Ghayal (1990)

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Sunny Deol debuted with Betaab(1983) which was a blockbuster at the box office. After this, Deol didn't get a hit till Arjun(1984) which gave him the action hero image. Like Betaab, Arjun was a blockbuster by the same director Rahul Rawail. After this, Deol didn't get many hits and was labelled a wooden actor despite giving hits like Dacait(1987), Yateem(1988) Paap Ki Duniya(1988), Tridev(1989), and Chaalbaaz(1989). Dacait and Yateem were the only big hits that won him accolades because the other films listed either had 2 heroes or were multi starrers. However, Ghayal came with a bang in 1990 and turned his flagging career. Ghayal was a miracle as it gave Sunny his first film which was appreciated by every one, it even gained positive reviews.Ghayal tells the typical story of a champion boxer whose brother starts working for the wrong people and gets trapped in their web of lies and deceit. Ajay's brother Ashok hides everything from the family till the point where he goes missing. Everything was going fine, Ajay even got his love interest Varsha approved by the family but not every story in Bollywood action films goes smooth. Ajay's brother gets frequently tortured, is seen hanging with bruises on his body, and finally dies after being electrocuted(he couldn't stand the severe shocks when they electrified him the last time). Ajay finds his brother's dead body and he is upset. To make matters worse, he gets arrested for his brother's murder. In the police station, one would wonder things would be fine with a devastated Sunny Deol locked in a cell. But no, right from his arrest, Deol is handcuffed, beaten, and finally left bruised in the prison. This upsetting story was told in a flashback and Ajay breaks out with his friends who choose to help him from the time in his prison. The rest of the film is how Ajay takes his revenge with Rambo Style action sequences.At the time of its release, Ghayal was a blockbuster at the box office. However, it didn't just score big at the box office, it got Deol a Filmfare award and the film it self earned a national award. The film was appreciated by everyone, it changed everything. The film created new records and even changed the definition of action and action heroes. If Amitabh's Zanjeer(1973) started the superb trend of the angry young man, Sunny's Ghayal(1990) changed the 80s trend of action and action heroes. Neither were the action sequences poorly conducted nor were they cheesy like most of the stunts from the action films of the 80s.Direction by Rajukumar Santoshi is excellent, this was his directional debut and in his first film, he excels. He takes a typical action script and handles it extremely well. Not only did he redefine action films but also change the style of action films. The script is typical but Santoshi's direction gives it an edge over most action films.Sunny Deol rocks as Ajay, his anger(despite the shouting) is well executed. His expressions are well timed, he never hams it up as the lead actor. Truly, people saw a new side of Sunny Deol after this film. Meenaxi Sheshadhri is good as the heroine and not once does she fail as an actress. Raj Babbar and Moushami Chaterjee are good in supporting roles, they do their bits well. Amrish Puri for once does brilliant as the villain, his expressions are good and his dialogue delivery is fabulous. Sudesh Behry and the three other people who play the jail mates of Ajay do a good job, the rest provide good support.On the whole, Ghayal(1990) is a brilliant action flick. This is probably the one and only time when such a typical film is well handled. Even Santoshi's Ghatak(1996) couldn't match up to this film. Although, Damini(1993) won more accolades, this film broke more records.

Ajay Mehra (Sunny Deol) plays a boxer in this film, however he went to New Deli to train and on his return to Mumbai he, however, found that his brother Ashok Mehra (Raj Babbar) is missing. He made many attempts to complain at police stations but all was unsuccessful. In all these attempts he, however, become frustrated and violence outburst. The film is quite interesting and one of the best films the 90's has to offer. Sunny Deol is quite entertaining. Raj Babbar also plays an interesting role in this film too. Meenakshi Sheshadri (Varsha) also plays a very interesting part in the film too. This film is so much interesting that I watch it almost over 10 times. The Director has added many spices to the story.

Ghayal is definitely one of the best Hindi action films ever (very hard-hitting and totally mind-blowing). Sunny Deol has done many average/good/great action films since then, which is why he is truly the best action hero in Bollywood after his dad, Dharmendra, but Ghayal is Sunny's best action film to date. The action scenes are realistic and raw (should be like this always) and mind-blowing. The plot maybe simple, but the lethal combination of Raj Kumar Santoshi's brilliant direction, Sunny Deol's amazing performance (action and acting), and loads of top-class action made Ghayal a major blockbuster. I really wish that Santoshi and Sunny work together in some more movies soon, so Sunny can soon rise up to the top, as Santoshi knows how to make a proper action movie with a sensible ending that the audiences would accept. You can also watch Sunny's other hit action movies like Ghatak, Ziddi, Gadar (all-time blockbuster), and many others as they are also great, but Ghayal is the ultimate action movie (a true classic). I would love to see what its sequel, Ghayal 2, would look like when it comes next year or so (in '08/'09). It would really be awesome if they would pack in much more heavy nonstop action (again realistic and raw) than this first one. If you are NOT a Sunny fan, you will become a Sunny fan after you see Ghayal with an open mind (there was low competition and NOT as much biased media at that time as compared to today). This one gets a 20/10! Enjoy this awesome action movie and feel the REAL POWER!!

Ghayal is arguably Rajkumar Santoshi's best film. The film although classified as an action film. The film is in fact a revenge drama with Sunny Doel as the avenger and Amraish Puri as the villain. The film is well executed and keeps you on the edge of your seat. For a Indian film it is stylishly shot and for an action film it has a very good story which is quite emotional at times such as in the court room scenes. The songs are hummable and fit in well in the context of the film.The film has you rooting for Sunny Doel in his quest for revenge with the whole system against him. Sunny Doel is excellent in his national award-winning performance. Menakshi is also very good as his supportive girlfriend. While Raj Babbar and Moushami provide adequate support as Sunny's family. Om Puri is good and makes an impact in a small role of a good cop in a corrupt system. While Amraish Puri proves why he is one of the best villains ever to hit the big screen.This film is well-directed, has a good story and performances and is well-worth watching. It may be noted Santoshi went on to make other good films such as Damani and Ghatak with the same principle star-cast however this remains his best film to date.