Arjun (1985)

People are voting emotionally.

A Masterpiece!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Arjun is really worth a watch, as long as you are not prejudiced towards old films and Sunny Deol.Story is about an unemployed youth in Bombay who gets involved in crime ad politics because of the circumstances around him. The film also throws light on the hypocrisy and deception politicians use to fulfill their greedy ambitions.Concept is good, music is just alright, dialogues are among the best with good action sequences. I feel the background score should've been more punchy for a film like this, but that's OK.I feel they should even make a sequel to this film.

This action-thriller had proved itself to be the trend-setter in the decade of the eighties. Many politics based action movies came thereafter on the lines of this movie and this movie can, quite justifiably, be called the predecessor to the blockbuster movie of Rajeev Rai - Mohra (1994). It provides some glimpses of Rajkumar Santoshi's much later movie - Ghaatak (1996) too. Like the Arjun in Mahabharat, here also there is an Arjun who is inspired by someone to take on the evil forces the same way Krishna had inspired the mythological Arjun. However here the person appearing like Krishna is actually someone of the category of Shakuni in the disguise of Krishna. He is, in fact, himself a part of the Kauravas and only exploiting the might and the talent of Arjun to cater to his own interests by misguiding him under the name of working for some ideals.Arjun (Sunny Deol) is an educated but unemployed youth who is the son of an aged ordinary accountant Mavalankar (A.K. Hangal) working in a private company. The other people in the house are his step-mother (Shashikala) and his step-sister, Sudha (Supriya Pathak). Arjun has to listen to the taunts of his step-mother and tolerate her ill-treatment. Coincidentally, one day, he bumps upon the men of a local hoodlum, Ranga (Goga Kapoor) who is, in turn, the man of local gangster, Anoop Lal (Paresh Rawal) who, in turn, the confidante of local MLA, Deen Dayal Trivedi (Prem Chopra). After a fight with Ranga at his den, Arjun gets arrested, only to find on release on bail that he has no place in his home despite sympathy of his sister Sudha. The politician, Shiv Kumar Chowgule (Anupam Kher) who has given his bail only supports him thereafter too. He arouses the patriotic sentiments of Arjun and uses him against Deen Dayal Trivedi who is his competitor in the same political party. Arjun works for him thinking that he is doing some noble cause. His friend, Mohan (Satyajeet) gets killed in a retaliating attack by Anoop Lal. But he, with the moral support of honest police inspector, Ravi (Raj Kiran) who has married Sudha with his help and his sweetheart, Geeta (Dimple Kapadia); keeps on working against Trivedi with zeal and a clean heart.The day, Arjun hands a file containing evidences against Trivedi over to Chowgule, Chowgule's approach towards him is changed and he throws him out of his life withdrawing all his support to him. Reason ? Viewers already know but Arjun does not know that Chowgule himself is no better than Trivedi. Both were two sides of the same coin of political corruption. Chowgule blackmails Trivedi on the basis of that file and takes care of his vested interests. Now Arjun comes to know of the real character of Chowgule and the fact that he has been used by him like a pawn on the chessboard of selfish politics. His another friend, Chander (Raja Bundela) also becomes a pawn in political hands and commits a murder to arrange money for his needy family. Finally Arjun exposes and punishes Chowgule in the climax.Jaaved Akhtar has written this film after getting separated from Saleem and given it the shape of a regular masaala movie of Bollywood. The subject of use of unemployed youths by selfish politicians was handled very well in Gulzaar's classic movie - Mere Apne (1971). Arjun is a regular masaala flick and cannot be compared to that classic film. However in this movie, the unemployed youth is shown as a man of character and principles and that's why the selfish politician is shown as exploiting his noble thoughts to suit his interests. That's a new angle. Besides, exploiting the personal feelings of the youth who is starving for parental love through emotional blackmail, has also been shown with finesse. How such innocent youths are discarded like something useless by such politicians after the have done their bit for them, has also been shown emphatically.But the thing is, the presentation of the story is less realistic, more filmy. The characters of corrupt politicians and their criminal counterparts are over the top and appear like caricatures. That's why the reality of Chowgule may come as a surprise for the hero in the final part of the movie but it's not at all a surprise for the audience because due to to faulty portrayal of characters (devoid of naturalness), everything is clear before it since the beginning itself. Jaaved Akhtar has used his experience of writing masaala flicks by inserting all the regular formulae of Bollywood movies in the script. Using that script, Rahul Rawail has made an entertaining movie for the regular Bollywood movie buffs.But, this movie was a path-breaking one in its time because for the first time, the idealist hero was shown as being used as a pawn by someone. Arjun established Sunny Deol as an action hero. Sunny has always proved that he is a good actor and a perfect choice for action-emotional roles. He has carried this movie on his lone shoulders because all other characters are auxiliaries only. However Dimple Kapadia, Supriya Pathak, Raj Kiran, A.K. Hangal, Shashikala, Satyajeet, Raja Bundela, Shafi Inaamdaar, Annu Kapoor etc. have done well in their small roles. I found all the baddies as over the top. R.D. Burman's music with Jaaved Akhtar's lyrics is good. Two songs stand out - Mamaiya Kedo Kedo Kedo Mama (by Shailendra Singh and chorus) and Bhoori Bhoori Aankhon Waala Ek Ladka Hai (by Lata).Technically also, the movie is satisfactory. Cinematography, editing, art direction, everything is in order.I recommend it to the fans of Sunny Deol as well as the audience liking action-thrillers.

Arjun is the story of those youths who though unemployed refuse to be a part of the corruption in the political systems.Arjun is the story of a honest young man (Sunny Deol) who stays with his father. Arjun stays with his father, mother and sister (Supriya Pathak). All his attempts of getting a job goes in vain. His father though retired works for an abusive employer just to support his family. One day he intervenes the beating up of a man by some local hoodlums. His life changes forever hereafter. One of his friends get killed by those hoodlums later and Arjun seeks to find out the person behind this. He finds out the person and kills him in broad daylight and is arrested.He is given bail by a local politician who gives him all the support he needs to fight the hoodlums in the locality. Arjun finds a mission in his life and is quite content with what he is doing. Then he meets Geeta with whom he falls in love. Suddenely in some change in political setup, the politician ties up with the opposition. The opposition leader is the same person against whose hoodlums Arjun was fighting. Now Arjun has no one to stand by him. He has to do things single handedly and punish those guilty. Will he do it ? A nice movie made by Rahul Rawail.

Arjun (played by Sunny Deol) is a hard hitting movie about how a jobless youth (who fights against oppression by hoodlums) is exploited by the politicians to achieve their own mean and throw him like a waste and, how Arjun realizes it and brings them to justice.Rahul Rawail's no nonsense and crisp direction; well written screenplay and dialogues of Javed Akhtar and, first rate acting of Sunny Deol, Anupam Kher and Prem Chopra leaves a lasting impression and, makes the movie watchable more than once.In a way, Arjun is Sunny Deol's first movie as full fledged action hero and, it is also one of his best films. Though the character Arjun does not have many emotions and expressions to display, but still the level of Sunny Deol's acting is on par with or even above his later movies Ghayal and Damini (for which he has received Filmfare awards). Dimple Kapadia as love interest of Sunny Deol does not has much to do.A. K. Hangal, Shashikala and Supriya Pathak, as father, stepmother and sister of Arjun, respectively have done a good job, especially, Shashikala with mouthful of venomous words makes sure you hate her. Raj Kiran's acting as upright police officer is OK.Apart from Arjun, the other two main characters of the movie are the corrupted rival politicians Trivedi (played by Prem Chopra) and Chowgule (played by Anupam Kher) of the same party. Both Prem Chopra's and Anupam Kher's acting performance is highly commendable. Especially, Anupam Kher playing the role of Chowgule, a shrewd politician hiding himself as idealogical social worker steals the show. For instance, watch the change in his expressions when Arjun gives him the document that can be used as an evidence against Trivedi. Other noticeable performances are given by Raja Bundela (jobless youth and friend of Arjun), Annu Kapoor (secreatary of Chowgule) and Paresh Rawal (as henchman of Trivedi).R. D. Burman's music is not up to the mark. Out of the four songs "Duniya Maane Bura to" and "Bhuri Bhuri Aankhon" are the most noticeable ones. The background music barely leaves any impression, at places one gets traces of the background music of Sholay (For instance, when Arjun and his friends beat the hoodlums for the first time).Javed Akthar's dialogue and screenplay is good, audible and provides humour (at right places), but it is not up to the level of his previous work (Sholay, Deewar etc).Arjun is the best directorial work of Rahul Rawail until now. His crisp direction keeps the audience attention throughout the movie and succeeds in delivering the "real" intended message of the movie. One of the memorable piece of direction is Chowgule and Trivedi bargaining at an elliptical shaped table. Watch them arguing while walking from one edge of the table to the center of the table and then reconciling as they walk to the other end of table.Overall, Arjun is a "must" watch movie of Hindi cinema. It is much better than loads of movies that bollywood churns out about corrupt politician and underworld.PS: Arjun was remade as "Satya" in Tamil language where the character of Arjun was played by Kamal Hasan. Given a choice between Hindi and Tamil version, I would strongly recommend the Hindi version.