Aag Ka Gola (1989) User Reviews

Sunny and Archana Puran Singh hot it up.

[nadkarnisumeet · 6/10 · 13 January 2021]

Aag Ka Gola review :

An unofficial remake of the 1970 Jeetendra starrer Himmat, Aag Ka Gola had Sunny Deol in the titular role with Dimple Kapadia and Archana Puran Singh as his heroines. Prem Chopra played the main villain almost reprising his role from Himmat while Shakti Kapoor was cast as the honest but rigid inspector.

The plot revolved around a criminal who wants to turn a new leaf and start life afresh but his mentor and boss doesnt allow him to do it for his own selfish benefits. How the reformed criminal faces societal rejection and overcomes it bravely forms the crux of the narrative.

Sunny Deol was perfectly cast as Shankar aka Shakka the chor. His performance was superlative. The name Shakka draws inspiration from his dad Dharmendra's popular character in Phool Aur Patthar (1966). Dimple Kapadia was earnest as Shakka's wife who helps him to become Shankar once again.

The young Archana Puran Singh looked really hot and sexy which prompted even an otherwise shy Sunny Deol to smooch her in the film. She had two sizzling songs - "Sharaab cheez hai Buri" and "Aaya aaya woh aaya" - with Sunny as well. The Aaya aaya number was rip off from Pakistani singer Hasan Jahangir's Hawa Hawa song which was a rage in India in late '80s.

Produced by Pahlaj Nihalani and directed by David Dhawan, Aag Ka Gola clashed with two other films on 29th December 1989 - Kumar Gaurav's Jurrat also directed by David Dhawan and newcomer Salman Khan's Maine Pyar Kiya which was directed by debutant Sooraj Barjatya. Quite naturally, this was the biggie and first choice of cinegoers on opening day.

It will surprise you that even I preferred Aag Ka Gola over Maine Pyar Kiya for first day viewing at Badal Bijlee cinema where it took a fantastic start. Of course, by second week, the strong word of mouth made Maine Pyar Kiya a super hit while Aag Ka Gola tanked at the box office. It wasnt a bad film at all for 1989 but then Sunny days were still six months away for Deol when Ghayal (1990) arrived and got him immense appreciation and awards.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

David-Sunny combination never quite worked

[superindrajit · 7/10 · 6 October 2011]

David Dhawan is known as the king of comedy because of his superhit comedy films from the 90s and 2000s but he actually started in the 1980s. David started with stereotypical action films which failed to work at the box office. Taaquatwar(1989) was his debut but he failed to make a successfully Masala potboiler. He directed other films which also flopped till Swarg(1990) his first hit. Dhawan wanted to cast action hero Sunny Deol in another one of his typical action films, Deol was ready and the film finished and released in 1990. What sucked for Deol and Dhawan was that this film flopped at the box office as well. Sunny took a lot of money from this film and David never signed him after this film.

Aag Ka Gola(1990) is a typical action film where Sunny Deol plays a thief with a good heart. He always managed to successfully rob people but after one major robbery, he surrenders. He watches the mother of a child die and he remembers his devastating childhood. After leaving prison, Sunny wants to do something good in life but Prem Chopra(his old boss) won't let him slip off and Shakti Kapoor still suspects him to be a robber. Sunny starts working as a mechanic in a garage and he falls in love with Dimple Kapadia, both get married and have a son. Now, Sunny becomes a cop and he decides to destroy Prem Chopra who is still after him. The film goes on and on after which the climax happens. The end is typical where Sunny Deol dies and his son Deol also becomes an honest cop like him.

The movie may be a typical action film but the handling by David is definitely up the mark. Many scenes are well handled, Sunny turning a new leaf, the comedy scenes in the garage, Sunny's frustration and Shakti's suspicion on Sunny. What backfires is a few parts like the forced romance between Sunny and Dimple, and a few songs which drag the film. The major flaw is how can Deol suddenly become a cop, but the on goings are well handled and the climatic battle is decent. Therefore, the direction by David Dhawan is actually decent.

Sunny Deol does a good job but he was raw before Ghayal(1990), this film's failure must have disappointed him but Ghayal came and resurrected his flagging career. As usual Sunny does a good job with expressions and the action is a delight to watch. Dimple Kapadia is good even if her role only requires her to romance Sunny Deol. Her chemistry with Deol is good and she doesn't overact at any point. Prem Chopra is typecast as the main villain, he has done several roles like this before. Shakti Kapoor for once plays a positive role and he does a decent job, he doesn't ham. The rest provide decent support the film required.

On the whole, Aag Ka Gola is a decent action film even if it's typical. The film may have flopped but that doesn't mean it was bad. The film isn't a masterpiece but it provides many decent moments and Dhawan handles the film quite well.