Sangharsh (1999 film)

Synopsis

A series of child abduction and murders have left the police force perplexed who are unable to solve the case. Hence the case is handed over to CBI, who designate trainee Reet Oberoi (Preity Zinta) to solve the case. After some investigation the evidence points towards Lajja Shankar Pandey (Ashutosh Rana), a religious fanatic who believes in the sacrifice of children to gain immortality. Pandey's erratic behaviour and Reet's traumas (as a child she witnesses her older brother, a terrorist, being gunned down by the police in their home) forces Reet to seek help from a prisoner, an unjustly implicated genius by the name Professor Aman Varma (Akshay Kumar).

At first he's rude towards Reet and refuses to help her, but with some help she manages to sway him into helping her. The case gets even more tough as she finds out that the Home Minister's only child has been kidnapped by Pandey. Reet cannot handle the pressure alone due to her traumatic childhood and her phobias, also she faces opposition from the local police partly because of Varma's methods. As they begin to spend more time together, he helps her overcome her fears and they both fall in love with each other.

They eventually track down Pandey, who is about to begin the last sacrifice on the day of a solar eclipse (Soorya Grahan) which will finally help him attain the unattainable Immortality. Aman and Reet eventually save the child, killing Pandey in the process, but Aman is seriously hurt and is on the brink of death. Reet and Aman share a last kiss and he dies in her arms. Reet is given a hero's welcome and she finds a new sense of life in herself.

Cast

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". 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.

Awards