User reviews

At first, I hated this movie. Amrish Puri was so evil he scared me to bits, and Madhuri Dixit's character (Gauri) seemed to be a nitwit. I have always loved seeing Madhuri in intelligent, strong and charming parts (Dil, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Dil To Pagal Hai), so seeing her act like a 2-year old was annoying.

And then... Somewhere in the middle, the movie all started to "click", and I really started enjoying it. Shah Rukh Khan put in a fantastic performance which I absolutely loved. He was raw, yet charming; simple yet mysterious; and pulled off his role of deceived mute man who becomes 'enlightened' perfectly. A reviewer here said something about the fact that he could sing in the musical numbers but is supposed to be mute...but that reviewer obviously does not realise that songs are usually a suspension of reality in Bollywood movies. Characters usually can do anything and everything during a musical number! Besides, in most of the songs, it was a trick with Johnny Lever's character that 'enabled' Shah Rukh's character to sing.

Madhuri Dixit's character, Gauri, actually grew up and became much more likable. Madhuri ended up pulling off a fascinating portrayal of a young childish girl who is dragged into maturity by evil. Who wouldn't grow up, anyway, when faced with the terrors of Amrish Puri's "Rajasaheb"? And the relationship between Gauri and Shanker (SRK's character) is really sweet, complex and perfectly captured.

Rajasaheb, though terrifying, irritating, and very over-the-top, now strikes me as a fairly good characterisation. Like another reviewer said on here, a villain that we love to hate is hard to find. (see 'Dushman' starring Kajol, for Ashutosh Rana in a fantastic portrayal of another 'villain you love to hate' - much better than the one in 'Koyla', in my opinion).

I loved the other actors as well, the girl who played Rajasaheb's secretary was particularly good. Johnny Lever (though very silly as usual), the actor who played Lever's father, and Mohnish Behl (in a brief but strikingly tragic appearance)all put in well-rounded and credible performances. Very nice work.

The film is pretty violent and sometimes shocking (one particular attack actually made me physically jump), but I think it was a case of justifiable violence. The director, Rakesh Roshan, was trying to achieve a certain rawness, and he definitely succeeded. It does make you wonder, though, if he was going through some kind of "blood and gore phase" at that point in his film-making career.

All in all, 'Koyla' is very unusual for a Bollywood film, and that, in my opinion, is what makes it worth seeing.I started out hating it and finished it very happy. It is a satisfying and entertaining movie.

Okay, this is a rather bad film from Rakesh Roshan, but it works as a Hindi film of its genre and is elevated by its two stars even though they are not at their best. Madhuri Dixit is beautiful and charming and Khan hams it up quite a bit, although he is a good action star and has good presence. It is Amrish Puri as Madhuri Dixit's old husband who gives the film its comic energy along with his part of a psychopathic villain. Koyla is quite entertaining, it develops at a rather fast pace, and its action sequences are not bad at all. It's not a great film, nothing to write home about, but fans of Khan and Dixit, or those fond of silly entertainment, might like it. I actually found it partially enjoyable.

I've just been watching this movie after a long time of hesitation because I was afraid to regret it yet the result wasn't bad after all.

I liked the general idea of the movie, the actor's playing wasn't bad at all even if there was some non sense in it (like a dumb deaf person who's singing some songs). Any way it's maybe normal in Indian movies so I can't criticize it.

So I advice to watch this movie at least one time because you won't regret the great credible lovers couple Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

I give 7/10 and believe this movie could be better if they payed attention to some important details.

I was forced to see this movie by my college professor. I didn't like the idea of seeing a foreign file with english subtitles and thought it would be boring. I, along with my classmates, was completely wrong. The movie was wonderful. It was truly a heartbreaker and so non-American (if you know what I mean). It's a wonderful movie, see it if you have the chance-you won't regret it.

I feel that this film, while it had potential, failed to live up to expectations. While the first was entertaining, containing romance, drama, and several good songs, the second half dragged considerably. I would warn potential viewers that this film is graphically, and often unnecessarily violent, especially against women. The performances.... Madhuri was good as ever, although she was not given nearly enough to do in the second half, seeming to fulfill a decorative function only. Amrish Puri plays a typical bolly villain with his usual booming voice. Shahrukh plays the cute, mute hero well, however his transition to angry, avenging young man seems too far fetched. on the whole, i would not rate this film as a wonderful or warm movie.

Movie is good. Madhuri had done superb job with great dance skill and good charming acting. Shahrukh has also done great job. He has done great action.

In some scenes, Shahrukh did overacting but still he was fine. Amrish portrayed good negative character. For supportive case, Rakesh Roshan had did same performer like Ashok Saraf, Johnny Lever and they did nice job too. Music is nice but they was no song which will make public mad. It could be negative side.

Movie could be one of the first romantic between two legendary actors. Mahduri and Shahrukh both had equaled portion to perform and they did justice.

Koyla is the story of mute love. story of mute Shanker(Shahrukh Khan)who lives with his master Raja Saab(Amrish Puri).old Raja Saab wants to marry an innocent girl Gauri(Madhuri Dixit),because of he's old,he forces Gauri to marry her,& in his house Gayri meets Shankar's picture & falls in love with him,after lots of incidents,Gauri & Shankar try to escape from Raja's house & Shankar Killed By Raja but he escapes & git cured by villagers & returned to an inferno of revenge & love...

Maybe the storyline seems old of 1997.the year that Shahrukh Khan played god films like:Pardes,Yes Boss & Dil To Pagal Hai.But still you can count on Rakesh Roshan's Koyla.cause after the flop of Koyla he started to make hits like:Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai,Koi... Mil Gaya & Krrish. It is an action film with comedy & thriller form.that was usually been made in 70s.music parts are not so good.but the song(Goonte Main Chanda) is been performed well. Shahrukh Khan Played well as Shankar.also Madhuri did a good job & late Amrish Puri and also Johnny Lever.the cast & crew parts are good. Very Warm Movie.6 from 10.

That's what the movie is, actually. The acting, the story, and the action are all over the top. SRK and MD are the only thing salvageable (besides the guy from Temple of Doom ^_^). Seriously, though, my main beef with the movie stems from the fact that it unabashedly uses the soundtrack from 1492:The Conquest of Paradise and DOES NOT CREDIT THIS USAGE. If you're going to use a theme over and over again in the movie, please, credit it somewhere. If you're going to use the exact music from the movie, then I do expect them to add it somewhere in the credits. If I am wrong, please correct me. As a fan of Vangelis, I'm insulted.

How incredibly lame.

I remember I saw this movie when it first came out in 1997 it was on TV and my eyes were locked on the screen during the opening credits with the fire all around and heart touching music. It was about 3 hours and I enjoyed every second. The film was so emotional and I loved the story about Raja a sadistic rich old man and has a dumb servant Shankar who gets treated like a dog. One day Raja seen a young village girl Gauri and sent her a photo of Shankar. Gauri liked him and agreed to marry but Raja was in his place during the so called marriage and now she is trapped in his mansion. Shankar felt really sorry for Gauri and after a really bad incident Shankar was provoked, he took Gauri & ran out and that is where the action starts with many unpredictable twists & turns. Koyla was inspired by many action movies including Rambo: First Blood & Hard Target but it doesn't mean that the film is bad. Directed by one of my most favourite directors Rakesh Roshan, his films always took Bollywood to a new level e.g. Koi Mil Gaya was the first Indian sci-fi & Krrish is the first superhero movie. Overall Koyla is a very unforgettable film, it is 10 years old & I still love it.

Koyla review:

Koyla was Rakesh Roshan's next biggie after the blockbuster Karan Arjun (1995) with Shahrukh Khan (SRK) and Madhuri Dixit teaming up as the lead pair. Expectations were naturally sky high and the first day collections set a new box office record. But the collections started dropping as the word of mouth trickled in which was mostly negative. SRK had worked hard on the action sequences but didn't look convincing in the Rambo style role. Madhuri's desi girl makeup belied the radiant beauty she appeared in Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) and Raja (1995). There was something missing in Koyla which disappointed the audience and movie crashed from second week onwards...

Most importantly, SRK was misfit as the action hero. The movie was a hard core robust actioner which needed Sunny Deol (first choice) or Ajay Devgn as main lead. Madhuri too didnt look her best. She was hopelessly cast as a teenager naive girl which she obviously wasn't at that time. Overall, Koyla's execution wore a dated look even for 1997. Special mention of Deepshika Nagpal who was super sexy in supporting role. Sizzling hottie, indeed!!

As for my personal experience, Amrish Puri dozing off while Deepshika streaks nude in front of him evoked laughter from the audience at New Citylight Cinema, Matunga. Never a good sign when audience laughs at a villain instead of fearing him. Ba-ledy-phool, if I have to quote his catchphrase!!

Rajesh Roshan's music was the film's biggest positive factor. Thats about it!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

I don't know what to explain but this movie is 👌👌👌

When you think of action, you don't think of Shahrukh Khan, who only plays the role of a romantic naturally. First of all, I'd like to say that Madhuri's performance was superb; she didn't overact at all and kept things going nicely. Shahrukh, on the other hand, totally overacted, like he did in the other few action movies he made (with the exception of Darr of course, but that was a different role). He kept screaming annoyingly loud and grunting in the action sequences. No wonder he has kept away from action movies for the last 15 years (with the exception of Don, but there was no convincing action on his part there - mostly car chases). The music is good, and so is the story. Amrish Puri is as great as ever in his role. Could've been much better had they chose someone like Salman Khan to deal with the action sequences as effortlessly as he does.

Verdict: worth a watch once or twice. I give it 6/10 just for the story + Madhuri's performance.

"Bloody ape!!!", Rajasaheb (Amrish Puri) mutters.

Folks, Bollywood action films are NEVER merely action films--they are often a fabulously preposterous melding of action, romance, comedy, and musical genres INTO ONE FILM! In fact, many of the Bollywood films I've had the pleasure of seeing simply do NOT conform to any of the narrow genres that U.S. audiences are accustomed to. Sure, we have hybrids such as the "romantic-comedy" and "comedy-horror", and perhaps even "action-thriller-romance"...but we ain't got NOTHIN' equivalent to the glorious Bollywood-type films from south asia (India in particular).

One moment Koyla is a brutal action flick a la Bronson (gratuitous and graphic violence and carnage), the next moment Shah Rukh Khan is lip-syncing cheezy-yet-infectious pop music to the woman he loves (yes, my friends, musicals CAN kick butt), followed by Shah Rukh Khan's comedic thwarting of his persuers, only to be jolted back by the ruthlessness of Rajasaheb (an over-the-top-to-the-point-of-insanity performance by the veteran actor Amrish Puri, who played Mola Ram in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom").

Amrish Puri can certainly play a villain: but whereas the character of Mola Ram is a generic, arbitrary villain, the character of Rajasaheb is truly despicable because the audience witnesses the injustices he perpetrates. ("Give me a compelling reason to hate the bad guy and root for Indiana", I demanded. Spielberg fails to do so, and so i have always rooted for Mola Ram in "Temple of Doom". Similarly, I rallied behind the Decepticons and C.O.B.R.A. in my youth as a T.V. casualty. But honestly, what did you expect from a crapmaster like Spielberg?).

Ahh, Rajasaheb is a bad-guy you love to hate! Actually, "bad guy" is an understatement--he's a "loveable elderly sadist"--and I guarantee that you, too, will love to hate Rajasaheb! A convincing antagonist is a crucial ingredient for any action film because it drives the whole drama of the film. Unfortunately, few films successfully succeed in delivering a villain you love to hate. Koyla delivers.

Shah Rukh Khan is great as well and really hams up his performance playing Shanker. (I must, however, admit that i am a sucker for any film starring Shah Rukh Khan. I encourage you to see all his films--even the countless bollywood "romantic-comedies" that he is in--you will rarely be disappointed).

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN for one of the most ludicrous, ridiculous, & insanely POOR special effects occurring at the CLIMAX of this film. Without spoiling this cinematic delight, let me simply say that it involves an axe, slow-motion, etc... Even if we ignore the poorly executed FX, the heavy-handed use of slo-mo harkens back to the glory days of prime-cheeze-USA-action films circa 1980's.

SEE THIS FILM NOW. Even if you hate the film, you'll dig the musical sequences with the bangra-hindi-pop music. Yes, the actors are lip-syncing to other artists' songs--but you won't care.

Bonus trivia: "Koyla" means "coal", by the way. Now do you see the significance of the this film's title?

IF YOU LIKE KOYLA, but want more blood and less comedy, then I recommend Shakti: The Power (2002). Shah Rukh Khan has a minor part in it, providing the only levity in an otherwise brutal film (the spirit of Cannon's action films of the 80's lives on!!!)

This is the worst hindi film I have ever seen. It conforms to all the stereotypes of bad Hindi films. The plot is ridiculous, the acting over the top, and Shah Rukh manages to fit in a couple of song sequences even though he is playing the character of a dumb man.

Koyla is a great film directed by Rakesh Roshan a genius filmmaker. Rakesh has made Khudgarz, Kishan Kanhaiya, Karan Arjun, Krrish etc. Koyla is not better then any of those films mentioned but is a fabulous film. Shahrukh Khan is excellent in his role and gives a dynamic performance. Madhuri Dixit is wonderful in most of all her films and gives a good performance. Deepshika a unknown actress who stars in this movie as the prostitute is damn sexy. She is sexier then many other Bollywood actresses, i would love to get naughty with her. Amrish Puri is excellent as the villain lots of venom in his role. The guy that plays Amrish's son does a good job as the disturbed mental bad guy. The movie has many nice songs and overall is a out and out entertainer.

I am no expert on Indian films, though compared to most other Americans I definitely am unusual because I have seen a couple hundred films from this country. In seeing these films, one thing I have noticed is that in many of the country's movies which were made up to about 2000 is that the musical numbers were often very poor-- with music and singing that is obviously canned*. This is NOT the case today...and the musical numbers are often fantastic in the films and the highlight of the pictures. But with "Koyla", it comes in near the end of this more primitive period...and the musical numbers are pretty awful. Add to that some terrible overacting by the comic relief in the film (such as the Doctor** and his idiot son) and you've already got a couple serious strikes against this movie from the onset. The director, Rakesh Roshan, clearly can be blamed for much of this.

The story finds Raja Saab (Amrish Puri) the Lord of the land. While on the surface he seems like a kind and just man, it's all an act. At heart, he's evil, cruel and a total jerk-face--as is his awful younger brother. Saab is a dirty old man who has eyed the lovely Gauri (Madhuri Dixit). But she refuses to consent to any marriage until she can see a photo of her fiancé. Since Raja Saab is old, he decides to substitute the photo of his handsome mute servant, Shanker (Shah Rukh Khan). Not surprisingly, when Gauri sees the dirty old man on their wedding day, she refuses to marry and Raja Saab's anger is unleashed and she's kept his prisoner. Rape and murder are among the infamous things Saab and his brother commit following this wedding rebuff. But since Shah Rukh Khan always seems to play the handsome hero, you will likely assume that by the end of the picture all will be well and justice will be restored...or will it? After all, once Saab's wrath in unleashed on poor Shanker, he might not live long enough to do anything heroic.

The shame of all this is that the plot is quite good and there is a good film hidden underneath the occasional overacting, lapses in writing and mediocre canned singing. I cannot see giving this one anything better than a 5 because of these defects...and this is a bit generous. While I usually hate remakes, this one could stand a remake. Put Shah Rukh Khan in it again...and get rid of the awful comic relief!!!

*The first musical number is the strangest. The song is sung by Gauri and a bunch of children and it's all about the cannabis they've just eaten!

**The Doctor behaves almost exactly like Le Fou in "Beauty and the Beast". However, "Beauty and the Beast" is a cartoon that is mostly for kids...so why does the Doctor behave almost like a cartoon?! Yes, the acting is that broad and that bad with him and a few of the comic relief characters.

I watched this film when I was young and since then I must have watched this film 13 times. It is an very entertaining film and something new for a Bollywood film. Rajasaheb (amrish Puri)is one of the best villains in my opinion and deserves an Oscar for his portrayal as rajasaheb. Madhuri's performance as Gauri is fantastic as usual as she is my favourite actress and shahrukh khan as a mute Shankar gives another fine performance. It has a very good storyline and performance and the action scenes are very well executed. What stands out the most is the soundtrack, which will surely make you dance to the tunes. Rakesh Roshan did a fantastic job and hope in future he makes films similar to this one

Must watch movie, Hope you like it 9/10

Young Shah Rukh Khan emerged as a romantic hero in Bollywood in the early nineties starring in movies like Deewana (1992), Dil Aashna Hai (1992) and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992). However he took risk and did action-packed and gore-soaked movies like Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994) with his roles having negative shades in them. The historic success of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) catapulted him to the top of stardom and he became the first choice of the Bollywood filmmakers for romantic movies. Nevertheless he did not allow himself to get typecast and kept on doing action movies also. Koyla (1997) is one such movie only which is an action-packed and technically superior drama with good musical score but which did not click on the box office. The probable reason for its failure will come later in this review.

I had watched Koyla (coal) on the very first day of its release in the Batra cinema situated at Dr. Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi and was a little disappointed because I was expecting to see a movie with a good story. But despite getting a big-screen and value for money entertainment for around two hours and forty-five minutes, I felt that a technically good movie without a quality story is nothing more than the food which is delicious to eat but leaves something to be desired on the nourishment front.

The story is titled as Koyla, i.e., coal because its villain is a businessman known as Raja Saheb (Amrish Puri) who owns a coal mine. He is lusty despite his old age and sets his eyes on a local village girl Gauri (Madhuri Dixit). He sends wedding proposal for her but with the photo of not himself but his mute servant Shankar (Shah Rukh Khan) as the prospective groom. Gauri happily agrees only to be shocked on the conjugal night when she finds that the person claiming to be her husband is an old man and not the youth whose photo had been shown to her. However now she is helpless. Raja Saheb imprisons her when she refuses to accept him as her husband. When Shankar tries to help her, Raja Saheb goes after the lives of both of them. Now several twists keep on coming in the story which reaches its action-packed finale when the villain gets burnt in the flames emanating from the enormous stock of coal around him when the hero seeks his revenge from him for the atrocities levied on not only the heroine but also his own tragic life and making him an orphan in the past. Quite naturally, the path of the union of the lead pair of the story is paved thereby.

It's a Rakesh Roshan movie. Actor Rakesh Roshan had started directing movies in the late eighties and movie after movie, he kept on refining his directorial skills. He kept himself in the line of producing and directing formula-based masala flicks for mass entertainment. Before Koyla, he had made many such movies none of which had failed on the box office. Koyla became the first flop directed by him. Why ?

The first and foremost reason for the same is that the hero has been shown as a mute person in the story and he remains so for the major part of the narrative. With the grand success of DDLJ, Shah Rukh Khan's voice as well as his style and mannerism of speaking had become immensely popular especially among the young viewers. Hence finding their favorite hero as speechless or mute in the movie was a very big disappointment for them. Though his speaking ability has shown to have come back in the later reels of the movie, it was too little too late from the viewpoint of the audience which was enthusiastic to hear him.

Besides, a good movie always finds its feet on a foundation of a strong, convicting and appealing story. Hence to make a good movie, there should be a good story in the first place. The story of Koyla is dated, illogical and irritating at times. Undue footage has been given to the character of the villan, i.e., Amrish Puri (and his sidekicks as well) whereas the hero and the heroine have got comparatively less footage and less importance. Hence the talented due of SRK and Madhuri could not leave their mark in the movie in the way they were capable of.

Notwithstanding the flaws, Koyla is not a boring movie. The scenic beauty, the well-choreographed song and dance numbers, the eye-widening action scenes and the melodious music composed by Rajesh Roshan have definitely made this movie at least a one time watch. Two songs stand out - Tanhaai Tanhaai Tanhaai and Ghoonghate Mein Chanda Hai. Background score is good, Dialogues are okay.

Despite weak story and weak characterization, both SRK and Madhuri have given their best to the movie. Their pair is lovely and likeable by all means. On the acting front also, the are damn impressive. Comedian Johnny Lever has got a meaty role in this movie as the hero's friend and he has done full justice to it. Other supporting characters viz. Deepshikha, Ashok Saraf, Himani Shivpuri etc. Are also well in place. The minor villains are just okay whereas Amrish Puri has infused life into the character of the main villain though he appears to be akin to a joker at places.

Koyla is now remembered as the only flop movie presented by the producer-director Rakesh Roshan. However, it's not trash. If watched with a modest expectation, it does not disappoint a regular entertainment-seeker. The fans of SRK and Madhuri also can give it a dekko.

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Hey People,

I am not usually into Indian movies due to the fact that English is my first language and Bengali is my second. If I ever do watch Indian movies it would be when there are subtitles in them. However a close friend of mines sat down with me and literally translated the movie for me. And boy it was an experience. I was so engrossed in the film. It has its comedy moments and its dramas. I'd really suggest everybody to watch the movie. It may be ultra violent in places but I think the violence is justified as it makes ur more emotionally involved with the characters. Enjoy and e:mail me with what you think.

l8rz

saiful

Koyla marked Shah Rukh Khan's third and last collaboration from King Uncle and Karan Arjun.

Karan Arjun ended up being a bumper hit, which lead audiences to have enormous expectations from Koyla. With expectations like that, Koyla was bound to fail, and it did (even though it did make a good amount at the box office). The reason for the failure is probably due to the fact that there is hardly a light moment but I like it for that very reason.

To be honest I didn't like Karan Arjun back then gradually warmed to it. I do however consider it to be the weakest of the collaboration and find it to be quite run of the mill stuff with Amrish Puri replaying his greedy thakur routine with Rakhee Gulzar sleepwalking through her hard done by women routine that she has been doing since Ram Lakhan.

Anyway I digress, I have always enjoyed Koyla. I recently revisited and was a enjoyable experience.

I consider this to be one of Amrish Puri's strongest roles, he is absolutely ferocious in this. Ranjeet, Jack Gaud and Salim Ghouse lend him good villainous support.

A recurring angle that appears in Rakesh Roshan movies is the protagonist is portrayed as weak but gains strength later, whether it is Rekha from Khoon Bhari Maang, Shah Rukh Khan in this.

It must have been a challenge making the lead actor's role mute in the first half but I believe they managed it quite well.

Shah Rukh Khan is good in the lead.

Madhuri also does well in the female lead as the woman who is deceived into a marriage with Amrish Puri.

Anyways Koyla is a good entertaining role that was sadly overlooked at the time.

I had high hopes from this film but this turned out to be surprisingly bad. The storyline is very weak and full of clichés. Shahrukh is silent in the first half and changes his voice in the second. Despite these gimmicks, there is little worth mentioning. Amrish Puri is decent but very over the top as the villain. The other villains are rather sadistic and the nastiness leaves a foul taste. The violence should have been toned down. The action scenes are middling and overblown. Madhuri Dixit has a thankless part. Luckily, she has some watchable dance numbers with Shahrukh. Very disappointing.

Overall 2/10

The film is a remake of REVENGE which was remade in 1996 as KHILONA before

This film is hideous The film has an okay story but the treatment by RR is bad There are many forced rape scenes to titillate the crowd

The scenes involving SRK and Johny Lever aren't funny The Madhuri comedy scenes at the start are too childish

The marriage scene is well handled, by the way SRK played a similar role in PARDES which released at the same time, meaning getting a girl for someone else

The running away by SRK and Madhuri is well handled and then the film gets worst, suddenly SRK gains his voice(and talks in a fake put on tone) and goes on killing people

Rakesh Roshan disappoints with bad handling Music is okay

SRK tries hard and does manage a few scenes as the mute well but then when he gets his voice he irritates Madhuri overacts in initial scenes but is okay otherwise Amrish Puri is good but his bloody fool irritates Ashok Saraf irritates, Johny overacts