Mr India
Encyclopedia
Mr. India is a 1987 Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 superhero film
Superhero film
A superhero film, superhero movie, or superhero motion picture is: action, fantasy and science fiction film; that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person and are dedicated to protecting the public...

 directed by Shekhar Kapur
Shekhar Kapur
Shekhar Kapur is an Indian film director and producer. A critically acclaimed director, he rose to popularity with the movie Bandit Queen...

. It stars Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....

 in the title role, Sridevi as his romantic interest and Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri
Amrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...

 in one of his best-known roles as the villain Mogambo.

The film was the second biggest hit of 1987 after the Anil Sharma
Anil Sharma
-Biography:He made his directional debut with Shradhanjali with Raakhee Gulzar. He had directed several unsuccessful and unnoticed films in the early 1980s before he started also to produce films with Elaan-E-Jung which was also directed by him and became the first production film of his to become...

 film, Hukumat
Hukumat
Hukumat is a 1987 Bollywood film starring Dharmendra, Jayaprada, Swapna and Sadashiv Amrapurkar....

, which starred Dharmendra
Dharmendra
Dharmendra Singh Deol |Punjab]]), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning Hindi film actor who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films as of 2011. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema and also another Lifetime...

. It remains a cult classic in India. The film was known for several of its lines and songs, including Sridevi's Miss Hawa Hawaii performance, and Amrish Puri's quote "Mogambo khush hua" (Mogambo is pleased), which is one of the most famous quotes of Bollywood and has become synonymous with Puri. The Mogambo character is also considered to be one of the best villains in Bollywood history.
Laxmikant-Pyarelal's music performed well too, especially the song Hawa Hawaii which is very popular till today. The film has often been featured in different lists of top Bollywood films. Indiatimes Movies
Indiatimes
Indiatimes is the Internet subsidiary of The Times of India Group, under which, some of the largest websites in India - The Times of India, The Economic Times, Navbharat Times and Maharashtra Times operate....

ranks the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. This was the last film that the writing duo Salim-Javed wrote together. They had split up earlier in 1982, but came back for one last film.

There is one more movie by the name Mr. India (1961) directed by GP Sippy starring Geeta Bali
Geeta Bali
Geeta Bali was a popular film actress from Bollywood.-Early life:Bali was born in a Mohyal family in pre-partition Punjab as Harkirtan Kaur, a Sikh. Her family moved to Bombay and were living in near poverty when she started to get breaks in films.-Career:Bali became a star in the 1950s...

, I.S. Johar, Kamaljit, Helen
Helen (actress)
Helen Jairag Richardson is an Indian film actress and dancer of Anglo-Burmese descent, working in Hindi films. She is often cited as the most popular dancer of the item number in her time. She was the inspiration for four films and a book.-Early life and background:Helen was born in Burma on 21...

. This is the last film directed by GP Sippy of Sholay
Sholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...

 fame.

Plot

The film opens with the revelation that violence has escalated in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, alarming all who know of its having done so. The focus then shifts to reveal the central villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...

, Mogambo (Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri
Amrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...

). Two henchmen
Henchman
Henchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household...

, Teja (Ajit Vachani
Ajit Vachani
Ajit Vachani was an Indian film and television actor. He had worked in many notable Hindi films as a character actor, including Mr. India , Maine Pyar Kiya and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa . In all he acted in over 50 Hindi films, besides three Sindhi movies...

) and Daaga (Sharat Saxena
Sharat Saxena
Sharat Saxena is an Indian actor working in Bollywood films. He has acted in nearly 160 Bollywood films.Saxena started his career in the early 70s and has mainly played either supporting roles of a father, uncle or villainous roles....

) arrive by chopper to report to Mogambo their progress in their subversive activities against India, which include selling weapons and armaments to terrorists and starting illegal gambling dens all over the country. Mogambo is portrayed as a brilliant yet insane General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 whose goal is to conquer India. He asserts his domination over his men by commanding three soldiers to leap into a pit filled with concentrated acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...

 to certain death and utters, with satisfaction, his signature line Mogambo khush hua ("Mogambo is pleased"), when his lackeys obey his orders without question.

The island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 of Mogambo is modeled after the island of Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...

; it is a self-contained colony, having advanced communications, weapons, and laboratories to build various high-tech devices. Mogambo sits on his throne in the island, monitoring the evil perpetrated by his henchmen all over India and hoping to someday conquer India entirely. All his subordinates know the formal salute "Hail Mogambo!" (with an accompanying "Heil Hitler" style gesture). This emphasizes his complete authority over his minions.

The film then introduces Arun Verma (Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....

), an orphan and a street-walking violinist who rents a large (mostly run-down) old house overlooking a beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...

. There he houses a dozen or so orphaned children, aged 5-12 approximately, who call him "Arun Bhaiyya" ("brother Arun"). He takes care of them with the help of his cook and caretaker Calendar (Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...

). Arun is generally poor, owes debts to the local food merchant Roopchand (Harish Patel
Harish Patel
Harish is an Indian actor. He has a relative called Himesh Patel, he is Tamwar in EastEnders. Although mainly associated with the stage, he has also appeared in comedy films and on television. He began performing at the age of seven, when he played both male and female parts in the Hindu epic...

), and is perpetually overdue to pay the landlord Maniklal (Yunus Parvez
Yunus Parvez
Yunus Parvez was a Bollywood character actor who played supporting roles in over 200 films from the late 1960s to the 2000s. He appeared in the 1996 film Chhote Sarkar.He died on 11 February 2007 at the age of 75...

). In spite of these practical problems, Arun tries to look on the bright side of every situation and generally has fun with Calendar and the children.

As time goes by, Calendar gently reminds Arun that cost of running the home continues to rise and that they need to supplement Arun's meager takings as an ad-hoc violinist. Arun agrees and decides to rent out the sea-facing room on the first floor. When he goes to the local newspaper to run an advertisement for the room, he meets Seema Sohni (Sridevi). After an amusing incident between them, he makes her his tenant despite her reluctance to live in company of children.

When Seema ultimately discovers the children, she feels betrayed and gets angry; but when she sees Arun's plight and the nobility of his cause, she warms to them and eventually becomes friends with everyone.

The film undergoes a turning point when Arun suddenly receives a mysterious letter from a family friend, Dr. Sinha (Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar also fondly called Dadamoni was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema...

), who reveals that Arun's late father had created a device that would make its user invisible.

With the directions in the letter, Arun, accompanied by his ward Jugal, enters his father's laboratory and finds the device. The device is in the shape of a large gold watch and worn on the wrist. When it is activated, it makes the wearer invisible to the naked eye. This invisibility is pervasive except for one flaw: when red light is focused on the wearer, he becomes visible. Thus, shining a red lamp on the subject, or viewing the subject through a red lens, makes the subject visible again.

Arun and Jugal decide to keep the device a secret between them. Around this time, Seema overhears a suspicious conversation on phone and goes to a lavish party hosted by Teja and Daaga. The party includes a cabaret-style song performed by Seema under the guise of a Hawaiian dancer. Her disguise is spoiled, whereupon she is nearly killed by the criminals. Here, Arun invisibly rescues her, styling himself "Mr. India".

As a result of this, Seema discovers she is romantically attracted to her rescuer, though not to his civilian alter ego. She arranges to meet with him, and a dance ensues. Because the gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...

 in which they are courting is curtained by red curtains, Seema and the film's viewers can see Arun's silhouette through them, though he is wearing his invisibility and therefore cannot be seen when she looks at him directly.

Mr. India later defeats Mogambo's men in several encounters, foiling their criminal plans. Mogambo is enraged and intrigued by the "invisible man". One of his scientists, Mr. Fumanchu, informs him that they nearly acquired the invisibility-causing device when Dr. Verma invented it many years ago, but failed when Dr. Verma hid it and died without revealing its location.

Mogambo's computer-aided intelligence teams reveal that Mr. India's specific actions against the gambling den bring benefit to Arun Verma and his charges. Mogambo therefore has bombs disguised as toys and planted in places where children can find them. In total harmony with Mogambo's plan, one of the bombs kills Arun's youngest and dearest charge, Tina, driving Arun to immense grief. Later, Arun, Seema, Calendar, and the surviving children are brought before Mogambo.

Mogambo threatens and tortures
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...

 them so that they may reveal Mr. India's true identity and the location of the invisibility device. Arun eventually volunteers to this when Mogambo threatens to drop two children into the pit of concentrated acid; but because Arun has dropped the invisibility bracelet, he cannot become invisible to prove himself. Frustrated, Mogambo orders the lot of them sent into the dungeons
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...

.

They all escape from the dungeons, whereupon Calendar, and the children go one way, while Arun and Seema go another. Mogambo spitefully activates four gigantic missiles, which are poised to destroy all of India. Arun confronts him, and the two fight. When Arun has overcome Mogambo, he deactivates the launch of the missiles, pausing to consider Mogambo's statement that preventing the launch would cause the missiles to explode on the spot. Arun, Seema, Calendar, and the children escape, while Mogambo's fortress is destroyed. Mogambo himself dies in the fire, uttering the phrase "Hail Mogambo!" as the flame engulfs him.

Arun's dual identity remains a secret to most people, while he returns to his former life.

Cast

  • Anil Kapoor
    Anil Kapoor
    Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....

     .... Arun Varma / Mr. India
  • Sridevi .... Seema Sohni / Miss Hawa Hawaii / Charlie Chaplin
    Charlie Chaplin
    Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...

     in the casino of Karga Social Club
  • Amrish Puri
    Amrish Puri
    Amrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...

     .... Mogambo
  • Satish Kaushik
    Satish Kaushik
    Satish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...

     .... Calender the Cook
  • Annu Kapoor
    Annu Kapoor
    Annu Kapoor is an Indian film actor and television presenter, best remembered for hosting the singing reality show Antakshari.-Career:Annu Kapoor made his debut in the film Mandi directed by Shyam Benegal in 1979. His career has spanned nearly 31 years including a distinctive presence in...

     .... Mr. Gaitonde (Newspaper Editor)
  • Sharat Saxena
    Sharat Saxena
    Sharat Saxena is an Indian actor working in Bollywood films. He has acted in nearly 160 Bollywood films.Saxena started his career in the early 70s and has mainly played either supporting roles of a father, uncle or villainous roles....

     .... Daaga
  • Ajit Vachani
    Ajit Vachani
    Ajit Vachani was an Indian film and television actor. He had worked in many notable Hindi films as a character actor, including Mr. India , Maine Pyar Kiya and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa . In all he acted in over 50 Hindi films, besides three Sindhi movies...

     .... Teja
  • Ashok Kumar
    Ashok Kumar
    Ashok Kumar also fondly called Dadamoni was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema...

     .... Prof. Sinha
  • Aftab Shivdasani
    Aftab Shivdasani
    Aftab Shivadasani is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He started as a child actor in commercials and has performed in over 40 films. He also co-wrote and helped produce the film Aao Wish Karein. He started his career as a child artist in the movie Mr. India. Shivdasani is currently...

    .... Orphan (Child Artist)
  • Vivan Bhatena
    Vivan Bhatena
    Vivan Bhatena is an Indian model and actor. He portrayed the role of the vice captain of the India national cricket team, Abimanyu Singh, in the 2007 hit film, Chak De India.-Background:...

    .... Orphan
  • Karan Nath
    Karan Nath
    Karan Nath is a Hindi film actor and son of Bollywood producer and star secretary Rakesh Nath.-Filmography:*Bemisaal*Tera Kya Hoga Johnny *Love in Kashmir*Kayanaat*Zabardast *Tum - A Dangerous Obsession...

     .... Orphan
  • Ahmed Khan .... Orphan
  • Vidya Mohan .... Orphan
  • Tapan Shah .... Orphan
  • Harish Patel
    Harish Patel
    Harish is an Indian actor. He has a relative called Himesh Patel, he is Tamwar in EastEnders. Although mainly associated with the stage, he has also appeared in comedy films and on television. He began performing at the age of seven, when he played both male and female parts in the Hindu epic...

     .... Roopchand
  • Gurbachchan Singh .... Captain Zorro
  • Anjan Srivastav
    Anjan Srivastav
    Anjan Srivatsav is an Indian film, television and stage actor, associated with Indian People's Theatre Association in Mumbai of which he remained Vice-President for several years...

     .... Baburam
  • Bob Christo .... Mr. Wolcott
  • Ramesh Deo .... Police Commissioner
  • Kunika
    Kunika
    Kunika is a notable film actress, she was especially involved in a lot of films in villain and comic roles. She also is a singer and launched two albums, the first being mitti. She has two sons.-Personal life:...

     ... Neelum (Special Appearance)

Soundtrack

Track # Song Singer(s)
1 "Hawa Hawaii" Kavita Krishnamurthy
2 "Mr.India" Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...

, Kavita Krishnamurthy
3 "Parody Song" Anuradha Paudwal
Anuradha Paudwal
Anuradha Paudwal is a popular playback singer in Bollywood in India.She has sung songs in Hindi, Marathi and Nepali.- Biography :She studied at Xavier's College in Mumbai. She was married to the late Arun Paudwal, who worked with music director S. D. Burman as his assistant...

, Shabbir Kumar
Shabbir Kumar
Shabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi...

4 "I Love You" Kishore Kumar, Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...

5 "Zindagi Ki Yahin" Kishore Kumar
6 "Zindagi Ki Yahin" (Sad) Kavita Krishnamurthy

Sequel

A sequel to the 1987 film titled Mr. India 2 is going to be produced by Boney Kapoor
Boney Kapoor
Boney Kapoor is an Indian film producer and recently he became director of Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited of Sahara India Pariwar....

 and the film is going to be shot in 3D . According to the rumours, Salman Khan
Salman Khan
Salman Khan is an Indian film actor. He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films.Khan, who made his acting debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi with Rekha in a lead role, had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya , for which he won a Filmfare Award for...

 might play a negative role in the film. Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....

 and Sridevi are to reprise their roles as Arun Verma and Seema Sohni respectively. The film's budget is said to be 100 crore.

External links

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