User reviews

After the super duper success of Sholay the Sippy's came up with this lavish James Bond type action flick. I really can't give the Sippy's enough credit for making Shaan so different to Sholay. Whilst Sholay was a mesh of different genres Shaan is more or less a straight forward action epic. You can see it's inspiration from the title sequence, which is reminiscent of the Bond movies. Even the villain Shakaal's lair is modelled on that of a Bond villain's. Amitabh Bachan,Shashi Kapoor and Shatrughan Sinha perform well whilst Sunil Dutt and Rakhee Gulzar provide fantastic support. Even Kulbushan Karbanda was extraordinary as the evil Shakaal. Shaan also benefits from having a good number of villain character actors, from what I remember there was Dilip Tahil, Sharat Saxena,Goga Kapoor,Sudhir,Mac Mohan and quite a few more. Kulbushan Karbanda had a tough job on his hands trying to match upto the tyrant Gabbar Singh but he delivers. Although half of that credit goes to writers Salim Javed for creating such a fantastic villain in the form of Shakaal Let me take this opportunity to mention an interesting fact, I had seen Kulbushan Karbanda in many movies as a child and had seen Shaan over 30 times yet failed to recognise him as Shakaal because I had never seen him bald. The songs by R.D. Burman were great, especially Pyar Karnewale and Yamma Yamma. Salim Javed had a tough job on their jobs trying to write a script to rival their previous movie Sholay but they delivered. The script was good but the action scenes were fabulous. Shaan is further proof that with Amitabh on board the Sippy's can create classics, even further proof was their next venture Satte Pe Satta.

If you compare this movie with other Ramesh Sippy movies like Akayla (Amitabh, Meenakshi, Amrita, Jacjie and Aditya), Bhrashtachar (Rekha, Rajnikant and Shilpa in her debut role), Zamaana Deewaana (Shah Rukh, Raveena, Shatru and Jeetendra), Andaz (Hema, Rajesh and Shammi) this is an absolute classic. If you compare it to Seeta aur Geeta (Hema, Sanjeev, Dharmendra) and Saagar (Rishi, Dimple in her topless scene, Kamal) this movie is OK but if you compare it to Sholay it is a letdown (but which movie isn't. Ramesh Sippy as a director is in good form (not topform). R.D. Burman gave a better soundtrack than in Sholay which songs like Jaanu meri Jaan, Yamma Yamma and others. Amitabh Bachchan is THE HERO with support from Shashi kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Sunil Dutt (in a special appearance) , Raakhee, Jhonny Walker, Parveen Babi and Bindiya Goswami. Kulbhushan Karbanda makes a mark as Shakal bur he is no Gabbar Singh. This movie can be best describes as Sholay in the city. If you don't expect a Sholay this movie certainly entertains. The story is about three brothers Sunil Dutt ( a police officer), his wife Raakhee, his two brothers Amitabh and Shahsi who are two conmen. On their wedding anniversary Sunil and Raakhee get shot by Shatrughan but they survive. Half an hour later Sunil does get killed. Now Amitabh and Shahshi get serious and want to take revenge on the killers. They get unexpected help from Shatrughan who has become a good man. Thgether these three tackle Shakal with help from their girlfriends and Shatru. No super plot but like almost all Ramesh Sipy films the execution is perfect. A flop when released but a cult movie now. Definitely worth a watch and far far much better then the crap action movies that come out now. Definitely worth a watch, not only for Amitabh Bachchan -the only great Indian Actor (except for Rishi Kapoor) but the supporting cast is good as well. Watch out for the scene with Amitabh and Prakash Mehra's Raquela Padmini Kapilla in a special appearance. This scene is hilarious. All in all a very good movie

5 years after the breakthrough success of SHOLAY, director Ramesh Sippy once again teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan - and this time they're taking no prisoners. SHAAN is a grandly conceived epic of action, adventure, comedy, romance, drama and a bald supervillain who keeps a man-eating crocodile in his underground lair.

Amitabh Bachchan and <some other guy> are bad guys! But they're not the kind of bad guys you hate... they're the lovable rogue types. They're con-men, but they only con other bad guys. Their policeman brother knows this, and when he arrests them it's really for their own good. When they get out of jail he's there as a brother to support them, and they earnestly decide to try and go straight. But their plans of living an ordinary life are foiled when they get caught up in the investigation of super-villain Shakal, a bad guy in the best James Bond tradition played brilliantly by Kulbhushan Kharbanda. The good bad guys have to go up against the really bad bad guys!

SHAAN is like every movie ever made all rolled up into one, and barrelled through at a pace that makes the 195 minute running time seem very brief. It rides a little roughly, with some pieces of plot development and editing that challenge logic and continuity, but with tons of energy and enthusiasm. It's not as carefully crafted as the masterful SHOLAY, but it does provide the same kind of fun and thrills that make DON such great entertainment. It's a grandly ambitious movie that sometimes skirts the line between genius and simple madness very closely. It's the kind of movie they just don't make anymore!

A movie so grandiose can only work with a cast up to the task, but Amitabh rises to the occasion, oozing cool and commanding the screen most of the time. As with SHOLAY though, the bad guy nearly upstages the heroes - he definitely has all the best lines (plus an island fortress surrounded by sharks!).

SHAAN may borrow most of its elements from other movies (notably the James Bond movies), but it has enough personality of its own to make them seem fresh and special all over again. You just can't help grinning at the sheer silliness of it all, and getting carried away by the melodrama. It's a movie treat, jam packed full of high calorie entertainment. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

Shaan is a Big budget movie from the Great Director Ramesh Sippy, who has given us the Best Bollywood film of all time Sholay. His next film is bigger in budget and star cast. Shaan is a Highyly enjoyable movie that has lots of comedy with action and fun. Amitabh Bachcan in a entertaining role. Shashi Kapoor is amusing at times. Sunil dutt is efficient. Rakhee gives a decent performance. Shutrungh Sinha is not too bad. The Late Parveen Babi is fairly good, she was one of my favourite actresses in the 80s. Shaan has a classic villain Shakaal played by Kulbushan Kurbandar in his best movie of his career. Shakaal is a james bond style villain who has his own island with guns, secret rooms, rotating chairs, sharks and crocodiles. Shaan in full on entertainment and a must see if you haven't seen it.

Shaan has everything you would want in a film - there's comedy, drama, action, great music, and an all-star cast. Not only that, but there also is a car chase, a hostage crisis, a shootout, a jewel heist, and a deadly marine animal!

Characters include a pair of con-artist brothers who get conned themselves but end up joining their crafty foes (an uncle and niece team), another brother who just happens to be a police officer, his wife and daughter, a mischievous club singer, a hitman who turns good, a diabolical villain and his cronies, and a disabled informant. What more could you ask for?

As if the movie itself is not enough, the music is excellent as well. What else can you expect from R.D. Burman? "Yamma Yamma" is an instant classic. Find out for yourself if you haven't heard it yet, just ask for the MP3. "Pyar Karne Wale" is a hit as well, and fits perfectly into the movie, unlike most songs in Hindi films which just appear out of nowhere (and I must say, Parveen Babi looks great as she "sings" and dances to it in the movie).

This film is a 10/10 all the way. Shaan may be older than I am, but it's a film for the ages, and my father having a rather large video collection, Shaan being among them, I must have seen it at least a half dozen times since I was little. If you love watching Hindi movies, but haven't seen it yet, put it on your list of ones to watch. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

A disaster of a movie despite having top talent. The only good thing about this movie is that it gave us Kulbhushan Kharbanda. Sadly, here he is the villain playing with his bald head. Poor Ramesh Sippy tries every trick in the book but was never able to come even close to his 'Sholay (1975)' success.

Watch this movie if you like rubber crocodiles.

I consider Shaan to be one of the best Indian films ever made. It looks like a very professionally made film, which is quite rare in Indian Cinema.

The fight sequences are very good. Mr Sippy (the director) wisely chose to use the same style as in his previous blockbuster, Sholay. This adds a touch of realism to the fights, as opposed to the norm in Indian films, where we get to see the hero beat-up about 20 guys on his own.

Another highlight of the film was the music. Sippy had an original music soundtrack created for this film, as opposed to stealing bits and pieces from other films. This really does help to increase your enjoyment of the movie. I don't generally like the songs in Indian films, but they were quite good in this film.

The cast is excellent, with everyone performing well in their roles. I find that a lot of films with all-star casts suffer problems as the director tries to give everyone equal screen-time to the detriment of the plot. However, in this film, the whole cast gels. Shatrughan Sinha's character is wisely introduced half-way through the story, thus avoiding trying to introduce too many lead-characters at the start od the film. Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor play well off each other as always. As usual, the female characters don't have much to do in the film, with the possible exception of Rakhee Gulzar.

The villain is brilliantly played by Kulbushan Kharbanda. It's blatantly obvious that this character (Shakal) is modelled on Blofeld from the James Bond movies, as is much of the film itself. One gets the feeling that the Sippy was trying to create a villain that would be remembered in Indian Cinematic history in the same way as his earlier creation, Gabbar Singh. Although Shakal is not remembered as fondly as Gabbar Singh by many people, he's still one of Indian Cinema's more memborable villains.

The plot of the movie is sometimes a bit silly (for example, we get the heroes dancing with their girlfriends in a bus soon after they discover that one their family members has been murdered). However, this is a minor criticism in an otherwise brilliant film.

If you like Indian films, Shaan is essential viewing. I'd give it 10 out of 10.

Ramesh Sippy once again made another film where the antagonist is deadlier than the protagonist. Khulbushan khurbanda character Shaakal really steals the show and Amitabh and Shashi did a great performance together again after Deewar. Straughan sinha and other actors also did great performance too.

This movie is a great timepass film and a great entertaining movie

Shaan tells the story of an honest inspector named DCP Shiv Kumar (Sunil Dutt) who lives a very peaceful life with his wife (Rakhee Gulzar), daughter and two brothers Ravi & Vijay. However, upon, investigating about different crimes in his area, he is killed in his line of duty. However, later on his two brothers Ravi (Shashi Kapoor) & Vijay (Amitabh Batchchan) was persuade by a circus master and a marks man (Shatrughan Sinha) that a man called Shakal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) who keeps a man-eating crocodile was responsible for his death. They, however, after fighting a prolong battle of great difficulty they manage to reach the island where Shakal is holed up and killed him and also have there brother's revenge taken.

Khulbhushan Kharbanda Role Shakaal Was Outstanding.

Shaan review :

Following up a blockbuster like Sholay (1975) was never going to be an easy task. Nevertheless, Ramesh Sippy envisaged his next as an urban thriller set in a James Bond style milieu. His vision was grand, his starcast comprised half the film industry and his villain was modelled on Blofeld. He named it Shaan. His biggest venture ever.

Salim Javed's script, despite its excesses and loopholes, had the potential to become a complete commercial potboiler and Sippy ensured Shaan became just that!! The hype and hooplah surrounding the film was such that it released in practically every theatre in Mumbai including the Minerva where Sippy's Sholay was still running for five years since 1975. The all time biggest blockbuster was removed from Minerva just to accommodate Shaan. The first week tickets were sold out in advance in every cinema hall in India.

While Shaan as a standalone product made for an entertaining watch, the audience expected something bigger and better than Sholay. Although there was no connection between the two. After all, Sholay was set in a village called Ramgarh and dealt with a ferocious dacoit while Shaan's villain sat comfortably with his remote controlled gadgets on an island. But still, the comparison happened and Shakaal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) though considered one of the best Bollywood villains today, was then derided for being nowhere close to Amjad Khan's Gabbar.

The box office collections slid in subsequent weeks and the trade was quick to label Shaan as a flop. Though its collections were not that bad at all. The film celebrated a silver jubilee (25 weeks) at the Minerva and other cinemas across India. But yes, it couldn't repeat the success of Sholay. Nor could any other film directed by Ramesh Sippy. Shaan actually did better in its multiple re-runs through the '80s and '90s.

Personally, I have lot of memories associated with Shaan. It was my first film as a four year old kid accompanying my parents at Badal Cinema at Matunga. I was happily playing on the staircase of the auditorium while my parents were enjoying the movie. Later, I caught it again in a re-run at Mahim's Citylight Cinema in a housefull Sunday afternoon show.

Amitabh's superstardom, RD Burman's outstanding score, brilliant production values and Ramesh Sippy's solid direction were the film's positives. But yea, a Sholay it wasn't!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Shaan is a classic Bollywood film directed by Ramesh Sippy, released in 1980. It features an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Shatrughan Sinha, Rakhee Gulzar, and Parveen Babi. Shaan is an action-packed thriller that revolves around a group of individuals who join forces to combat a notorious criminal.

The film showcases R. D. Burman's memorable soundtrack, with songs like "Yamma Yamma" and "Jaanu Meri Jaan" becoming huge hits and still popular today. The music adds a lively and entertaining element to the movie.

One of the standout aspects of Shaan is its stellar cast. Amitabh Bachchan delivers a remarkable performance as the charming and witty Vijay, while Shashi Kapoor portrays his loyal and sincere brother, Ravi. The chemistry between the two leads is one of the film's highlights. Shatrughan Sinha also impresses with his portrayal of a flamboyant and mischievous character.

The film combines elements of action, comedy, and drama to create an engaging storyline. The plot revolves around a master criminal named Shakal, played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda, who plans to steal a priceless diamond. Vijay and Ravi, along with a group of eclectic individuals, including a street performer played by Sunil Dutt and a police officer played by Rakhee Gulzar, unite to stop Shakal's evil intentions.

The action sequences in Shaan are well choreographed and provide an adrenaline-pumping experience for the viewers. The film's climax, featuring a high-stakes battle between the heroes and the villains, is particularly memorable.

However, one could argue that the film's narrative becomes somewhat convoluted at times, with certain plot points feeling rushed or underdeveloped. Despite this, Shaan manages to entertain with its engaging performances, memorable dialogues, and entertaining set pieces.

Overall, Shaan is a classic Bollywood film that has stood the test of time. It offers a good mix of action, comedy, and drama, complemented by a talented cast and memorable music. If you enjoy vintage Bollywood movies with a blend of entertainment and thrill, Shaan is definitely worth a watch.

If you like James Bond, you'll love it!!!

Pure action, good roles, good songs! Bit different from the usual indian themes too.

Recommended!

Amitabh and Shashi make the best duo with Shatrugan adding to it. The personality of Shakaal is unique compared to Gabbar with a soft but menacing tone. Songs, particularly "Janu meri jaan" are classical and better than todays nonsense. Crocodiles as the antagonist's weapon appeals to the audience and definitely adds to the villain's nastiness. Sunil Dutt is perfect to play the role of an honest polie officer. There is a lot of killing scenes but it's good.

Such a underrated movie, a Huge star cast and well written. Story of 3 brothers and a loner. 2 brothers are petty little thief's and older brother is a honest police officer. Their life's turn upside down when a big criminal decides to cross their paths. The soundtrack is amazing, with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar. Well worth a watch.

Film Length as shown in Censor Certificate is 5714.51mtr and No.of Reels 22. The running time of film should be 208 mins (3hr 28min). Whereas it is available only 2hr.47mins.

Hardworking Police Officer Shiv Kumar (Sunil Dutt) lives with his wife, his son, and two wayward brothers. When he is killed, Ravi ( Shashi Kapoor) and Vijay(Amitabh Bachchan) renounce their waywardness to find their brother's killer, to avenge his death.

Shaan was penned by Salim-Javed duo and directed by Ramesh Sippy, the team that brought you the iconic Sholay, and, of course, with such a group of people there were high expectations to match the 1975 films success, and unfortunately Shaan didn't ignite the box office returns in the same manner, however that doesn't, in my eyes, blight the escapist delight which is Shaan, a James Bond meets Bollywood adventure that has enough thrills, comedy, intrigue and drama to keep you glued.

With a big star cast featuring here, you just can't go wrong, and they all play their parts very well. Amitabh Bachchan is cool and is at the top of his game, Shashi Kapoor is a great foil to his antics, Sunil Dutt is solid in a police role, Shatrughan Sinha is cool in a roguish assassin role, and Parveen Babi and Bindya Godswami add the glamour, but of course, the attention will be on Kulbhushan Karabanda who plays Shakaal with the right balance of charisma and menace. His James Bond lair is well-designed. His island was shot in UK.

The plot is tight, moves snappily, and engages you - but it's the action is what I like. It's exciting in an outlandish way, but it's still reined in with some slice of grittiness. Loved the hostage tower scene. The car chases and shootout featuring Shotgun Sinha are great too.

If you want a thrilling Bollywood action-adventure blockbuster whose sole intention is to entertain, then Shaan is perfect watch.