Karma

1986 193’ col/scope Hindi d Subhash Ghai pc Mukta Arts lyr Anand Bakshi m Laxmikant-Pyarelal lp Dilip Kumar, Nutan, Dara Singh, Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Naseeruddin Shah, Anil Kapoor, Tom Alter, Poonam Dhillon, Sridevi, Shakti Kapoor

Dirty Dozen (1967) -style film invoking ‘terrorists’ backed by ‘neighbouring’ states. Rana Vishnu Pratap Singh (Kumar) is a benevolent warden of a jail who feels that people become criminals either because they are forced into crime by a corrupt society (in which case they should get a second chance) or through greed (which is unpardonable). His main hatred is reserved for Dr Dang (Kher), head of the Black Star Organisation, a group of international terrorists. The obstreperous Dang arranges to bomb the jail, killing inmates, and during his escape bid Dang massacres Rana’s family, except for his wife Seeta (Nutan), who goes dumb with shock, and his youngest son. Rana is put in charge of a special anti-terrorist squad comprising murderers condemned to death: Baiju Thakur (Shroff), Khairu (Shah) and Johnny (A. Kapoor). Rana trains them at a border post in the farmhouse of the former criminal Dharma (Dara Singh). The relationship between the condemned men and their leader forms the bulk of the film, interspersed with love affairs, until the quartet eventually overwhelms the villain’s heavily guarded military retreat.

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