Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Nayak: The Real Hero

  • 2001
  • Not Rated
  • 3h 7m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
19K
YOUR RATING
Anil Kapoor in Nayak: The Real Hero (2001)
One-Person Army ActionPolitical DramaPolitical ThrillerActionDramaThriller

A man accepts a challenge by the chief minister of Maharashtra to run the state for one day, and makes such a success of it that soon he is embroiled in political intrigue.A man accepts a challenge by the chief minister of Maharashtra to run the state for one day, and makes such a success of it that soon he is embroiled in political intrigue.A man accepts a challenge by the chief minister of Maharashtra to run the state for one day, and makes such a success of it that soon he is embroiled in political intrigue.

  • Director
    • S. Shankar
  • Writers
    • Anurag Kashyap
    • S. Shankar
  • Stars
    • Anil Kapoor
    • Rani Mukerji
    • Amrish Puri
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    19K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • S. Shankar
    • Writers
      • Anurag Kashyap
      • S. Shankar
    • Stars
      • Anil Kapoor
      • Rani Mukerji
      • Amrish Puri
    • 21User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Nayak - The Real Hero | Anil Kapoor | Rani Mukerji | Amrish Puri | Trailer
    Film Short 1:35
    Nayak - The Real Hero | Anil Kapoor | Rani Mukerji | Amrish Puri | Trailer

    Photos17

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 11
    View Poster

    Top cast37

    Edit
    Anil Kapoor
    Anil Kapoor
    • Shivaji Rao
    Rani Mukerji
    Rani Mukerji
    • Manjari
    Amrish Puri
    Amrish Puri
    • Balraj Chauhan (Chief Minister)
    Paresh Rawal
    Paresh Rawal
    • Bansal
    Johny Lever
    Johny Lever
    • Topi
    • (as Johnny Lever)
    Pooja Batra
    Pooja Batra
    • Laila
    Raja Krishnamoorthy
    • Shivaji's Father
    Neena Kulkarni
    Neena Kulkarni
    • Shivaji's Mother
    Shivaji Satam
    Shivaji Satam
    • Manjari's Father
    • (as Shivaaji Satam)
    Saurabh Shukla
    Saurabh Shukla
    • Pandurang
    Anupam Shyam
    Anupam Shyam
    • Balraj Chauhan's supporter
    Laxmi Ratan
    • QTV Channel boss
    Mahinder Shera
    • Sikh Tukaram
    Sanjeev Siddharth
    Indal Singh
    • Bus Driver who tries to commit suicide
    Mukesh Trivedi
    Sudhir Waghmare
    Sushmita Sen
    Sushmita Sen
    • Special appearance
    • Director
      • S. Shankar
    • Writers
      • Anurag Kashyap
      • S. Shankar
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews21

    7.818.7K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10rajputshri

    Beautiful movie anil kapoor acting beautifuly movie based on indian system

    Nobody expect this type of movies made again and again I think after 100 Years from now Nobody made like that script Or acting like anil kapoor , superstar and megastar anil kapoor and beautiful rani mukharji work beautifuly.
    9malamal

    Excellent

    This is a remake of Shankar's own south film Madhalvan in Hindi. The south Whizz kid director has made an awesome spectacle of a film with Nayak.

    It is a definite must see. Rahman's music is superb, 'shaka laka baby!' to say the least. This film contains superior special effects and CGI for it's time, unlike others who have no sense of using CGI effectively and non garishly, Shankar has created beautiful sequences for the songs. The cinematography is breathtaking, a joy to the eye. The South influence is very imminent, that is what makes this film so good along with a bravura performance from Anil Kapoor and the sensuous Rani Mukerjee although underused only adds to the films beauty.
    sameerhalai

    Very nice movie

    What impressed me most about the movie is the tightness of the script. Events unfold one after the other. Neither too fast, nor too slow. Keeps you gripped. The events are coherent. Something you rarely see in Indian movies is people referring to events that have happened in the beginning of the movie. More often than not, the scripts are improvised on the sets and to maintain continuity the dialogues are abstract in nature so that the different parts gel in. To make a movie with cross references to subtle events needs you to have a script very firmly in place.

    Second good thing about the movie was the experimentation with Visuals. Though at some points I felt that they have just indulged into special effects without the need for it (they should use effects only where needed), but honestly I was very impressed by the efforts taken to meet quality standards.

    What has put off many people about the movie is the songs and dance and the unrealistic fights and some silly extremisms. Well the songs really don't have much bearing on the movie. And they have experimented with a very rustic style of entertainment which won't get wasted on everyone. As far as the fights and 'silly extremisms' go, I feel they tried to retain the HERO flavour which would really appeal to a large aspect of the masses.

    The movie has very innovative ideas and also dares to be different - thougt most of that part should be attributed to its South Indian Counterpart.

    I would say please go and see the movie. Its a nice experience. Appreciate it for its professionalism and technical expertise. Appreciate it for amazing dialogues and great performances by Paresh Rawal and Anil Kapoor both. It is a thought provoking film - something I feel the movie really set out to be. So its purpose is served.
    10hemantkhan

    Nayak - Absolutely Magnificent!!

    Nayak - The Real Movie. A Great movie. A thoughtful process.

    Nayak has it all. It's no family drama with some crying trash thrown in. It's a thoughtful and a gripping story with exhilarating performances. Rahman's music is excellent. His typical Western Classical beats mixed with traditional Indian music with some Marathi influence. Picturization is brilliant especially in the song, Saiyaan. South Influence is not very imminent here unlike my friend who thinks it is, and believe me influence cannot make a movie good. It's the great story that grips the audience and Shankar's brilliance. I urge Shankar to make more movies or Hindi directors to remake some of his movies so we don't have to tolerate Aditya Chopra trash anymore.
    9MuviFan73

    Well addressed thriller, on being an ideal social servant!

    Tone, Script & Story: The movie is how a press reporter is challenged to be a C.M for one day and continues to be in the long run as well. The tone of corrupt by many official's as well as being an ideal social servant by other few official's is portrayed well. The script is tight and it keeps you in your seat till end.

    It is sad how on thebasis of factors like caste, category and formed groups, formulate such violence. People belonging to such faction possess low I.Q and thus formulate violence even without knowing whole truth. It's a shame, that they can't act wisely.

    Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography: Direction of S. Shankar is good. Screenplay and cinematography is good as well, except for the part where I dint like animated serpents. Music: Music is good too. Acting: Acting from all leads is good as well.

    Final Verdict: Well addressed thriller on being a true social servant. Worth adding to your collection.

    More like this

    Gangaajal
    7.8
    Gangaajal
    Border
    7.9
    Border
    Golmaal: Fun Unlimited
    7.5
    Golmaal: Fun Unlimited
    Chup Chup Ke
    7.0
    Chup Chup Ke
    Hungama
    7.6
    Hungama
    Sholay
    8.1
    Sholay
    Vaastav: The Reality
    8.0
    Vaastav: The Reality
    Koi... Mil Gaya
    7.2
    Koi... Mil Gaya
    Mudhalvan
    8.4
    Mudhalvan
    Welcome
    7.1
    Welcome
    Sivaji
    7.6
    Sivaji
    Dhamaal
    7.5
    Dhamaal

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The famous 3D fighting scene in the car junkyard originally involved Anil Kapoor being dripped in water. He was also gym training for 7 months for this scene. At the time of the shoot, he refused to shave his body hair, and finally it was planned to smear him in mud. It was the first action scene in Indian Cinema to employ the use of computer effects and 36 different cameras were used simultaneously for a single scene. When Anil Kapoor stated that he was not really comfortable with facing the camera with his shirt off, Shankar replied that the scene was very crucial for the story and he can change the hero but not the scene.
    • Goofs
      The final closing scene is supposed to show Mumbai being transformed into a modern city. While the first frame shows the Dharavi slums of Mumbai, the next morphed frame shows an existing American city. To add to this, the helicopter shown has an American registration.
    • Quotes

      Bansal: This is not a paid crowd, not lured with chicken-and-booze. Not the ones laden on trucks. They're here because they want to. Because they believe. This is a good man, a good leader. He will give us a good future, he will give us good governance. Ask any man, and he will say he wants to become a doctor, a civil servant, but no man wants to become a leader. Ask them. Everyone shuns politics, because it's filth, but no one's willing to clean it up. They leave the country in the hands of old hyenas who don't even have time to live. In this country, every man aspires for a 20,000-buck job, right? And a pretty girl to marry. Come time to retire you expect to save up enough to buy half an acre of land in the suburbs. To build a 700 square feet house. Painted yellow, and a garden to recline in the sun, while reading newspapers and tell your wife "Darling, politics is ruining this country". You have no right to blame a politician. Had Mahatma Gandhi cozied up at home with his wife and kids, you would've been cleaning latrines in some Englishman's house. Had Thomas Alva Edison not left home, would we have electricity? Had Graham Bell thought like you, would we be using telephones? Even the silkworm, before it dies uses its spit to weave silk to be remembered by. And we are humans.

    • Connections
      Featured in 47th Filmfare Awards (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Chalo Chale Mitwa
      Written by Anand Bakshi

      Composed by A.R. Rahman

      Performed by Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamurthy

      Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Nayak: The Real Hero?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 7, 2001 (India)
    • Country of origin
      • India
    • Official site
      • Watch Nayak on Disney+ Hotstar
    • Language
      • Hindi
    • Also known as
      • Nayak
    • Production companies
      • NH Studioz
      • Sri Surya Movies
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 3h 7m(187 min)
    • Color
      • Color

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.