Ghulami

About the film

Ghulami (transl. Slavery) is a 1985 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by J. P. Dutta (in his directorial debut). The film features an ensemble cast of Dharmendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Smita Patil, Reena Roy, Anita Raj, Raza Murad and Om Shivpuri. The lyrics of the songs were penned by Gulzar and the music was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, who would go on to collaborate with Dutta in all his films until Kshatriya (1993). It was shot at Fatehpur, Rajasthan. Amitabh Bachchan narrated the film.

The film, which portrays the caste system in Rajasthan, lead to communal riots in many small cities of the state.

Plot

The film focuses on the caste and feudal system in Rajasthan. Ranjit Singh Chaudhary is the son of a Jat landless peasant, living in a village which is dominated by a rich zamindar landlord Rajput Thakur family. As a teenager studying in the village school, Ranjit is rebellious and defiant against deep-rooted caste prejudices and discriminatory practices. He is bullied by the two sons of the landlord, who are of his own age. Two girls who also study in the same school are sympathetic to Ranjit. These are the daughter of the schoolmaster and the daughter of the rich landlord (sister of the bullies). Sick of the exploitation he sees around him, Ranjit runs away to the city.

Several years later, Ranjit's father dies, and a telegram summons Ranjit back to the village to perform the last rites. Ranjit returns to find that nothing has changed in the village. He is also told that his father had taken loans from the landlord to pay for his medicines and healthcare, and that Ranjit is now required to repay those loans, or forfeit his lands and house, which were the collateral for the loan. Ranjit feels that this is a great injustice. His logic of reasoning is that the peasants have been tilling the land and working hard for many generations, that the landlord only owns the land and does no work, and therefore, if the landlord has lent money to a peasant, the loan does not need to be paid back. A long and emotional monologue delineates this logic for the benefit of the viewers.

The circumstances clearly call for class war and revolution, which Ranjit duly proceeds to ignite. He begins by storming into the landlord's living room, accusing him and his ancestors of being blood-suckers, and challenging him to take possession of the mortgaged land if he dares. The landlord's daughter, who listens from behind a door, is deeply impressed by the scene created by her old schoolmate. Ranjit then retires to his house to perform his father's funeral, and bonds with his other friend, Moran. The stage is set for a love triangle and for a revolutionary vendetta.

Awards

Best Supporting Actor – Kulbhushan Kharbanda

Key details