Sangharsh (1999 film)

Sangharsh is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language psychological horror thriller film directed by Tanuja Chandra. It stars Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, and Ashutosh Rana. Alia Bhatt, who would later be an established Bollywood actress in the 2010s, made a cameo as a child artist in this film, playing the younger version of Zinta's character. The film was said to be based on the 1991 film The Silence of The Lambs, but Chandra rejected this, claiming the film was based on a similar lost police case in India. The film opened to positive reviews, with critical acclaim for the performances by Kumar and Zinta, as well as Rana's villainous turn.

Plot
A series of child abductions and murders has left the Mumbai Police perplexed and unable to solve the case. Consequently, the case is handed over to the CBI, who assign trainee Reet Oberoi to crack it. As she investigates, the evidence points towards Lajja Shankar Pandey, a religious fanatic who believes in sacrificing children to gain immortality. Pandey's erratic behaviour and Reet's own traumas — witnessing her older brother Jassi, a terrorist, being gunned down by the police in their home — compel Reet to seek help from a prisoner unjustly implicated, the genius Professor Aman Verma.

Initially, Aman is rude and unwilling to assist Reet, but she eventually persuades him to help. The case becomes more challenging when Reet learns that Pandey has kidnapped the Home Minister's only child. Overwhelmed by the pressure, her childhood traumas, and phobias, Reet faces opposition from the local police, partly due to Verma's unconventional methods. As they spend more time together, he helps her conquer her fears, and they both fall in love.

Ultimately, they track down Pandey, who plans to perform his final sacrifice during a solar eclipse (Soorya Grahan), believing it will grant him immortality. Aman and Reet manage to rescue the child and kill Pandey. However, during the confrontation, Aman sustains fatal injuries. In his final moments, Aman and Reet share a kiss before he dies in her arms. Reet receives a hero's welcome and discovers a renewed sense of purpose within herself.

Cast

 * Akshay Kumar as Professor Aman Verma
 * Preity Zinta as CBI Officer Reet Oberoi
 * Alia Bhatt as younger Reet Oberoi
 * Ashutosh Rana as Lajja Shankar Pandey
 * Vishwajeet Pradhan as CBI officer, Reet's boss
 * Aman Verma as Amit Shandilya
 * Rajesh Prasher as Jassi
 * Madan Jain as ACP Pawar
 * Ninad Kamat

Music
The soundtrack was composed by Jatin–Lalit with lyrics authored by Sameer:

Reception
Bella Jaisinghani of The Indian Express wrote, "This crime thriller is value for money," noting the performances: "Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta have done an impressive job as a criminal and a CBI officer". R. Vasudevan of Hindustan Times noted the performances, believing it could be Kumar's turning point and mentioning Zinta for playing a role "different from the typical Bollywood heroine who is just an appendage of the hero." Rediff.com's reviewer Sharmila Taliculam gave the film a positive review, but concluded, "Sangharsh may or may not do well at the turnstiles. If you are a Mahesh Bhatt fan, you may find it watchable. If you are not, give it a miss." India Today critic Madhu Jain highly praised the film's performance, noting Kumar for delivering "quite a performance", Zinta for bringing "intelligence to her role", and Rana for a performance that "remains searingly etched on the mind". An article published by The Tribune at the time of release hailed Zinta's performance as "an amazing act", calling Sangharsh "an intense film". Mukhtar Anjoom of Deccan Herald wrote a positive review, noting that in spite of its possible lack of originality, "the treatment of the characters is first-rate" and "the build-up to the impending scare is brilliant". He further described Rana's performance as "outstanding" and praised Chandra for "bringing out the best" out of Kumar and Zinta.

In 2013, Subhash K. Jha described it as one of the "rare ones in which top actors … agreed to play secondary roles" to the leading lady.

Awards

 * Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role – Ashutosh Rana
 * Zee Cine Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role – Ashutosh Rana