Sunny Deol in Ghayal (1990)

Cast: Sunny Deol, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Raj Babbar, Moushumi Chatterjee, Amrish Puri

Director: Raj Kumar Santoshi

Music: Bappi Lahiri

Lyrics: Anjaan, lndivar

Capsule Review: A revenge saga with a difference. Raj Kumar Santoshi’s blood- splattered debut showed him to be a craftsman of unforeseen devices. Though Ghayal is a routine revenge drama, the entire framing of the narrative and the editing pattern are so unique as to give the plot a look of innovative bravado. Sunny Deol, controlled and sinewy as a man seeking revenge on his brother’s killers is in splendid shape. The taut plot trotted forward and at a breakneck though even speed culminating in an unexpected climax. More than the narrative it was the way Santoshi told the age-old story which made it many cuts above the rut. Ghayal was designed by Sunny Deol’s production house as a vehicle to exploit his image as the strong and silent hero. It was a smash hit and clearly indicated where the future of mainstream Hindi cinema lay.