Epitome of performance and style in genre of gangster movies. It is without any doubt one of the best gangster movies ever made in any language. It would not be a overstatement to rate this flick better that Scarface starring Al Pacino. This movie came at the pinnacle of the golden era of gangster movies in India overshadowing all others. It does not have the sophistication of The Godfather or Sarkar or the realistic portrayal of City of God or Satya but it has the power- the power of enunciated emotions never portrayed before in such a cumulative fashion; and this distinction is an intelligent deliberated achievement and not not just a mere coincidence.
Any discussion about the technicalities of the movie will have to start with a special mention of Amitabh Bachchan's performance. The historic portrayal of that powerful scorn, the trademark word "hain" with the hand-action, the style and the posture of sitting on a chair and all other countless gestures combined with powerful and then-realistic acting won him the much deserved National Award for Best Actor. Danny did well with that stoic face. Mithun gave the need-of-that-time over-the-top performance and made it believable. Rohini was good portraying measured grief and strength of the bollywood-mother. Neelam did not have to do much apart from giving some turns to the story.
Cinematography and screenplay set a new milestone then. The scenes with a crowd of thousands in slums was not a common sight in Bollywood then. The script is great, editing is outstandingly amazing and foolproof for that time. Production set new standards. Direction is great. Background score is of international level. Songs are average and redundant.
All in all, it's a quintessential bollywood movie with hero and villain, old mother and a sister, powerful gangster and a cheesy climax. The remarkable thing is- It is still a great entertainment after all these years and a major change in story-lines.
