Sangharsh (1999 film)

Sangharsh
Directed by Tanuja Chandra
Produced by Mukesh Bhatt
Written by Mahesh Bhatt
Girish Dhamija
Starring Akshay Kumar
Preity Zinta
Ashutosh Rana
Music by Jatin-Lalit
Cinematography Dharma Teja
Editing by Amit Saxena
Distributed by Vishesh Films
Release date(s) 3 September 1999
Country India
Language Hindi

Sangharsh (Hindi: सँघर्ष, translation: Struggle) is a 1999 Bollywood film directed by Tanuja Chandra. It stars Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta and Ashutosh Rana. The movie is based on the 1991 Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs.[1]

Contents

Synopsis

A series of child abduction and murders have left the police force perplexed who are unable to solve the case. Hence the case is handed over to CBI, who designate trainee Reet Oberoi (Preity Zinta) to solve the case. After some investigation the evidence points towards Lajja Shankar Pandey (Ashutosh Rana), a religious fanatic who believes in the sacrifice of children to gain immortality. Pandey's erratic behavior and Reet's traumas (as a child she witnesses her older brother, a terrorist, being gunned down by the police in their home) forces Reet to seek help from a prisoner, an unjustly implicated genius by the name Professor Aman Varma (Akshay Kumar).

At first he's rude towards Reet and refuses to help her, but with some help she manages to sway him into helping her. The case gets even more tough as she finds out that the Home Minister's only child has been kidnapped by Pandey. Reet cannot handle the pressure alone due to her traumatic childhood and her phobias, also she faces opposition from the local police partly because of Varma's methods. As they begin to spend more time together, he helps her overcome her fears and they both fall in love with each other.

They both eventually track down Pandey, who is about to begin the last sacrifice on the day of a solar eclipse (Soorya Grahan) which will finally help him attain the unattainable Immortality. Aman and Reet eventually save the child, killing Pandey in the process, but Aman is seriously hurt and is on the brink of death. Reet and Aman share a last kiss and he dies in her arms. Reet is given a hero's welcome and she finds a new sense of life in herself.

Cast

Music

The music for the track "Mujhe Raat Din" has been copied from the song 'Mujhe dekhkar aapka muskurana' from the movie Ek Musafir Ek Hasina. The soundtrack was very popular especially the song "Pehli Pehli Baar".

# Title Singer(s) Length
1 Mujhe Raat Din Sonu Nigam 05:11
2 Dil Ka Qaraar Sonu Nigam, Shraddha Pandit 05:27
3 Naraaz Savera Hai Kumar Sanu 05:10
4 Manzil Na Koi Remo Fernandes, Jaspinder Narula 05:26
5 Manzil Na Koi (Male) Remo Fernandes 05:24
6 Manzil Na Koi (Female) Jaspinder Narula 05:25

Reception

Bella Jaisinghani of The Indian Express wrote, "This crime thriller is value for money," noting the performances: "Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta have done an impressive job as a criminal and a CBI officer".[2] Rediff.com's reviewer Sharmila Taliculam gave the film a positive review, but concluded, "Sangharsh may or may not do well at the turnstiles. If you are a Mahesh Bhatt fan, you may find it watchable. If you are not, give it a miss."[3] India Today critic Madhu Jain highly praised the film's performance, noting Kumar for delivering "quite a performance", Zinta for bringing "intelligence to her role", and Rana for a performance that "remains searingly etched on the mind".[4]

Awards

Notes

External links