Geraftaar (1985) User Reviews

Special movie for superstars' fans.

[nadkarnisumeet · 7/10 · 13 September 2021]

Geraftaar review :

Geraftaar is special.

Very special.

Not just because it is a super hit masala entertainer which is still enjoyable. But more for its distinction of being the only movie in which the three legends appeared together - Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikant. Ek ticket mein teeno ka kamaal!!

Initially, Kamal Haasan was the main lead with Amitabh having a special appearance but looking at his mass appeal, his role was increased substantially. So was Rajinikant's character. The posters showed Amitabh laughing while being handcuffed which deeply raised the audience curiosity. Of course, the chance to see three superstars on screen together was the main attraction and expectedly, Geraftaar took one of the biggest openings ever. There was a mini stampede reported outside Bandra's Nandi Cinema on first day of advance booking where cops had to be called to control the situation.

Rajini Sir's death scene was much talked about and appreciated. So was Amitabh's climactic fight sequence. Kamal Haasan had the meatier part of romantic hero cum avenger and it was a cakewalk for the actor of his calibre. Poonam Dhillon looked ravishing in the film while the beautiful Madhavi complimented Bachchan perfectly. Kader Khan, Ranjeet and Shakti Kapoor were impressive as ever playing the villain brigade. Particularly, Kader Khan's comic villain is still memorable.

Geraftaar is a wholesome 80's masala movie whose sole objective is to entertain and it surely does. Big time. I am sure most of the older generation has already seen it atleast once. I would recommend it to the new gen fans of the three superstars. They gotta get the feel and experience of that bygone era!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Grand 80's Bollywood Entertainer

[ag_jeetu · 9/10 · 20 March 2008]

Geraftaar is now considered a cult classic. One of the best masala movie of 80's. It has engaging performance throughout. The movie is filled with typical Bollywood clichés of the time. Kamal Hasan plays an innocent victim of murder. He successfully apes Sammo Hung in a funny martial arts sequence involving a bench. Amitabh plays Kamal Hasan's long lost brother with his his own back-story involving the murder of his friend. Rajnikant almost steals the film in the cameo appearance in the role of Amitabh's friend. This movie also known for the appearance of hilarious villains in the role of father-son by Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor. The Duo got so successful that they repeated this same combination for next 15 years. The movie features three heroes (Amitabh Bachan, Rajnikant and Kamal Hasan) who are superstar in their own right. At the time of this movies release , Amitabh Bachan was the undisputed king of Bollywood. Any movie with his name on it, was guaranteed great opening week collection. Rajnikanth at the time was huge star in South Indian movies but was trying to mark his mark in Bollywood movies. Kamal Hasan was the rising star of Bollywood, having previously made his mark in South Indian cinema. Initially when the movie was in pipelines it has just Kamal Hasan in lead , however the producers persuade Amitabh to have a small cameo as Kamal's brother in the movie. Amitabh liked his role so much that he requested his role to be increased and roped in Rajnikant to act in the role of his friend. Later Madhvi was added his lead Heroine. During the final editing Amitabh role was increased even at the expense of lead hero Kamal Hasan. In the final cut of the movie Amitabh's role was almost as big as Kamal Hasan's. Amitabh appears just before the second half of the movie, but soon becomes the central focus of the movie.

All-time classic

[gurdeepmann59 · 10/10 · 26 May 2012]

For some reason this film reminded me a lot of ANDHAA KAANOON (1983) which had the same type of cast; Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikant, Madhavi, Om Shivpuri

The film has injustice done to the lead actor with Amitabh Bachchan appearing in the second half taking over the film just like ANDHAA KAANOON.

Rajnikanth's death scene is well-handled and the climax is done-to- death.

Amitabh Bachchan shines with his lead role and takes over the second half Kamal Hassan makes a convincing performances as Amitabh's brother and shows a lot of versatile Rajnikant is OK in a special appearance Madhavi and Poonam Dhillon fill the heroine gap and help move the storyline Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor are hilarious while Om Shivpuri, Sharat Saxsena, Kulbacshan Kharbanda are typecast

Absoulute entertainer

[Li_85 · 9/10 · 10 June 2006]

Geraftaar is a non stop entertaining movie. Another classic from the legend himself Amitabh Bachchan. It has the regular 80s storyline about boy separated from family, father gets killed etc. Geraftaar entertains thankfully because of Big B and Rajnikhant. Rajnikhant is a south Indian actor with good fast skills. Watching him with Amitabh is great fun. The other lead is Kamal Hassan. Kamal is practically the main actor in this movie. Amitabh doesn't appear till half way, that still doesn't stop the movie to disappoint. geraftaar has a few villains, the one that shines is Kader Khan and his dumb son Shakti kapoor. It has one nice song Dhoop mein. If you haven't seen this film, i suggest you watch it.

A complete action drama !!! Done subtable by three young men

[gavin_coolhgr · 27 November 2007]

While on duty one day at a mine, Mr. Kapil Kumar Khanna (Satyendra Kapoor) is killed by criminal elements when he caught them exporting illegal drugs. However, his elder son Karan (Amitabh Batchchan) receives the blame and is beaten and thrown out from the house by his mother. Although, Karan is prosecuted, his mother Mrs. Kumar Khanna waited for him to return for years, which didn't happen. One day, however, her younger son Kishan (Kamal Hassan), falls into the wrong family's hand being persuaded by a young woman called Anuradha Saxena (Poonam Dhillon). He is later punished by some criminal elements for murdering a woman called Lucy, upon acting a drama, while in jail he met an inmate who save his life, later on it was found that the inmate was none other than his lost elder brother. His brother was serving penance for murdering the commissioner son Vijay Sinha (Sharat Saxena), some how the two manage to escape from jail and take revenge from the family they hold a gouge against.

Caricature !

[elshikh4 · 4 April 2009]

20 years ago, I remember how one of my relatives was telling enthusiastically the story of Indian movie that she watched named (Geraftaar). I recall her strong emotions, especially when it came to matters like the name of God being written accidentally on the dead mother's forehead, or the collective bloody vengeance on the bad guys at the end. So I believed very early that (Geraftaar), or (Arrest) in English, is one effective, exciting and venerable film. However, when I got to watch it, I discovered the opposite!

Nearly nothing is serious here except (Amitabh Bachchan). It's the same themes of the commercial Indian cinema at the time: the old lost-and-found, taming-of-the-shrew, frame-the-honest-man, get-the-revenge.. you know. BUT in a comic or cheesy way most of the time this round.

It's obvious how the movie exploits (Bachchan)'s blaze amongst elements that are lower than him, how (Amar Akbar Anthony)'s successful formula, 8 years earlier, leaves its affect, and how there is shameful idiocy all over it! Here, and here only, you'll find: one man who can beat up 5 bigger men by only one arm, the strangest mustache in the whole history of cinema, and a plastic brain that gives advices!

Above all, making the villains as the movie's relief weakened the conflict's strength. The rest of it wasn't less comic. There are many scenes that make (Geraftaar) some kind of rare parody for the Indian movies (and by their original stars!). I can't forget its highest 3 points: (Rajnikanth) gets killed, and while he's dying, he still smoking his cigarette passionately; Ah.. that could be the most creative ad about cigarettes ever made, but surely I deem it one of the greatest comic scenes I've ever seen (I know that I couldn't stop laughing till the end of the movie!). The other moment is when (Bachchan) escapes from the courtroom.. WAW, you'll never forget it! And last but not the least, the scene of killing the dancing girl's father by showing him the bank; actually the spoof can't get any smarter than this!

Save the good theme song, the soundtrack got funny moments too. Whenever we see the evil men, there is something like the main theme of John Williams's (Jaws - 1975) in the background, repeating in unbearable boring way. Or how while (Rajnikanth)'s intro, you'll hear the same music of (Bachchan)'s memorable intro from (Coolie - 1983)!

Let alone (Rajnikanth)'s way of throwing his cigarette in the air, then lighting it by shooting it with his gun, to receive it in his mouth, all while threatening the thieves in front of him! Or how he shoots the criminals perfectly while his back is to them?! That's not cool inasmuch as laughable! By the way, (Rajnikanth) here appears as a cameo in a (Bachchan) movie. 2 years earlier, (Bachchan) appeared as a cameo in (Rajnikanth)'s movie (Andhaa Kanoon - 1983). Most probably it was a mutual favor. But I see it as out of favor!

Furthermore, there are 2 scary extra guys in the movie. One is white and bald, and the other kinks his eyebrows. They played the jewelry store's thieves who (Bachchan) arrests, then the leads' troublemaker associates in the prison's cell, and finally the evil man's henchmen at the end??!! That could mean 1) they work for the same evil man from the start and all along, or 2) evil is evil in everywhere and every time, or 3) this movie is short-handed (I'm with number 3!).

Some of the moves of (Bachchan)'s dance with his love were strange, or rather foolish. (Kamal Haasan) looked unbelievable in his action scenes, and his black and white T-shirt looked too funky. And the flying of the good guys in the sky, while facing the baddies, was badly-made and overdone; I just want to know who was the one that began that daft fashion in the Indian cinema?!

(Prayag Raj) is an important scriptwriter who wrote or co-wrote some of the grandest hits - mostly directed by (Manmohan Desai) - like (Parvarish, Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb..) or even co-directed (Coolie) with (Desai) himself, and for the big B also. This round, unfortunately, his job as a director was like the production; so poor. Aside from tasteless execution, the camera's shadow is clear at one moment in the climactic fight, (Bachchan) jumps from the speedy police car while it's lucidly still, and so on. It assured the spirit of naivety and artlessness that immersed the whole thing. It's only the last 10 minutes where the things transformed into somehow hot.

This is unoriginal, averagely entertaining or worse. (Bachchan) was wasted, delivering earnest performance in the middle of absurd everything; like solid melodramatic act lost in a big comedy. It's not the most comic "masala", because it can make you laugh at it, not with it. It's rather one of the most weak, fabricated, and wretched masalas, despite how people, like my relative, loved it and were impressed by it, at the time. Yes, it was India's third highest-grossing movie in 1985, and a blockbuster due to its overseas performance, however the reason is simple, and I've learned it by heart: Success got nothing to do with quality.

For me, (Bachchan)'s stylish sweaters are the best of what this caricature provides!