| Hathyar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | J. P. Dutta |
| Written by | J. P. Dutta |
| Produced by | F. A. Nadiadwala |
| Starring | Dharmendra Sanjay Dutt Rishi Kapoor Kulbhushan Kharbanda Asha Parekh Amrita Singh Sangeeta Bijlani Paresh Rawal |
| Cinematography | Ishwar R. Bidri |
| Edited by | Deepak Wirkud |
| Music by | Laxmikant–Pyarelal |
Release date |
|
Running time | 170 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹31 million[1] |
| Box office | ₹74 million[1] |
Hathyar (transl. Weapon) is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language action crime film written and directed by J. P. Dutta.[2][3] It features an ensemble castofDharmendra, Sanjay Dutt, Rishi Kapoor, Amrita Singh, Sangeeta Bijani, Asha Parekh, Paresh Rawal and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. The film focuses on how poverty forces a youngster (Dutt) to turn to crime by joining forces with the biggest don in town (Dharmendra), much to the chargin of his mother (Parekh), his lover (Singh) and his friend and the don's brother (Kapoor).
The film released worldwide on 10 March 1989 and was a critical and moderate commercial success. Over time, it has been considered as one of Dutta's best films, which probably gave the best description about the underworld. The performance of Sanjay Dutt is also regarded as one of the best in his career.
Avinash (Sanjay Dutt) and his parents (Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Asha Parekh) come to Bombay where they miserably scrape along. Sometimes their acquaintance with Samiulla Khan (Rishi Kapoor), the younger brother of the underworld crime lord Khushal Khan (Dharmendra), is quite helpful as Sami, who refuses to deal with his brother's business, enjoys a good reputation. But after some bitter experiences, Avinash's father cannot stand his poor situation anymore and commits suicide. Now Avinash bears the responsibility to be the family's breadwinner which he, as he doesn't manage to find a job, is unable to fulfill. Desperately (and instigated by his friend Satyajeet Puri (Pakya) from the local gang) he starts stealing. After having killed one of his victims, he gets more and more bogged down in the mire of crime – and gets into the rivalry between the gang bosses Khushal Khan and Rajan Anna (Paresh Rawal).
This was the first film signed by Sangeeta Bijlani.[4] although Qatil (1988) which she simultaneously signed released first. Anil Kapoor was supposed to play the role of Avinash but then he was replaced by Dutt. This is also the first Bollywood film to make use of real AK-47 guns although their bullets were made of rubber.
Composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal and written by Hasan Kamal
Parekh was noted for her performance.[5] According to Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, the film is Dutta's best known film, and it "extended the ancestral conflict into Bombay's gang wars".[6] According to Sukanya VermaofThe Hindu, the film was one of several "Rajasthan-based feudal dramas" by Dutta which "stood tall on a mass of machismo".[7]
