Ram Balram

Ram Balram
Directed by	Vijay Anand
Produced by	Tito
Written by	Vijay Anand
Starring	Dharmendra Amitabh Bachchan Zeenat Aman Rekha Ajit Amjad Khan Prem Chopra Helen
Music by	Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Cinematography	Fali Mistry
Edited by	Vijay Anand
Distributed by	Navjeevan Productions
Release date	28 November 1980 (1980-11-28)
Running time	169 mins
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Ram Balram (Hindi: राम बलराम) is a 1980 Hindi action film directed by Vijay Anand. It starred Dharmendra as "Ram" and Amitabh Bachchan as "Balram". Supporting cast included Zeenat Aman and Rekha. Ajit, Amjad Khan and Prem Chopra were the villains in the film. The film marked the third time in which Bollywood eternal superstars (Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra) came together after their previous successful ventures in Chupke Chupke and Sholay. The movie had an awesome initial opening, to thunderous responses all over India with cinema houses packed full. However, proceeds from the movie started to drop by the 4th week and it then went on to surface as the third highest-grossing film of the year earning a "Hit" at the box office. It was termed disappointing since at that time, films of Dharmendra and Amitabh were expected to earn more, who were already the most popular stars at the time. However, some box office analysts rate it as a "Superhit" when taking into consideration its net proceeds.

Plot summary

Ram and Balram Singh are two young boys who live with their loving parents. Their scheming uncle, Jagatpal, however, kills the boys' parents. Jagatpal lies to the boys that their parents have been killed in an accident and promises to raise them himself.

He enrolls the younger brother Balram (Amitabh Bachchan), in school and eventually sends him off to join the police force. The older brother becomes a mechanic. Jagatpal has a tight hold on the boys, even when Ram (Dharmendra) is an adult, he still gives all his wages to his uncle and is only allowed to keep a few rupees for pocket money.

When Balram returns as a fully fledged police officer, Jagatpal finally reveals his plan. He is going to use Ram to target the biggest smugglers in India. Now that Balram is a police officer, he will protect his brother from getting arrested. Balram has reservations, but Jagatpal threatens to beat him just as he did when he was a boy; he has a needle at the edge of his cane and whenever the boys would do something Jagatpal dislikes, he would put the pointy and dangerous needle on the boys' neck.

Balram is still unhappy with Jagatpal's plan, so he tells his superiors in the police force that his brother intends to infiltrate the smuggler's underworld so that Balram can arrest them. Ram becomes a police informer for Balram.

The plan goes well. Ram becomes one of the lieutenants of one of the biggest smugglers (Amjad Khan) and Balram's excellent arrest rate makes him one of the force's most successful officers. Jagatpal becomes enormously wealthy from Ram's illicit gains.

The brothers also find love. Balram with the daughter of a college professor (Rekha) and Ram with a girl who has moved to the area looking for her father (Zeenat Aman). Unbeknownst to Ram, the girl believes her father to be Jagatpal. She, along with her courtesan mother, attempt to extort money for Jagatpal but he refuses to believe he is the father. His suspicions are confirmed when he catches the mother paying off a former customer. The man is confronted by Jagatpal and confesses that the girl is not Jagatpal's daughter.

Jagatpal's plan comes unstuck however when the boys' mother returns. She did not die after all. She reveals Jagatpal's actions to the two brothers and they unite to take him down.

Soundtrack

External links

• Ram Balram on IMDb