Aghaat (1985)
“Impact” – (Lit. Translation)Bharat Gopy’s second film in Hindi, this time with the legendary director Govind Nihalani, has Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah alongside in leading roles. Bharat Gopy’s portrayal of Krishnan Raju, the thug-as-a-trade-union-leader was a study in onscreen villainy, even turning a co-actor envious of this actor with “predatory eyes.” Celebrated in the media for his chilling onscreen characterisation, it was also equally memorable for his incisive interview on the eve of its release where he categorically said, “Money doesn’t attract me. Who cares for a lakh or a crore of rupees? Once you’ve made lots of money, there’s nothing to do. There’s no other desire left except the desire to die. I’d rather be broke, please.” (Read the complete interview here)
| Amrish Puri |
| Bharat Gopy |
| Om Puri |
| Sadashiv Amrapurkar |
| K K Raina |
| M K Raina |
| Rohini Hattangadi |
| Pankaj Kapoor |
| Naseeruddin Shah |
| Deepa Sahi |
| Harish Patel |
| Achyut Potdar |
| Director | Govind Nihalani |
| Story | Vijay Tendulkar |
| Screenplay | Vijay Tendulkar |
| Dialogues | Vijay Tendulkar, Vasant Dev |
| Lyrics | Vasant Dev |
| Singers | Shailendra Singh, Suresh Wadkar |
| Producer | Pradeep Uppoor, Manmohan Shetty |
| Cinematography | Govind Nihalani |
| Film Editor | Sutanu Gupta |
| Sound Department | Indrajit Neogi |
| Original Music | Vanraj Bhatia |
| Publicity Designs | Preeti Vyas |
| Choreography | Salim Ghouse |
| Art Director | Nitish Roy |
Govind Nihalani with Bharat Gopy on the sets of Aghaat (1985)
Madhav Verma (Om Puri) is a dedicated, honest, and diligent union representative. He represents the majority of the employees in an organization, which recognizes his union. However, there is a rival in the shape and form of Rustom Patel (Naseeruddin Shah) who is attempting to break the union so as to establish his majority, through his henchman Krishnan (Gopy), and will not hesitate to stoop to any level to get what he wants. Chhotelal (Pankaj Kapoor) loses his legs in an accident, and must be hospitalized. Krishnan takes advantage of the situation and puts pressure on Chhotelal and his brothers (Achyut Potdar and Harish Patel) to enroll in his union, and he will get him a higher compensation package than his regular union. Madhav must use his utmost diligence and consistently uphold his principles as they will be put to a test before all logic gives way to violence, anarchy, apathy, and corruption.
– Rajoo via IMDB.
Bandookon Ki
Singers : Shailendra Singh, Suresh Wadkar | Lyrics : Vasant Dev | Music : Vanraj Bhatia
Jai Arjun Singh aka Jabberwock's review of Aghaat (1985)
As Madhav, a sincere man who begins to despair of the moral ambiguities he finds himself facing, Om Puri dominates Aghaat, which is some achievement considering the many acting heavyweights on view here. (The Malayali actor Bharath Gopy, as the menacing Krishnan, is another standout)
Read the entire review here.
Shooting Report on Aghaat (1985)
Bharat Gopy as Krishnan Raju : An Overview
Watching Bharat Gopy as the henchman-thug Krishnan Raju is like experiencing pure, unadulterated and calculated viciousness first hand. There is no smoke and mirrors, no embellishments – the venom is inescapable.
One wonders why an equal opportunity to revel on an equivalent plane onscreen had not been given to the legendary actor in Malayalam. That would have resulted in another chapter in Bharat Gopy as a textbook for actors. Krishnan Raju minces no words – he is right all the time according to him and so are his methods, even if it means stabbing a mill worker and making his wife watch it.
There weren’t any impediments in bringing Krishnan Raju alive onscreen, though many have pointed out his grasp on the Hindi language.
Govind Nihalani had conceived the character as a Malayali goon who rises from the ranks through the murky trade-unionism of the 80s in Mumbai, and that was exactly how the director wanted the character to be onscreen, in deed and words. So chillingly effective was his portrayal that it made one of his co-stars remark about his “predatory eyes” that could send shivers down your spine, if it were to be in real life.
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