Film: Ghulami

Directed by J. P. Dutta (in his directorial debut). The film features an ensemble cast of Dharmendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Smita Patil, Reena Roy, Anita Raj, Raza Murad and Om Shivpuri.

Review by Dr Usman Latif Khawaja MB, MRCP UK; Ireland; STA London Royal College of Physicians

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5 stars

A BALLAD FOR THE BOLD AND THE

J. P. Dutta's first cinematic venture in 1985 deals with the 'Jatt Revolution' in the heartlands of India, as the peasants rise against the tyrannical landlords to recover their stolen lands and dignity, which has been mauled for centuries. The movie deals with the intricacies of the corruption that absolute power can breed into the human soul, and yet optimizes the struggle as a victory for human valour, giving hope to a much-maligned human race.

From the initial sequences, where a 'tenant' [Dharmendra] swears to avenge his father's death and restore his family honour, to the tragic finale, this movie is a tribute to the human spirit and its aspirations to liberate itself from the shackles of oppression and tyranny.

The soul of the movie is captured by the taciturn soldier played by Mithun Chakraborty, who returns home to find an enemy deadlier than the one he was waging a war on at the borders of his land. As the headstrong, stubborn, yet quietly dynamic young man, he brings a throbbing romanticism to his role of a man passionately in love with a vulnerable, lonely young beauty...