Vidhaata 1982

Vidhaata is a 1982 Bollywood movie directed by Subhash Ghai and produced by Gulshan Rai's company Trimurti Films. It stars Dilip Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Padmini Kolhapure in lead roles, and, Shammi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Amrish Puri, Madan Puri, Suresh Oberoi and Sarika in supporting roles. The film was remade in Kannada as Pithamaha starring Ravichandran, Rajesh, Udayakumar, Vijayalakshmi Singh and was also remade in Tamil as Vamsa Vilakku with Sivaji Ganesan and Prabhu

Synopsis

Shamsher Singh (Dilip Kumar), his son Pratap Singh (Suresh Oberoi), and daughter-in-law lead a happy life in an Indian village. Shamsher works as an engine driver with his friend Gurbaksh Singh (Shammi Kapoor). Pratap is appointed as the new inspector-in-charge of the village but is killed brutally by Jagawar Chaudhary (Amrish Puri), a notorious local smuggler, after Pratap refuses to help Jagawar in his illegal activities. Seeing his son dead, Shamsher Singh is enraged and he kills some of Jagawar's goons whom he had seen throwing his son's dead body in the forest. When he is about to inquire from one of Jagawar's men about the person behind his son's murder, he is stopped by the police and is asked to surrender; Shamsher somehow manages to escape. His daughter-in-law dies while giving birth to Kunal Singh (Sanjay Dutt).

Shamsher takes his grandson Kunal and leaves his village to hide from the police. In the hope of making quick money, to secure his grandson's future, Shamsher starts working for Sir Mizya (Shreeram Lagoo), a powerful underworld don, and takes on a new identity as Sir Shobraj. Over the course of time, he becomes a wealthy and powerful smuggler and the chairman of the Mizya Group.

Meanwhile, Kunal grows up under the strict supervision of Shamsher's loyal employee Abu Baba (Sanjeev Kumar). He falls in love with Durga (Padmini Kolhapure), a beautiful slum girl and the daughter of one of Shamsher's old employee Ganpat. However, things take an ugly turn when Shamsher Singh disagrees to let Kunal marry Durga because of her being from a poor background; he instead warns Durga's mother (Sudha Shivpuri) to leave the city with her daughter or else face serious consequences.

Although Durga is unwilling to leave at first, she later agrees to sacrifice her love and leaves with her mother in a ship to Goa where Shamsher's men try to rape her. Abu Baba comes to their rescue and saves them but is killed by Shamsher's men with the help of Jagawar, who has become a powerful smuggler of Goa. Kunal is devastated after seeing Abu Baba's dead body and promises to take revenge. His investigations into Abu Baba's death eventually lead to the true identity of his grandfather and about his father's killers.

Directed by Subhash Ghai

Produced by Gulshan Rai

Starring

Dilip Kumar .... Shamsher Singh / Shobraj

Shammi Kapoor .... Gurbaksh Singh (Shamsher's Friend)

Sanjeev Kumar .... Abu Baba

Sanjay Dutt .... Kunal Singh (Shamsher's Grandson)

Padmini Kolhapure .... Durga

Amrish Puri .... Jagawar Chaudhary

Madan Puri .... K.K Singh (Khushaal Singh) (Shamsher's Associate)

Tom Alter .... Sir David

Sarika .... Neelima

Suresh Oberoi .... Inspector Pratap Singh (Shamsher's Son)

Shreeram Lagoo .... Sir Mizya (Chairman of Mizya Group)

Jagdeep .... Peter John D'costa

Sudha Shivpuri .... Durga's Mother

Music by Kalyanji-Anandji

Distributed by Trimurti Films

Release dates 3  December 1982

Country         India

Language Hindi

Awards and nominations

1983 Filmfare Awards - Won

Best Supporting Actor - Shammi Kapoor

1983 Filmfare Awards - Nominated

Best Supporting Actor - Sanjeev Kumar

Reviews

Shamsher and Gurubaksh are Engine Drivers and are best friends in spite of holding opposite beliefs. One day, whilst facing the worst agonies of life Shamsher writes his own Destiny, thereby creating an empire of wealth for his only grandson Kunal. This he does by striking boldly out into the world of shadows and ill gotten treasures. Shamsher sends Kunal away to grow up in hardship and poverty under the guidance of Abu Baba who brings up the boy with the good values of life. Now Kunal, a ruggedly handsome young man is brought back to the estate of grandfather. Yet Kunal is not happy at this; he chooses instead to live amongst the poor, and here he falls in love with a poor girl, Durga. This becomes a point of conflict between Shamsher and Abu Baba, and eventually Abu Baba leaves the house. Kunal is hurt by the turn of events. With Abu Baba's death, Kunal for the first time glimpses the realities. Kunal now begins to investigate this cruel shadow world. Watch his fight in Vidhaata

Vidhaata is a good generation movie which towards the end just grows more and more gripping. The story is strong and free from trash, and it should be interesting not just for Sanjay fans, because in his second film after Rocky (I’m not counting in Reshma Aur Shera) Sanjay in no way plays the lead but just one among many, and his experienced co-stars Dilip Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Amrish Puri and fabulous Shammi Kapoor with their concentrated presence are showing to the newcomer that he still had some limits to hurdle.