WHY ‘KHAL NAYAK’ IS THIS WEEK'S PICK



    The 1993 film ‘Khal Nayak’ was the year's second highest-grossing film thanks to the love and hate on-screen chemistry of Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit. The film completed 30 years of its release last month and is set to re-release in theatres on September 5th.


New Delhi: Villains played by heroes are a typical storytelling cliche used to test the moral boundaries of the audience and delve into the complexities of characters. ‘Khal Nayak’ is one such story with all the traditional Subhash Ghai spices. The movie has a mix of action, drama, and music that was typical of its time, yet it raises a number of issues that may be seen in a new light in the modern day. Ghai was never a master of tact, which is why we get the narrative of a dangerous villain converted into a hero at the end. 


Sanjay Dutt's role as Khalnayak is one he will forever be remembered for. The film followed Inspector Ram (Jackie Shroff) and his lover Ganga, as they tried to catch the fugitive Ballu (Sanjay Dutt). We were not surprised to see Jackie Shroff as an upstanding policeman named Ram. His character has less interesting nuances, yet it is tolerable.


Madhuri Dixit plays Ganga, a police officer who disguises herself as a sex worker to apprehend the dangerous mobster Balram "Ballu" Prasad (Sanjay Dutt). Sub-Inspector Ganga (Madhuri Dixit), a close friend and love interest of Ram, tries to help him rebuild his name by capturing Ballu.




The film opens with Rakhee Gulzar, as usual in a mother role, who waits for her wayward son. A blustery setting and the mother is reading a book (the Ramayana), looking at a photo of her son (Sanjay Dutt) while dramatic music plays. An old man can be seen engaging in a one-sided convo and he goes, "Ramayan me ravan ki photo dekh rahi ho." 


The struggles and societal pressures that women face are shown via Ganga's character in the film. In one of the scenes, Ghai uses a conversation about unmarried women being a burden. It makes us think if a lot has changed today or not. Ganga's commitment to Ram and the importance she places on protecting his reputation are indicative of the constraints placed on women in that age by conventional gender roles and social norms. Ballu's attraction to Ganga, and her realisation that she isn't completely immune, just makes matters more problematic. 




Madhuri's loud character gets annoying sometimes and one can wonder whether she's really enjoying travelling with a villain or just acting. But, it's good to see a female character getting all the attention. 


The crazy laughs and jerky movements of Ballu make him sound like a maniac. Very few performers would be able to play such a terrible character and yet win over the audience. Sanjay is both threatening and fragile, repulsive yet intriguing. This is a brilliant act. His depiction of a criminal has resonance because of the seriousness with which he portrays it. However, by today's standards, some of the action scenes and dialogues are too baseless and exaggerated.




The film shows an unfavourable image of the police dealing with a criminal. What kind of police officer engages with a prisoner and takes it all personally? Perhaps the filmmakers were experimenting with a combat sequence including two heroes, but the result was unappealing. The action director clearly went above and above, with fighting scenes taking place on a jail mess to on top of the tree. Not to forget, a murder with a fruit knife!


From today's perspective, the film's plot and character arcs may seem too melodramatic. Remember that the film was made at a period when this kind of storytelling was more often used and accepted. 


Cinematic styles and fashion choices of the time period are all on display in this film. The dynamics of law enforcement and criminals are also explored, but in a setting that, given the developments in crime fiction, may seem quaint. 


Ramya Krishnan is as stunning as ever; she must have been a fashion icon back in 1993. In the film, she only dances with glam makeup and snazzy outfits and sighs for Ballu. Looks like the makers used glamorous female attention to divert the audience. It's why Ramya was presumably cast, despite the fact that she had no important dialogues and was hardly included in the plot.


Need to be mentioned, weird and cringy dialogues between Anupam Kher and Sushmita Mukherjee. They just served comic characters in the film.




The tagline of the film was “Har khalnayak me ek Nayak chupa hua hota hai.” It seems, therefore, that one may convince and emerge as a hero in the end.


Songs of 'Khal Nayak'


Songs in Bollywood films are more than just filler; they play an essential part in elevating the audience's interest and creating a lasting impression.


Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun's rendition of ‘Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai’ from ‘Khal Nayak’ is still popular after 30 years. The album was one of the year's best-selling Bollywood albums, selling 10 million cassettes. Saroj Khan made this song what it is with every word and move, while Madhuri Dixit and Neena Gupta added their signature killing expressions. The song is allegedly "vulgar" in nature yet people can't stop enjoying it.



Madhuri Dixit's performance to Alka Yagnik's 'Paalkhi Mein Hoke Sawar Chali Re' is another timeless classic from the film. 


Sanjay Dutt's walks and his smirks give us shivers whenever ‘Nayak Nahi Khal Nayak Hai Tu’ plays in the background. 


In general, ‘Khal Nayak’ captures the exaggerated drama and fashion of Bollywood in the 1990s. It may be tacky and old but is still remembered for Sanjay Dutt's act and Madhuri's dance. Also, you might end up humming ‘Ku Ku Ku Ku’ after watching the movie. 


‘Khal Nayak’ is available to watch on Prime Video.