There have been many remakes of Sholay,Karma,Farishtay, Mela,Chinagate,Army and many more I were so forgettable I can't even remember them at the moment. Out of all of these the remake that stands out is Subhash Ghai's Karma. The reason for that is that it is the only decent remake of Sholay. The plot involves Policeman(Dilip Kumar) whose family is gunned down by Dr Deng(Anupum Kher). Dilip Kumar enlists the help of the three heroes(Naseer Uddin Shah,Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff)to help kill Dr Deng. Whilst Dilip Kumar is no match for the great Sanjeev Kumar he does portray his role very well, it's a shame that the same cannot be said for Anupum Kher who I thought was rather bad. The songs,as per usual in a Ghai production were fantastic, in particular Dil diya hai jaan bhi jenge. Another thing I also liked was the unexpected death to one of the heroes(I won't say which one, find out for yourself). The only real complaint I have of Karma is that it is slightly uneven, throughout most of the movie there is hardly any action then in the last thirty minutes it becomes an absolute bloodbath. Karma was made in 1986 at a time where Subhash Ghai could do no wrong,Meri Jung,Hero,Karz, he even went on to make movies like Ram Lakhan and Saudgar. After that he seems to have lost his touch,Pardes I thought was average,Taal I think is rather overrated, Yaadein was trash,Kisna was a real bore. I have not mentioned his latest Yuvraaj because after Kisna I have completely given up on him ever making a decent movie again and therefore didn't see it but from the comments I have read about it I can only assume it is rather bad. Please Mr Ghai prove me wrong and give me a masterpiece with your next movie and reestablish your status as a genius of Bollywood movies.
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Ibuk27 March 2009
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tushargupta-2728628 June 2022Karama movie is totally awesome and amazing concept overall movie is totally unique and interesting stuff. Subhash Ghai amazing concept i give only seven stars of this movie.
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IPyaarCinema8 August 2022The movie has a very patriotic move throughout. It plays with most of the genres and makes the audience to keep watching. The movie serves its purpose well i.e. Entertainment.. Patriotism and Message .. It's like a VR rollercoaster ride ..which will not let you bore even for a second.. The star cast is power packed ..be it the good guys or the bad guys... It has action , eye catching sequences, Beautiful Songs and comedy.
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jai_16327 October 2003I first saw this film when I was 8. I loved it then and I love it even more now. The main aspect of this film you have to realise is that, whilst it may not be up to the usual standards of the sophisticated pallette belonging to your average everyday hollywood filmgoer, Karma was a huge leap in filmmaking within India. Its brilliance lies not within the meagre budget it was made with (meagre compared to Hollywood standards) but with the dedication applied by its cast, crew and of course its most prized asset...the director.
Karma is a film that, admittedly, does not have the sophistication of a Lethal Weapon or Die Hard. You may think im making excuses for a poor film. On the contrary its with these obstacles in mind that Karma has become a GREAT film. The quality of acting talent within the film is awesome, including the great Dilip Kumar and Naseeruddin Shah. The story itself has won several awards and the most important part of the film is the directors style of filmaking which is so unique and stylised that, although this film has been made on a budget and some of the effects may leave a little to be desired, karma is beautiful to watch. The flowing camera movements never let you sit still, the music, though may sound the same, is emotive and used sparingly in the right places to create the perfect effect as a great wine does with your evening meal.
Subhash Ghai is an awesome filmmaker as he never bows to the traditional method of filmmaking. He is an innovator in the art of Indian movie making who tackles the strongest issues and social weakness in India and indeed humanity itself. Be it the recruiment of children into crime and terrorism as displayed so eloquently by the three young protagonists, the strength of family values which can overcome even the hardened minds displayed by Dilip Kumar or just the need for unity in the country and the world against oppression. Karma is an ideological film, based on the idea that all humans are inherently good and that life itself creates the difference between an officer and a criminal. Therefore no matter which god you believe in, what country you are from, in life your actions define who you really are -
humezaara23 July 2006I would give it a 9.9 out of ten. It's star cast is huge and One movie that is different.Dilip Kumar is honest police officer and he has a happy living family and is husband of Nutan. Dilip Kumar we know he is just the god of acting so he is greatest. Anupam Kher's best performance as a villain, the dialog of" is thapad ki gunj ab tume sunai DE GI" comes from this film. Dilip has caught him in jail and somehow he runs away when he is at home and then in an accident caused by Dr. Dang his family dies meaning only a small kid and his wife stays alive but she is mute now since seeing her young kids dead.
The song " Tu mera karma tu mera dharma" is in this film.
Its very patriotic film based on a complete different story.
Great cast like Dilip Kumar, Nutan, Naseerudin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Poonam Dhillion, Anupam Kher, Bindu, Jugal, Tom Alter. etc. Above all Subash Ghai and Mukta Arts.
Dilip decide to end the terror of Dr. Dang so he needs soldiers but not police officers they are his prisoners and in few days these three guys will be hanged. He is giving them a chance to do something for the country. Things go on and he takes them to a village and trans them but Jackie and Anil try to escape but can't. If a say everything than it would be just giving you all the whole story so then it would be boring to watch the film. There was a number shoot on Madhuri which didn't appear in the film. But usual Subash does gives a glim in a song. The movie is great and is worth watching to all Indians even non Indian.
The direction is amazing, the cinematography is amazing. The lyrics and choreographer, music, art direction, even the sets were wonderful.
The combination of two most wonderful, dynamic, and almost gods of acting in one movie first time is just amazing.
Dilip Kumar, Naseerudin Shah are wonderful in the movie and there is a twist and to find out more must watch the film.
The couple Jodi Jackie and Anil were great and even leading ladies were good. Nutan gave the best not her greatest because she was a leading lady and a legend. Sridevi was great and her item number with Anupam was good. Poonam was good but not that good. But Anupam was the best at negative. Great music and great action, comedy and family drama. Kind of melodrama -
Li_8518 June 2006Karma is a great entertaining movie from Subash Ghai. Subash has given us some great films like Khal Nayak, Karz and Hero. Karma tells the story of Dilip Kumar, a Prison Jailer who unfortunately has the responsibility of holding Terrorist Anupom Kher. Anupom Kher escapes and is responsible for the massacre of Dilips family. Dilip then decides to lead a secret mission, with the help of three death row convicts. The storyline is similar to many Bollywood Films like the Classic Sholay. Karma is still a good version packed with comedy and action. Dilip Kumar gives a great performance and is Bollywoods Best Actor before Amitabh took over in the early 70s. Jackie Shroff is Good Anil Kapoor provides most of the comedy in a superb performance. Naseerudin Shah is the silent Hero in a above average performance. Sridevi is my old time favourite actress in a good performance. Poonam has a small role. Anupom Kher had a fantastic opportunity to portray a Villain role as the iconic bollywood baddie Deng, and delivers a OK performance, personally I think he doesn't suit as a villain, I did not find him evil enough, not as menacing as amrish puri or Danny who would of been a better choice.
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Shailesh-219 December 2000After Sholay. This movie has all the ingredient of a great action movie. Anupam Kher in the role of Dr. Dang created magic on the screen. Veteran Dilip Kumar and Nutan excel in their roles. Anil Kapoor is at his comic best. Nasiruddin Shah and Jackie Shroff have done a good job. The music may not be very great but blends well with the action.
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poojapatra-897261 September 2022This is absurd and labour class at the max. Indian audience was naive when the movie was released ..even now but I saw this movie 15 years ago and also every now and then when it comes on TV. It's laughable at home he max. I watch it for all the the wrong reasons.
Actions scenes are terrible and comic. Pathetic direction and cinematography. Ultra cringe lines and of course no logic and reasoning. Anything can happen at anytime.
Naseer had been vocal about this cinema that it was so bad and cringe. And he was right for once ..it's so cringe and cheesy and melodramatic... It's only for underprivileged and uneducated people who want to watch something.. It's terrible. It's so bad that it's good kinda of cinema.
It's masaala but stale and burnt out masala. I mean sholwy was masala too, but it has elements where it was serious and stuck to that aspect. It has less masala or I would say the right amount of distraction.
This is reverse. -
TriNitroToluene12 December 2005Discount comments by existenz-6: He merely wanted to see an exact replication of Hollywood cinema, and he's disappointed the *Indian* film had any roots other than his own. If you're used to conventional western cinema, and that's all you want to see, you simply aren't going to like this movie! If you fall into that category, and yet (for some inexplicable reason) you still want to see a bollywood flick you're going to want to check out the more recent ones (something by Ram Gopal Varma, perhaps). They're much more "westernized". That said, Karma is one of the greats of the 80's. It has comedy, action, tragedy, and excellent acting. Dillip Kumar, as usual, plays his role well. A. Kheir steals the show as Dr. Deng, there was something so morbidly dark about the look on his face when Dillip Kumar's character slaps him, he suddenly transforms from a comical amusement into a character to be taken dead seriously. He remains so for the rest of the movie. As cinema in the 80s was, there are a few shoddy moments in transference from humor to tragedy. If you can deal with that roller-coaster, and the fact that bollywood flicks don't pack budgets comparable to Hollywood, you may want to give this movie a peak!
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ahujarajiv12 December 2009There are very few Hindi Masala movies in the 80's that really stand out even 20 years later. I happened to catch a re-run on TV just today and realized that even 23 yrs later, this movie is a masterpiece...
Subhash Ghai delivers in almost every department. Be is direction, script writing, editing, songs, dialogues or action, he excels everywhere.
I was never really fond of Dilip Kumar-ji, being a hard core Amitabh Bachchan fan, but I do have to admit that he is simply superb in this movie. And to balance the scales on the other side is an excellent performance by Anupam Kher as the evil Dr. Dang. Even his side-kick Shakti Kapoor and others do their job well of being the evil guys we love to hate.
Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Naseeruddin Shah are fantastic in their individual roles and together as a team of prisoners on death row recruited by Dilip-saab to fight for their country in exchange for pardons. Naseeruddin Shah particularly stands out in his performance as Khairu-bhai the cold blooded killer with a soft heart.
Nutan-ji emotes without dialogues and her solid performance is still a study for actresses today. Sridevi and Poonam Dhillon are good in their roles as the female leads.
One performance always gets overlooked and that is of Dara Singh as Dharma. A large man with an ever larger screen presence, he is simply too good in his role as Dilip Saab's faithful aide. Many forget his contribution to Karma and other movies alike.
Last but not the least, the movie's theme song 'Mera Karma tu...' is a benchmark even today for patriotic songs. Even one line played on the radio is enough to fill the heart of every Indian with patriotic fervor. I remember listening to this in the US many years back and all the Indians in the room had a tear in their eye...
Brilliant Masala Movie of the 80's!! -
r_s_maan12 May 2006this is one of my favourite films, that is because it has all the elements needed to make a good movie, it has comedy; action; romance; and emotion. Subhash Ghai on of the best directors, who's made great films like Karz and Ram Lakhan has outdone himself again with karma, the comical duo Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff are amazing. Naseerudin shah is amazing, along with Dilip Kumar a legendary actor of his age. then there is Anupam Kher, and for him i have only six words- oh my god! what a performance- he was amazing and one of his greatest movies as a villain. the songs in the film were also amazing, and as we have seen in all Mr Ghai films that he has always portrayed the right song at the right time. my favourite song has got to be 'De Daru' and ' Na Jaiyo Pardes'. overall i think this a great film and will always be part of Bollywood history.
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Subhash Ghai always manages to blend cheesy dialogs in what could otherwise be a solid movie.
While I agree with other reviewer who commented on the limited stunts, there is a deep-rooted soul in this movie that is hard to ignore.
The cast contributes well but so many famous actors would normally mean some roles will have that negative what-are-you-doing-here value-add to the overall story line.
To my dear Western friends, I can only add that I hear your complaints when you compare this to a Hollywood action movie. But this is not a traditional action movie. There are strong emotional overtones in all Indian movies, without which the story will invariably lack any punch.
And to the friend who is hesitant in watching Sholay, I can assure you it is one of, if not the, greatest Hindi action movies. You probably may want to talk to an Indian fan of Sholay to set the context for the story, as you may not be able to relate to the characters if you focus only on action.
I would be very happy to tell you how Sholay is a unique movie from so many perspectives. But most important of all, it has some of the greatest performers from India cinema - Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Amjad Khan - what a first performance ! His character strikes fear and I would venture to say his role of brutal, take-no-prisoners mindset is a major departure from traditional Indian villains.
To others who liked this movie, please do check out "Kaala Pathar", "Deewar".
Good luck. -
existenz-624 January 2003I was really looking forward to this movie. I'd seen the poster in an old French textbook (don't ask why) and it looked quite awesome. I'd never seen an Indian film before, and I figured an Indian action movie from the 1980s could be great. So last month I purchased the Karma DVD online.
Two words: big disappointment.
I don't know if all Indian movies are like this, but the photography was terrible, the acting was cheesy, the songs are incredibly generic (they all sound the same to my western ears), and the action is TERRIBLE. The movie has a few good explosions, and lots of guys get gunned down, but the stunts are third rate (at best!). The director doesn't handle the story or the action with any sort of style or exuberance. The movie has only one redeeming quality, and that's the actor with the black beard. He's a real badass, and he nearly pulls this movie from the brink with his incredible Bronson/Eastwood-esque performance.
If the Indians want to make movies like Hollywood, they need to trim their scripts down and learn how to direct. I still want to see Sholay, but if that's as bad as this movie then I won't be putting any more Indian films at the top of my list. -
jagsmattu7 March 2021They don't make em like this anymore One of the most patriotic songs in Indian cinema history,
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Many many blockbuster send superhit movies anil kapoor excellent actor like sunny deol Real superstar of anil kapoor Blockbuster and Superhit movies 1)Ram lakhan 1989 2)Tejab 1988 3)Mr india 1987 4)Judai 1997 6)1942 a love story 1994 7)Beta 1992 8)meri jung 1985 9)karma 1986 10)joshile 1989 11)Lamhe 1990 12)deewana mastana 1997 13)Ladla 1994 14)ghar wali bahar wali 1998 15)loafer 1996 16)pukar 2001 17) Nayak 2001 18)Mashaal 1985 19) kaala bazar 1987 20) Benam badshah 1994 21) Welcome 22) No entry 23) Parinda 1988 24) Taal 2004 Many blockbuster and Superhit movies anil kapoor Done work superstar in Hindi I like it.
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sauravjoshi8515 April 2023Karma is a Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Subhash Ghai. The film stars Late Dilip Kumar, Late Nutan, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Late Sridevi, Poonam Dhillon, Late Satyanarayana Kaikala, Late Dara Singh, Shakti Kapoor and Anupam Kher.
A terrorist kills a jailer's family to avenge his insult. The jailer recruits three death-row prisoners to assist him to get the revenge from the terrorist.
The film loosely inspired from the Indian classic 'Do Aankhen Barah Haath' is a treat to watch. This film can rightly be called as typical masala film with lots of action, decent music and a some comedy. The film will entertain you completely and despite of its long length which is close to 3 hours you'll not find disconnected from the film.
The plot of the film is good and the execution is superb, the screenplay of the film is gripping and will keep you hooked to the scene throughout.
Acting is superb and everyone was terrific in their respective performances be it Dilip Sahab, Nutan, Anil, Jackie, Nasir, Poonam Dhillon or Sridevi but the most impressive of them all was Anupam Kher who was very impressive in his negative role and almost steals the show.
The music of the film is decent and the title song is still very much popular. One of the greatest film of Indian cinema and a must watch. -
nakenergy-7862726 May 2022Subhash Ghai always made mediocre films except a few like Karz. The people rating this move a 9 or 10 are all followers of chalta hai cinema. This movie is seriously bad; forget Holly wood comparison, this was supposed to be an ode from Ghai to Sholay, the iconic film but this is not even 10% of Sholay. Anything goes in this movie, no logic, no plan, takes the audience for granted. Substandard acting even the mighty Dilip Kumar; the lesser said the better of other actors. Not even Kashmir is captured nicely - cardboard sets - red tower, LOL; cheesy costumes, over the top acting! Terrible!