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Andha Kanoon

Andha Kanoon (अंधा कानून; also spelled Andhaa Kaanoon, literally "Blind Law") is a 1983 Hindi-language action drama film directed by Tatineni Rama Rao, starring Rajinikanth, Hema Malini, Reena Roy, and Amitabh Bachchan in an extended special appearance¹. It is a remake of the 1981 Tamil film Sattam Oru Iruttarai and marked Rajinikanth's first film in Hindi cinema²^•³. The film was a commercial success, ranking as the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film of 1983⁴.

Key fact	Detail
Release	8 April 1983 (India), Hindi language¹
Director / producer	Tatineni Rama Rao; produced by Poornachandra Rao Atluri for Lakshmi Productions⁵
Source	Remake of the Tamil film Sattam Oru Iruttarai (1981)²
Lead cast	Rajinikanth (Vijay Kumar Singh), Hema Malini (Inspector Durga Devi Singh), Reena Roy (Meena Srivastav), Amitabh Bachchan (Jan Nisar Akhtar Khan)⁶
Significance	Rajinikanth's Bollywood debut; a major commercial hit³
Box office	Budget about Rs 23 million (Rs 2.30 crore); about Rs 50 million (Rs 5 crore) net in India and about Rs 75 million (Rs 7.5 crore) worldwide; fifth highest-grossing Hindi film of 1983⁴
Music	Laxmikant-Pyarelal; lyrics by Anand Bakshi; the title song "Yeh Andhaa Kanoon Hai" was performed by Kishore Kumar⁵

Spoilers

Plot

The story follows two siblings seeking justice after their family members are killed by three criminals named Amar, Akbar, and Anthony³. The film highlights the failure of the legal system to punish the criminals, and the siblings take opposite paths: Vijay Kumar Singh (Rajinikanth) wants to kill them himself, while his sister Durga Devi (Hema Malini) joins the police to punish criminals within the law³.

A second thread follows Jan Nisar Akhtar Khan (Amitabh Bachchan), a forest officer who is falsely framed for the murder of a poacher named Ram Gupta and sent to prison, after which his wife kills herself². Years later, the embittered Khan is released, learns that Gupta is still alive, and teams up with Vijay to take revenge outside the courts². In the climax, Khan kills Ram Gupta in the same courtroom in which he had been convicted of Gupta's murder, declaring that the law cannot punish one person twice for the same crime⁵.

Cast and production

Rajinikanth, already a Tamil cinema star, played Vijay Kumar Singh in his first Hindi film³. Hema Malini played Inspector Durga Devi Singh, and Reena Roy played Meena Srivastav⁶. The supporting cast included Pran as Anthony D'Cruz, Danny Denzongpa as Akbar Ali, Prem Chopra as Amarnath, Amrish Puri as Ram Gupta, Madan Puri as Jailor Gupta, Om Shivpuri as Police Commissioner K. B. Lal, and Asrani as a constable⁶. Dharmendra made a guest appearance as a truck driver⁶.

Bachchan's role. According to IMDb trivia, when Amitabh Bachchan was shown the original Tamil film he was told to choose any role for the Hindi version, and he picked the small part of the forest officer; the role was then expanded for him⁵. An NDTV retrospective reports that Bachchan was originally cast only for a cameo as Jan Nisar Khan, that his part grew substantially in the Hindi version, and that he assured the producers he would do the cameo if Rajinikanth were given the lead, helping bring Rajinikanth to Bollywood⁴. The same account says the film was first offered to Jeetendra and Parveen Babi; Jeetendra asked a fee the producers found too high, and Parveen Babi declined to work with Rajinikanth, after which Reena Roy was cast⁴.

The film was written by Shoba Chandrasekhar, with music by the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi⁵. Playback singers included Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, and K. J. Yesudas⁷. The soundtrack includes the songs "Yeh Andhaa Kanoon Hai", "Meri Behna", and "Rote Rote Hansna Seekho"².

Reception and legacy

The film was a commercial success. NDTV reports a budget of about Rs 23 million (Rs 2.30 crore), net collections in India of about Rs 50 million (Rs 5 crore), worldwide earnings of about Rs 75 million (Rs 7.5 crore), and the fifth-highest gross among Hindi films of 1983⁴. Zee5 describes it as a "huge hit" and notes that the title, translated as "Blind Law", has become a commonplace metaphor for lawlessness in Indian society³.

The film is remembered above all as Rajinikanth's Bollywood debut and for Bachchan's courtroom scenes and the song "Yeh Andhaa Kanoon Hai", which the NDTV retrospective credits with lifting the film's profile⁴. On IMDb it holds a rating of about 6.3 out of 10 from roughly 955 users⁵. Its theme, that when the law is blind revenge becomes justice, has kept the film in circulation on streaming platforms such as ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video, and Plex³^•⁸.

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 1980s

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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