Garv

About the film

Garv: Pride & Honour is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Puneet Issar, in his directorial debut. The film stars Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Arbaaz Khan and Amrish Puri. The film dealt with the Mumbai Underworld and politics in Maharashtra.

Plot

ACP Arjun Ranawat appears before the court by the Mumbai Police amidst uproar by ruling party activists who keep raising slogans against him. Ranawat is charged with 18 mass killings at the Chief Minister’s farmhouse. In court, he confesses to all the crimes and requests nothing but an immediate death sentence. The narrative then shifts to a flashback of how Arjun got to where he was.

Arjun and his friend Hyder Ali Khan serve as ACPs in the Mumbai Police.

Arjun and Hyder are embarrassed after notorious gangster-turned-pimp Hakim Lukka, who is charged with 38 criminal offences, is acquitted by the Magistrate due to Lukka's counsel, Advocate Kulkarni, producing fabricated evidence before the court. The following night, Lukka and Arjun accidentally meet again after Arjun's jeep breaks down in an isolated place. In the ensuing altercation, Lukka and his henchmen are killed by Arjun. Following this, Arjun is summoned for a departmental inquiry chaired by Commissioner Samar Singh, where he is interrogated by his superiors. Arjun defends his actions, claiming Lukka’s killing was in self-defense. Commissioner Samar reports to Chief Minister Satyanarayan Joshi and justifies Arjun's actions, arguing that encounter killings are necessary to achieve a crime-free state. CM Joshi, an upright and straightforward politician known for a strong stance on law and order in the state, approves Samar’s request, leading to the formation of the Crime Control Squad within the Mumbai Police, placing Arjun at its helm.

Production

Sunny Deol was the initial choice for the role of ACP Arjun Ranawat, and Sanjay Dutt was considered for the role of ACP Hyder Ali Khan, but they were replaced by Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan. The film was initially titled Sanghar, but was later changed to Garv: Pride & Honour.

Soundtrack

The movie contains music composed by Sajid–Wajid with one track composed by Anu Malik.

Reception

Sukanya Verma of Rediff wrote, "There is nothing exceptional about Garv in terms of story or execution. You know exactly what to expect. It's a beaten-to-death plot about a righteous cop and his Satyamev Vijayate [Truth will triumph] stance. Like most do-gooder cops, here too the hero falls in love with a bar dancer (Shilpa Shetty in a role as skimpy as her wardrobe)." Manish Gajjar of BBC.com wrote "Technically Garv excels in various departments, whether it is the dialogues or the musical score. Both add impact to the scenes. I have said this before and I will say it again. Be warned about the blood and gore. Garv might not appeal to those who are used to seeing family orientated flicks. Garv is on the whole, Salman's film and he does full justice to his role. Shilpa Shetty does very well in the dance numbers whilst the rest of the cast support well.

In 2015, Issar told PTI in an interview that he thinks that "Garv was ahead of its times. For Salman, the movie had set a benchmark in terms of action sequences, drama and emotion. If it would have been released today then it would have definitely done business of Rs 300 crore."

Key details