazal was originally composed for Bhupinder Singh and Jatin-Lalit recorded Bhupinder's version of the ghazal but on the insistence of the film's administrators and their request for a more popular ghazal singer; they approached Jagjit Singh to sing this ghazal. Jatin also noted that he made it a point to create a new tune for the Jagjit Singh's version as to honor the work put in by Bhupinder earlier.
All lyrics are written by Indeevar, Israr Ansari, Nida Fazli, Sameer; all music is composed by Jatin–Lalit
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye" | Israr Ansari | Roop Kumar Rathod, Sonu Nigam | 06:18 |
| 2. | "Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya Ghazal" | Nida Fazli | Jagjit Singh | 05:02 |
| 3. | "Is Deewane Ladke Ko" | Sameer | Alka Yagnik, Aamir Khan | 04:40 |
| 4. | "Yeh Jawani Hadh Kar De" | Sameer | Kavita Krishnamurthy | 04:44 |
| 5. | "Jo Haal Dil Ka" | Sameer | Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik | 05:26 |
| 6. | "Meri Raaton Ki Neendein Uda De" | Indeevar | Alka Yagnik | 04:37 |
Reception
Critical response
Upon theatrical release, Sarfarosh received critical acclaim from film critics. Naseeruddin Shah was especially praised for his role of a Muhajir.[5] The reviewer for Filmfare rated the film four stars out of five and wrote, "What makes this film so exceptional is its carefully thought out characterization and brilliant performances. Although this is his first film, director John Mathew Matthan draws perfectly crafted outputs from his entire cast. Aamir brings the role of A.C.P. Rathod to a never-before-seen dimension of reality." He further added, "Sarfarosh succeeds in connecting with the audiences, as it manages to transcend its medium and do a great deal more than just entertain."[6]
Suparn Verma of Rediff.com felt that the film "manages to marry serious cinema with the commercial variety" and wrote that the "script has this no-nonsense look to it, clearly and succinctly establishing the protagonist's past ..." In addition to commending the acting performances of Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan and Sonali Bendre, he lauded the departments of direction, music, choreography, and called the camerawork "good in parts but lack[ing] technical finesse".[7]
Accolades
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Totals | 12 | 42 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| References | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Award[lower-alpha 2] | Date of ceremony[lower-alpha 3] | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 13 February 2000 | Best Film | Sarfarosh | Nominated | [8] [9] [10] |
| Best Film (Critics) | John Matthew Matthan | Won | |||
| Best Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Best Actor | Aamir Khan | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mukesh Rishi | Nominated | |||
| Best Performance in a Negative Role | Naseeruddin Shah | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Director | Jatin–Lalit | Nominated | |||
| Best Lyricist | Israr Ansari – (for song "Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye") | Nominated | |||
| Best Dialogue | Hriday Lani, Pathik Vats | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Jethu Mundul | Won | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 24 June 2000 | Best Film | Sarfarosh | Nominated | [11] [12] [13] |
| Best Director | John Matthew Matthan | Nominated | |||
| Best Story | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor | Aamir Khan | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Sonali Bendre | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mukesh Rishi | Nominated | |||
| Best Performance in a Negative Role | Naseeruddin Shah | Won | |||
| Best Lyricist | Israr Ansari – (for song "Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye") | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Keshto Mandal | Won | |||
| National Film Awards | 18 September 2000 | Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Producer: John Matthew Matthan Director: John Matthew Matthan |
Won | [14] |
| Screen Awards | 23 January 2000 | Best Film | Sarfarosh | Nominated | [15] [16] |
| Best Director | John Matthew Matthan | Nominated | |||
| Most Promising Debut Director | Won | ||||
| Best Story | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor | Aamir Khan | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mukesh Rishi | Nominated | |||
| Best Lyricist | Israr Ansari – (for song "Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye") | Nominated | |||
| Best Dialogue | Hriday Lani, Pathik Vats | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Jethu Mundul | Won | |||
| Zee Cine Awards | 11 March 2000 | Best Director | John Matthew Matthan | Nominated | [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor – Male | Aamir Khan | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male | Mukesh Rishi | Nominated | |||
| Best Performance in a Negative Role | Naseeruddin Shah | Nominated | |||
| Best Lyricist | Israr Ansari – (for song "Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye") | Nominated | |||
| Best Dialogue | Hriday Lani, Pathik Vats | Nominated | |||
| Best Action | Abbas–Hanif | Nominated | |||
| Best Make Up Artist | Deepak Bhatee | Won | |||
| Best Art Direction | Keshto Mandal | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Recording | Namita Nayak | Nominated | |||
Notes
- ↑ Awards in certain categories do not have prior nominations and only winners are announced by the jury. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.
- ↑ Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
- ↑ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
References
- 1 2 3 "Sarfarosh – Movie – Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com.
- ↑ "Rediff On The NeT: Sarfarosh Roars Across America".
- ↑ "Rediff On The NeT, Movies: A look at the year gone by".
- ↑ "1990′s : Decade of change in Hindi Cinema (1999 Part I) » Box Office 18". 21 April 2014.
- ↑ "The enemy within". Rediff.com.
- ↑ "Sarfarosh – A reason to live (FILMFARE ONLINE)". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
- ↑ Verma, Suparn (30 April 1999). "The enemy within". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2003. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ↑ IndiaFM News Bureau. "The 45th Filmfare Awards 2000 Nominations". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 19 November 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ IndiaFM News Bureau. "The 45th Filmfare Awards 2000 Winners". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 17 October 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 45th Filmfare Awards 2000 Winners". Indian Times. The Times Group. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 1st IIFA Awards 2000 Nominations Polling". CatchUsLive.com. International Indian Film Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 20 June 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 1st IIFA Awards 2000 Winners". International Indian Film Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 12 December 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 1st IIFA Awards ceremony". International Indian Film Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "47th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ Express News Service (8 January 2000). "Sixth Annual Screen-Videocon Awards nominations". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "6th Annual Screen Awards – Nominees & Winners for the year 1999". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 18 January 2004. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Viewers Choice Awards Nominees & Winners". Zee Cine Awards. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Popular Awards Nominees". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 January 2001. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Popular Awards Winners". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 19 June 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Technical Awards Nominees". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 January 2001. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ↑ "The 3rd Zee Cine Awards 2000 Technical Awards Winners". Zee Next. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 January 2001. Retrieved 29 July 2022.