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Shehzaade
Shehzaade
Shehzaade
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Shehzaade
Promotional Poster
Directed byRaj N. Sippy
Produced byRajan Sippy
StarringDharmendra
Shatrughan Sinha
Jaya Prada
Moushumi Chatterjee
Dimple Kapadia
Kimi Katkar
Dara Singh
Danny Denzongpa
Vinod Mehra
Music byLaxmikant–Pyarelal
Release date
  • 20 October 1989 (1989-10-20)
Running time
135 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Shehzaade (transl. Princes) is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Raj N.Sippy. The film stars Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Prada, Moushumi Chatterjee, Dimple Kapadia, Kimi Katkar, Dara Singh, Danny Denzongpa and Vinod Mehra.[1]

Shehzaade released worldwide on 20 October 1989, coinciding with the Diwali weekend. The film underperformed at the box office.

Plot

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Suraj Singh (Shatrughan Sinha) lives with his widowed mother Padmini (Moushumi) in a small hut in a Bombay city slum. He cannot stand injustice in any form, and this places him in the bad books of Police Inspector Shankar (Dharmendra). One day Suraj comes across an older man Zorawar (Dharmendra in a double role) and brings him home. What Suraj does not know is that Zorawar is a former jailbird, who has completed his sentence, for multiple murders and alleged rape of a woman named Gauri (Jayaprada). Although Gauri is no longer alive, the vow to avenge her rape and death is kept alive by her Police Inspector brother (Vinod Mehra). To complicate matters further, Suraj finds out that his mother is having an affair with Zorawar. What does Suraj do under these circumstances?

Cast

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Actor Character in the movie Notes
Dharmendra Subedhar Zorawar Singh/Inspector Shankar Double role (father/son)
Shatrughan Sinha Suraj Singh Zorawar's other son
Jaya Prada Gauri Shankar's Mother
Moushumi Chatterjee Padmini Singh Suraj's Mother
Dimple Kapadia Aarti Shankar's Love Interest
Vinod Mehra Inspector Shankar Shrivastav Gauri's Brother
Kimi Katkar Bijli Suraj's Love Interest
Danny Denzongpa Thakur Rai Bahadur Roshan Singh Main Antagonist
Dara Singh Jailor Shankar's Mentor
Joginder Thakur Hakim Singh Roshan Singh's Cousin
Surendra Pal Thakur Laakhan Singh Roshan Singh's Cousin
Puneet Issar Arjun Singh Roshan Singh's Son
Dan Dhanoa Thakur Kundan Singh Roshan Singh's Son
Mahesh Anand Thakur Naresh Singh Roshan Singh's Son
Tej Sapru Thakur Pratap Singh Roshan Singh's Son
Sharat Saxena Bheema Roshan Singh's Henchman
Jack Gaud Jai
Bob Christo Bob
Praveen Kumar Pehalwaan Street Gambler
Vikas Anand Police Chief
Sudhir Dalvi Pujari Kaka Temple's Priest
Ahmed Khan The Judge
Ram Mohan Sarpanch Ram Singh Aarti's Father
Shammi Zorawar's Mother
Subbiraj Shaanti Bhaai
Tun Tun Hitler's Bride Cameo
Sameer Khakhar Suraj's Friend
Mehmood Jr. Suraj's Friend
Paintal Suraj's Friend
Ghanshyam Rohera Suraj's Friend
Master Maruf khan Child actor Shankar in song with Gauri

Soundtrack

[edit]

Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

# Title Singer(s)
1 "Shehzaade" Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha
2 "Main Hoon Tere Naam Ki Chitthi" Anuradha Paudwal
3 "Dheere Dheere Howle Howle" Kavita Krishnamurthy
4 "Ek Chhora Ek Chhori" Shabbir Kumar, Amit Kumar, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy
5 "Mere Munne Tujhko Ye Kissa" (part 1) Anuradha Paudwal
6 "Mere Munne Tujhko Ye Kissa" (part 2) Anuradha Paudwal

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Shehzaade

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Shehzaade is a Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by . Starring in a dual role as Singh and Inspector Shankar Shrivastav, alongside as Suraj Singh, as Gauri Shrivastav, as Padmini Singh, as Aarti, and as Bijli, the film centers on themes of revenge, family loyalty, and social injustice. The story follows Suraj Singh, a principled young man living in a with his widowed mother, who becomes entangled with the ex-convict , whose dark past involving and a police vendetta disrupts their lives and leads to intense conflicts. Released on 20 October , the movie exemplifies Bollywood multi-starrers with elements of high-stakes action, melodrama, and vigilante justice. It holds an rating of 4.7 out of 10 based on 69 user votes, reflecting its niche appeal among fans of the genre.

Synopsis and cast

Plot

Suraj lives in a modest hut in a Bombay alongside his widowed mother, Padmini, where he works as a and staunchly opposes any form of he encounters in the . His confrontations with local authorities, including repeated clashes with the police, often land him in trouble, but he persists in defending the vulnerable. One day, Suraj encounters an older man, Zorawar , a former turned ex-convict recently released after serving a long sentence for and other charges stemming from a tragic incident in his past. Unaware of Zorawar's history, Suraj brings him home to recover, allowing him to stay with his family. Zorawar's backstory unfolds through revelations: years earlier, as a young , he witnessed the brutal assassination of his parents by his greedy uncle, Thakur Rai Bahadur Roshan Singh, along with accomplices Thakur Hakim Singh and Thakur Laakhan Singh, who sought to seize the family estate. Fleeing the scene, Zorawar sought refuge in the home of Gauri, where, in a drunken haze, he unintentionally became intimate with her, leading to her pregnancy. Gauri's brother, a police , discovered the incident and attacked Zorawar in a fit of rage; in the ensuing struggle, the brother was killed, resulting in Zorawar's imprisonment. Gauri died shortly after giving birth to their son, Shankar Shrivastav, whom she raised in her final days with a vow of vengeance against Zorawar. In the present, Shankar has grown into a dedicated police inspector relentlessly pursuing to avenge his family's honor. During his investigations, Shankar repeatedly comes to Suraj's aid during the young man's run-ins with the law, forging a strong bond of friendship between them. However, tensions escalate when Suraj uncovers shocking family secrets: Padmini reveals that she was once married to before his imprisonment, making Suraj his legitimate son, while Shankar is 's illegitimate son from the incident with Gauri—thus, the two friends are half-brothers. This revelation is compounded by the discovery of Thakur Rai Bahadur Roshan Singh's ongoing manipulation, as the uncle has continued to exploit the family legacy and now targets them directly to eliminate any threats to his ill-gotten wealth. Betrayals surface as the uncle's schemes involve framing Zorawar and attempting to turn the brothers against each other, but the truth unites Suraj and Shankar in a shared quest for justice. They join forces with their father, , to expose the uncle's crimes and orchestrate a revenge plot against him for the original murder of Zorawar's parents. The narrative builds through intense action sequences, including Suraj's street-level skirmishes, Shankar's police pursuits, and Zorawar's confrontations with old enemies, culminating in a climactic showdown where the brothers overpower the uncle and his henchmen, restoring their family's honor and achieving retribution.

Cast

Shehzaade boasts an of established Bollywood stars from the , renowned for action and drama genres, with delivering a standout performance in a as both a military officer and a figure. The film highlights the star power of actors like and , contributing to its appeal as a multi-starrer action drama.
ActorRoleCharacter Description
Zorawar Singh / Inspector Shankar ShrivastavZorawar Singh is a dedicated ; Shankar is a principled police inspector upholding justice.
Suraj SinghA hot-headed dweller driven by a sense of against .
Jaya PradaGauri ShrivastavGauri, the woman Zorawar became intimate with, and mother of Shankar Shrivastav.
Padmini SinghSuraj's widowed mother, embodying resilience in the face of hardship.
AartiA key supporting female character in the ensemble.
BijliOne of the lead female roles, adding romantic and dramatic elements.
Thakur Rai Bahadur Roshan SinghThe antagonist uncle, portrayed as a greedy and manipulative landowner.
JailorA stern in a supporting role.
Gauri's brother / Inspector Shankar ShrivastavGauri's brother, a police inspector killed in the past.
Supporting roles include actors such as as Arjun Singh, as Roshan Singh's son, and as the , along with minor characters like villagers, police officers, and friends portrayed by Sameer Kakkar, Kanwarjeet Paintal, and others, enhancing the film's communal and action-oriented atmosphere.

Production

Development

The for Shehzaade was penned by P.D. Mehra, who handled both the story and screenplay, while Anwar Khan contributed the dialogues. The narrative drew from the conventions of , emphasizing action-packed revenge elements intertwined with family dynamics, a staple of the era's masala genre films. Raj N. Sippy directed the film, bringing his established style of high-energy action-dramas to the project, as seen in his prior works. Production was led by Rajan Sippy in collaboration with Anita Rajan Sippy, marking Rajan Sippy's transition from acting to producing under the Maata Rani Films banner. This involvement reflected a strategic focus on leveraging established stars for commercial appeal in the competitive late-1980s Bollywood landscape. Key creative decisions included casting in a to capitalize on his enduring action-hero image. Pre-production wrapped efficiently ahead of its 1989 release.

Filming

Principal photography for Shehzaade took place in 1989, prior to the film's October release. The production emphasized the capture of its action-heavy narrative, with stunt coordination playing a key role in executing the high-energy sequences involving the lead actors. Filming occurred primarily at studios in and Hyderabad to facilitate controlled environments for both interior and elaborate action setups. Key locations included Film City in , ; Chandivali Studio in ; and Annapoorna Studios in Hyderabad, , where many interior scenes were recorded. The technical aspects were overseen by cinematographer , who handled the visual framing for the film's dramatic confrontations and dual-role performances by as Singh and Shankar Shrivastav. Action sequences were choreographed by directors and Mohan Baggad, with additional support from assistants like Heera Singh, ensuring synchronized stunts amid the complexity of Dharmendra's double role.

Music

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Shehzaade consists of six songs composed by the duo , with all lyrics written by . Released in 1989, the album runs for a total duration of approximately 28 minutes and incorporates a mix of dramatic duets, romantic solos, and upbeat group numbers that align with the film's action-drama theme. The songs are as follows:
No.TitleSinger(s)
1ShehzaadeDharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha
2Main Hoon Tere Naam Ki ChitthiAnuradha Paudwal
3Dheere Dheere Howle HowleKavita Krishnamurthy
4Ek Chhora Ek ChhoriShabbir Kumar, Amit Kumar, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy
5Mere Munne Tujhko Ye Kissa (Part 1)Anuradha Paudwal
6Mere Munne Tujhko Ye Kissa (Part 2)Anuradha Paudwal
The title track "Shehzaade" (also known by its opening line "Jab Jal Jaate Hai Rishte") is picturized on the lead actors Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha, who perform their own vocals in a distinctive actor duet style that emphasizes the film's themes of revenge and brotherhood.

Composition

The music for Shehzaade was composed by the duo , whose work in the late 1980s Bollywood often blended intricate Indian classical elements with Western orchestration to suit action-drama narratives infused with romantic undertones. Their approach emphasized rich, layered soundscapes that heightened emotional intensity, drawing on traditional ragas alongside symphonic arrangements to create versatile scores adaptable to the era's masala films. Recording sessions for the film's score took place in studios following in 1989, employing live orchestration with large ensembles of session musicians to capture the duo's dynamic arrangements. Lyrics, penned by , were crafted to underscore the film's central motifs of vengeance and romance, integrating poetic phrasing with rhythmic structures that complemented the compositions. The background score featured instrumental cues tailored for action sequences, combining traditional Indian instruments like the and with emerging synthesizers to build suspense and tension without overpowering the narrative. These elements were developed in dedicated sessions, prioritizing acoustic depth while incorporating subtle electronic textures typical of late-1980s transitions in Bollywood scoring. A distinctive aspect of the score was the inclusion of actor-sung tracks, such as the title song "Shehzaade," performed by leads and to capitalize on their star personas and add authenticity to the vocal delivery.

Release and reception

Release

Shehzaade was released theatrically in India on 20 October 1989. The film received a U/A certification from the Central Board of Film Certification, indicating suitability for viewers above a certain age with parental guidance. Its final theatrical cut runs for 2 hours and 36 minutes. Initial screenings took place in major theaters shortly after , marking the film's public rollout. Promotional efforts included posters highlighting the star cast, such as and , alongside trailers emphasizing the action and elements of the plot. The distribution focused primarily on the Indian market.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Shehzaade received limited documented feedback, primarily from user perspectives. A single user review as of November 2025 describes it as an action drama with excessive violence, typical of Bollywood, featuring lost-and-found and plots. It notes the film was liked by some upon release but now appears dated, recommending it for fans of 80s action. In retrospective views, the movie is often characterized as a quintessential B-grade Bollywood actioner, with work standing out as a key strength that delivers thrilling, no-holds-barred entertainment. Weaknesses frequently noted include uneven pacing that drags in emotional segments, wooden or overwrought dialogues, and underutilized female characters who serve primarily as props amid the male-dominated narrative. Direction by has been faulted for amplifying the film's excesses without tightening the script's flaws. As of November 2025, Shehzaade maintains a user rating of 4.7 out of 10 on , based on 1,069 ratings. Despite modest earnings at the time, it endures as a of the period's formulaic yet engaging masala cinema.

Box office

Shehzaade underperformed commercially upon its release, classified as a flop by box office trackers. No detailed or collection figures are publicly documented for this mid-tier 1980s production, though its modest scale aligned with typical action dramas of the era that struggled amid shifting viewer preferences toward romantic and family-oriented narratives.
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