Filmi badla: 20 must-see Bollywood revenge movies from last century
Revenge is best served cold. The retribution-seeking ghosts, reincarnated heroes, and avenging animals of vintage Hindi cinema agree.
1. Baiju Bawra (1951)
An unusual entry among Bollywood’s trope-heavy revenge dramas, this 1950s hit is best remembered for its iconic soundtrack, with vengeance at the heart of its story. Baiju spends his childhood consumed by a desire for revenge against Tansen, the renowned singer at Emperor Akbar’s court, whom he holds responsible for his musician father’s death. A grown up Baiju would challenge his nemesis to a duel—but a musical one, where the outcome promises to be fatal.
2. Madhumati (1958)
Master filmmaker Bimal Roy weaves a mystical tale of thwarted love, reincarnation, and revenge set against the backdrop of the mountains. With its masterful storytelling, evocative cinematography, and haunting soundtrack, Madhumati is a cut above all the other filmi punarjanam sagas and is regarded as one of Hindi cinema’s finest masterpieces.
3. Intaqam (1969)
Sadhana makes a fabulous transformation from a simple office girl to a chic head-turner determined to exact revenge from her tormentors. Directed by the actress’ husband RK Nayyar, this gripping tale of deceit and retribution was inspired by the 1930 Hollywood film Paid starring Joan Crawford. Intaqam is best remembered for its hit songs “Kaise Rahun Chup” and Helen’s iconic cabaret number “Aa Jaane Jaan.”
4. Jeevan Mrityu (1970)
In this desi re-imagination of Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, Dharmendra plays an honest bank manager who sets out to settle scores with his treacherous colleagues who framed him in an embezzlement case.
5. Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche (1972)
A rotten dead body crawls out of its grave to punish those who betrayed and killed him. In this camp classic, the Ramsay Brothers deliver a chilling twist to the classic deception-revenge trope, complete with zombies, eerie havelis, and grim graveyards.
6. Sholay (1975)
Salim-Javed and the Sippys gave the Indian audience a taste of spaghetti westerns and frontier justice—packing dacoits, horses, train chases, gunfights, and some of the most iconic moments in Indian cinema history. Though panned by critics upon release, it went on to become India’s biggest blockbuster and set the template for numerous revenge films—Aandhi-Toofan (1985), Karma (1986), Mardon Wali Baat (1988), China Gate (1998), and many more—for years to come..
7. Nagin (1976)
A ravishing Reena Roy stars as a shapeshifting snake determined to avenge her lover’s death in this superhit fantasy multi-starrer. With her dazzling fashion sense, striking coloured lenses, and fierce attitude, Roy set the standard for all avenging icchadhari naagins that followed.
8. Daku Aur Mahatma (1977)
This relatively lesser-known feature brought an interesting twist to the dacoit dramas that dominated the 1970s. Popular child artists of the time, such as Mehmood Junior, Master Ripple, Master Vijay and others, star as a group of orphaned children who band together to seek revenge on the dacoits who wreaked havoc in their village—unaware that the mysterious man training them is, in fact, the leader of the dacoit gang.
9. Trishul (1978)
Amitabh Bachchan delivers an unforgettable performance as the embittered illegitimate son of a construction baron hell-bent on destroying his father’s business, reputation, and family life in revenge for betraying his mother.
10. Teri Meherbaniyan (1985)
Devoted doggo Moti helplessly witnesses his human’s brutal murder. Distraught but determined, he goes on an avenging spree and delivers gruesome justice to each of the perpetrators.
11. Karz (1980)
There’s a lot going for this fantastic tale of reincarnation and retribution—a winsome lead, a stupendous soundtrack, a solid support cast, and an unlikely Bollywood villain.
12. Ghazab (1982)
Dharmendra stars in a double role in this successful ghost-comedy film. A wealthy, slow-witted young man is killed for his inheritance, and his ghost seeks out his long-lost brother to seek revenge from his killers.
13. Aakhree Raasta (1986)
Amitabh Bachchan takes on dual roles as father and son in this K Bhagyaraj revenge drama. After serving 24 years in prison for being falsely implicated in his wife’s murder, an ageing man sets out to serve comeuppance to all those who wronged him. However, his quest for justice is complicated by his son, an upright police officer, hot on his heels.
14. Khoon Bhari Maang (1988)
In a career-defining performance, Rekha transforms from the reserved widow Aarti to the glamorous, sought-after model Jyoti out to avenge the wrongs done to her. Strictly not for herpetophobes.
15. Zakhmi Aurat (1988)
During the Eighties and Nineties, Bollywood saw a spate of rape-revenge dramas—Insaf ka Tarazu (1980), Kali Ganga (1990), Phool Bane Angaray (1991)—but Dimple Kapadia’s starrer Zakhmi Aurat made the biggest impact. A policewoman is brutally assaulted, but despite her testimony, her rapists go scot-free. With her faith in the justice system shattered, she bands together with other survivors to mete out punishment to their perpetrators by castrating them.
16. Agneepath (1990)
Amitabh Bachchan delivers one of his darkest and most iconic performances as the kohl-eyed, white-suited Vijay Chavan, a destitute child who rises the ranks to become an underworld kingpin, driven by ambition and the need to avenge his father’s murder. Although the film bombed, Bachchan won the National Award for his portrayal of the gangster with the deep voice and a consequentialist worldview. Dharma Productions would remake the film in 2012 with Hrithik Roshan as Chavan, and this time the film would rake in Rs 200 crore.
17. Ghayal (1990)
Long before he was pulling handpumps out of the ground, Sunny Deol was chasing down corrupt cops on the streets of Delhi. This film is fueled entirely by the lead’s visceral rage, as Sunny’s Ajay Mehra seeks vengeance against the corrupt businessman Balwant Rai and his goons for shattering his once-happy family life.
18. Baazigar (1993)
Abbas-Mustan’s thrilling tale of love, betrayal, and revenge introduced Hindi cinema to an iconic character and catapulted the industry’s new superstar. Shah Rukh Khan delivers a career-defining performance as Ajay Sharma, the tragic anti-hero who lies, adopts false identities, and even kills the woman he loves, all to fulfill his lifelong mission of destroying the man responsible for his family’s ruin.
19. Anjaam (1994)
A psychopath’s obsession with Shivani shatters her world—she is framed for a crime she didn’t commit and witnesses the destruction of her entire family. Madhuri Dixit’s portrayal of the avenging angel with nothing left to lose may have been a box-office disappointment, but it remains one of Bollywood’s darkest revenge tales.
20. Karan Arjun (1995)
Salman Khan. Shah Rukh Khan. Murder. Reincarnation. Revenge. What could possibly go wrong? Karan Arjun tells the story of two murdered brothers who reincarnate as foes-turned-friends. The only thing that kept it from becoming the biggest crowd-puller of the year was the other Shah Rukh-Kajol starrer released that same year: DDLJ.
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