this is one of best movie by amitabh. story & screenplay really different & outstanding. somewhere you know that, what will be the next turn of the story but you don't know that how it will be happen & what going to happen in next seen. everybody perform very well. casting was perfect. PRAN has done excellent job after DON. even K N Singh was such a long gap after i have seen on film screen.AMJAD KHAN & KADAR KHAN were also nice. TINU ANAND direction was fabulous. he didn't lose the grip from the film. above all R D BURMAN has given wonderful music not only in songs but also background music. each song has her own space & they push the story. particularly "KAUN KISI KO MAR SAK" & "TUM SAATH HO JAB AAPNE"... it's out & out entertain movie. in other word movie of AMITABH'S ERA....
10 Reviews
A very good film
pardo32 September 2005
Amitabh Bachchan at his best again. Pran ever present, and Amjad khan with a great performance,
Kaalia is an gripping film, with a great plot, and has great songs to, that fit in with the story line. With what i've been told one Rafi's last songs for a film. Kader khan has a brief but a solid performance and Parveen Babi ever present in a good performance.
The films is quick and flowing but has a hint of great comedy by cast. The scene with Parveen Babi making the Egg is a real laugh.
It isn't big b's best film but a film worth watching. It cant be classed with Deewar, Sholay or Agneepath, but it's still a great watch.
Kaalia is an gripping film, with a great plot, and has great songs to, that fit in with the story line. With what i've been told one Rafi's last songs for a film. Kader khan has a brief but a solid performance and Parveen Babi ever present in a good performance.
The films is quick and flowing but has a hint of great comedy by cast. The scene with Parveen Babi making the Egg is a real laugh.
It isn't big b's best film but a film worth watching. It cant be classed with Deewar, Sholay or Agneepath, but it's still a great watch.
From Kallu to Kaalia!
nadkarnisumeet26 December 2022
Kaalia review:
As a kid, I just loved the poster of Kaalia which had an angry looking Amitabh Bachchan with handcuffs on. I used to persuade my dear late grandfather to take me to Badal Cinema, Matunga every evening just to see the huge hoarding there.
Kaalia, released at peak of Bachchan's superstardom, relied totally on the actor's solid charisma and swag. A simpleton weakling Kallu (Amitabh) is framed by his brother's (Kader Khan in a superb cameo) rich employer Shaani Seth (Amjad Khan) and sentenced to nine months jail. The moment where Bachchan steps out of prison as an angry young man with new identity Kaalia is simply clap-worthy. How he teaches Shaani Seth a lesson forms the rest of the movie..
The charming Parveen Babi was cast as Kaalia's love interest while legendary Pran Saahab was super effective as the tough jailor who likes to mock Kaalia at every instance. Amjad Khan as the villainous Shaani Seth, set new standard for the sophisticated baddie. Amitabh destroying Jagdeep's brand new car was lifted from Feroz Khan's Qurbani (1980).
R. D. Burman's music was another positive factor. 'Jahan teri yeh nazar hai..' has Amitabh swinging to the beats so effortlessly that it later became his signature dance step!
Kaalia is ever memorable for Amitabh's punchline "Hum jahan khade hote hai...line wahin se shuru hoti hai". It was oft repeated by many others through '80s and '90s Bollywood. But none could match Bachchan!!
Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.
As a kid, I just loved the poster of Kaalia which had an angry looking Amitabh Bachchan with handcuffs on. I used to persuade my dear late grandfather to take me to Badal Cinema, Matunga every evening just to see the huge hoarding there.
Kaalia, released at peak of Bachchan's superstardom, relied totally on the actor's solid charisma and swag. A simpleton weakling Kallu (Amitabh) is framed by his brother's (Kader Khan in a superb cameo) rich employer Shaani Seth (Amjad Khan) and sentenced to nine months jail. The moment where Bachchan steps out of prison as an angry young man with new identity Kaalia is simply clap-worthy. How he teaches Shaani Seth a lesson forms the rest of the movie..
The charming Parveen Babi was cast as Kaalia's love interest while legendary Pran Saahab was super effective as the tough jailor who likes to mock Kaalia at every instance. Amjad Khan as the villainous Shaani Seth, set new standard for the sophisticated baddie. Amitabh destroying Jagdeep's brand new car was lifted from Feroz Khan's Qurbani (1980).
R. D. Burman's music was another positive factor. 'Jahan teri yeh nazar hai..' has Amitabh swinging to the beats so effortlessly that it later became his signature dance step!
Kaalia is ever memorable for Amitabh's punchline "Hum jahan khade hote hai...line wahin se shuru hoti hai". It was oft repeated by many others through '80s and '90s Bollywood. But none could match Bachchan!!
Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.
Kaalia !!! Amitabh Batchchan 1981 classic !!!
gavin_coolhgr26 November 2007
Kaalia - A name that spells terror in the minds of the people, and the police but Kaalia (Amitabh Batchchan) was not always like this.
Years ago he was a mere simpleton. Living simply in a shanty ch awl with his elder brother, Shyamtal (Kader Khan), Bhabhi (Sister-in-law), whom he adored and their daughter Munni. Apart from them there is no one else in Kallu's Little World until one day, an enemy in the guise of Shahani Seth (Amjad Khan) appears. Shahani shatters the happiness in Kallu's life.
That same day the young Kallu dies, and the dreaded Kaalia is born, Kaalia's main motive in life becomes wealth, and to destroy Shahani. This path of violence leads Kaalia to inspector Raghubir Singh's (Pran) jail. Outside of jail, Shahani starts reclaiming his power, and inside jail. Kaalia clashes with Raghubir Singh.
Years ago he was a mere simpleton. Living simply in a shanty ch awl with his elder brother, Shyamtal (Kader Khan), Bhabhi (Sister-in-law), whom he adored and their daughter Munni. Apart from them there is no one else in Kallu's Little World until one day, an enemy in the guise of Shahani Seth (Amjad Khan) appears. Shahani shatters the happiness in Kallu's life.
That same day the young Kallu dies, and the dreaded Kaalia is born, Kaalia's main motive in life becomes wealth, and to destroy Shahani. This path of violence leads Kaalia to inspector Raghubir Singh's (Pran) jail. Outside of jail, Shahani starts reclaiming his power, and inside jail. Kaalia clashes with Raghubir Singh.
Entertaining
IPyaarCinema28 July 2021
Typical Bachchan entertainment
silvan-desouza9 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Amitabh Bachchan was No.1 in 70s and 80s, But many films of his became a hit only because of him and some had same plots. KAALIA was directed by Tinnu Anand who was a newcomer then and his first film was a flop. Kaalia is still famous for some dialogues like Jahaan Khade Hote hai Line Wahi se shuru hoti hai. The story is nothing unique, Amitabh plays a villager in start who becomes a criminal. The film is well handled by Tinnu Anand though nothing new yet it's entertaining, The face offs of Pran and Bachchan are good, there are some fun moments too in the film.There's also old long lost formula thrown in
Direction is decent Music by RD Burman is good, Jahaan Teri became famous, Jab Se Tumko, Tum Saath Ho and other songs by Kishore,Asha are fab
Amitabh Bachchan flows through his role with ease, he played such roles many times, Parveen Babi teams up well with him, Pran is good, Amjad Khan is good in a negative role, in that year Amitabh and Amjad starred in 5 films with various roles, Asha Parekh is as usual as Bhabhi rest are okay
Direction is decent Music by RD Burman is good, Jahaan Teri became famous, Jab Se Tumko, Tum Saath Ho and other songs by Kishore,Asha are fab
Amitabh Bachchan flows through his role with ease, he played such roles many times, Parveen Babi teams up well with him, Pran is good, Amjad Khan is good in a negative role, in that year Amitabh and Amjad starred in 5 films with various roles, Asha Parekh is as usual as Bhabhi rest are okay
kaalia the best
sateeshmenon6 September 2019
Quite awful but good in parts
Peter_Young24 July 2011
Well, another of those crude and pathetic movies of the 1980s which today are sadly often cited as the worst examples for films which stamped this decade as the most terrible period in the history of mainstream Hindi cinema. From Kalu to Kaalia, from an innocent guy to a sophisticated gangster, and there you get another Bachchan hit. A clichéd and done-to-death story, a poor script filled with mindless action scenes and many melodramatic proceedings. It's a pity, considering Bachchan's achievements in the 1970s, when he proved his merit as an excellent actor and a star deserving of the resounding success he attained. Actually, here too Bachchan is not that bad; he is of course let down by the script but he also rises above its weakness in several sequences. It's just the choice of this film itself which disappoints (and he would appear in many movies unworthy of his abilities later in the decade). Where the film manages to provide some fun is, first, in the music. Well, that's to be expected when the one responsible for the soundtrack is R.D Burman. Secondly, the sequences portraying the romantic relationship between Bachchan and the exotic beauty Parveen Babi. These are the only worthy moments in the film, which also include the hilarious (not unintentionally, for a change) scene in which Babi breaks an egg on her own head, thinking this would help her to make an omelet. Babi's presence is one of the few positive aspects in this film. The film also has Asha Parekh, who is quite okay, but at times gets also a bit melodramatic, which is of course not her fault. To sum it up, Kaalia is just another wannabe gangster movie with the most predictable twists and neither Bachchan nor any of its other good points save it from being a cheapo.
Really bad movie
Ibuk3 April 2009
The 80's was a time when Amitabh Bachan's name alone would make a movie a complete sell out. Kaalia was released in 1981 and was a huge hit. After watching this movie I can only assume that audiences went to see this movie just for Amitabh Bachan and nothing else because Kaalia offers nothing in terms of plot. Kaalia was directed by Tinnu Anand, scripted by father Inder Raaj Anand and starred Amitabh, this combo would be repeated in the 1988 movie Shahenshah, another movie that is ridiculously overrated. It is basically the same gangster movie that had been told millions of times before with a mild mannered man turning into a gangster and coming in and out of jail. In jail he comes across an uncompromising jailer Pran. There is a poorly tacked plot about Pran having a daughter who was lost as a child(as far as I remember). That plot strand was probably only included because by the time Kaalia was released the lost and found formula was ever so popular,particularly in Amitabh Bachan movies,Amar Akbar Anthony,Naseeb,Laawaris,Suhaag,Ram Balram etc. The only highlight is RD Burman's phenomenal soundtrack, I would call it one of his top five best. My favourites being Jahan teri nazar or the Mohammed Rafi number that takes place in jail. Kaalia in my opinion is one of Mr Bachan's most overrated movie and the it's success is completely undeserved. There are far more better underrated Amitabh starrers, for instance Amitabh's 1982 starrer Shakti with Dilip Kumar.
A badly executed film...somewhat painful to watch
ka_929 August 2001
"Kalia" was disappointing--overlong, illogical and generally ham-handed. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that a movie is bad--after all most Indian films suffer from these problems. The star of this film, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" (1977) which had similar problems but was still a wonderful film.
Bachchan is a charismatic actor but even he cannot save this film from its repetitious plot twists, insipid songs, laborious dialogue and bad acting.
Bachchan plays a good-natured fellow, who is forced to turn to a life of crime to support his family when his brother is injured at the unsafe mill where he works. The mill owner/criminal mastermind callously refuses to help with money for an operation, even though the injury is his fault. Kaalia seeks revenge for his brother and ends up in jail where he becomes a hardened criminal. Heists, fistfights, interminable chases flesh out this 3 hour film. None are particularly interesting. See "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" instead.
Bachchan is a charismatic actor but even he cannot save this film from its repetitious plot twists, insipid songs, laborious dialogue and bad acting.
Bachchan plays a good-natured fellow, who is forced to turn to a life of crime to support his family when his brother is injured at the unsafe mill where he works. The mill owner/criminal mastermind callously refuses to help with money for an operation, even though the injury is his fault. Kaalia seeks revenge for his brother and ends up in jail where he becomes a hardened criminal. Heists, fistfights, interminable chases flesh out this 3 hour film. None are particularly interesting. See "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" instead.
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