{ "id": "ep3z446nbe", "slug": "pratiggya", "title": "Pratiggya", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s", "label": "Hindi films of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "label": "Released 1970 to 1975", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000: Released 1970 to 1975", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s", "label": "Hindi films of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "label": "Released 1970 to 1975", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Pratiggya (प्रतिज्ञा) is a 1975 Hindi action comedy directed by Dulal Guha, starring Dharmendra, Hema Malini, and Ajit, with Laxmikant-Pyarelal music and the hit song Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana; a Super-Hit that inspired the 2011 film's title.", "snippet": "Pratiggya (प्रतिज्ञा) is a 1975 Hindi action comedy directed by Dulal Guha, starring Dharmendra, Hema Malini, and Ajit, with Laxmikant-Pyarelal music and the hit song Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana; a Super-Hit that inspired the 2011 film's title.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1970-1975", "markdown": "# Pratiggya\n\n**Pratiggya** (प्रतिज्ञा) is a 1975 Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Dulal Guha, starring [Dharmendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharmendra) as a truck driver who avenges his parents' murder at the hands of a dacoit (an armed bandit or gang robber in [South Asia](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-asia)), with [Hema Malini](https://www.edgepedia.org/hema-malini) as his love interest and Ajit as the villain[1](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/pratiggya). The film's music was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and its song \"Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana\" became one of Dharmendra's signature numbers and later gave its title to the 2011 film *Yamla Pagla Deewana*[2](https://cinemaazi.com/film/pratiggya) • [3](https://archives.christuniversity.in/disk0/00/00/17/30/01/1024008_vaneet.pdf).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | June 1975; sources give 22, 23, or 26 June 1975[4](https://letterboxd.com/film/pratiggya/) • [5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/pratigya/) |\n| Director / writers | Directed by Dulal Guha; story by Ajit Singh Deol (credited as Kanwar Ajit Singh), screenplay by Nabendu Ghosh, dialogues by Shafiq Ansari[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216110/fullcredits/) |\n| Lead cast | Dharmendra (Ajit Singh), Hema Malini (Radha Thakur), Ajit (Bharat Thakur)[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216110/fullcredits/) |\n| Music | Laxmikant-Pyarelal; lyrics by Anand Bakshi; playback by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi[2](https://cinemaazi.com/film/pratiggya) |\n| Box office | Bollywood Hungama lists a lifetime India collection of 35 million (3.50 crore) with a Super-Hit verdict[7](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/box-office-collections/filterbycountry/IND/1975/) |\n| Signature song | \"Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana\", sung by Mohammed Rafi, later lent its title to the 2011 film *Yamla Pagla Deewana*[3](https://archives.christuniversity.in/disk0/00/00/17/30/01/1024008_vaneet.pdf) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\n[Ajit Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/ajit-singh) (Dharmendra) is an illiterate truck driver who learns from his dying adoptive mother that he is the only surviving son of an honest policeman whose entire family was killed by the dacoit Bharat Thakur (Ajit), and he swears revenge[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdgEom2Uto). On his way to Dinapur, the dacoit's hideout, he meets the grievously injured Inspector D'Souza (Satyendra Kapoor), who was traveling to the village to set up a police station with his men and a cache of ammunition; the dying inspector leaves the weapons at Ajit Singh's disposal[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdgEom2Uto).\n\nUsing this stash of machine guns and grenades, Ajit Singh poses as a policeman and sets up a police station in the village with the villagers' help, to trap the dacoit and spy on his movements[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdgEom2Uto) • [1](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/pratiggya). His love interest is the village belle Radha (Hema Malini), the niece of Bharat Thakur, who hates his ways and supports Ajit Singh[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdgEom2Uto). Bharat Thakur plants his man, the village drunkard Chandi ([Keshto Mukherjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/keshto-mukherjee)), as a spy within the police-station circle, and the film follows the struggle between the two men until Ajit Singh fulfills his *pratigya*, or promise, of revenge[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdgEom2Uto).\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe film emerged from a one-line story by Ajit Singh Deol, Dharmendra's brother, who is not to be confused with the actor Ajit who played the villain; a dacoit kills an entire family and the surviving child seeks revenge, and Guha decided to turn this into a comedy[9](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/dulal-guha-his-life-and-times). According to a Cinemaazi feature by the film historian Anirudha Bhattacharjee, the film was completed in a very short time and was meant for release toward the end of 1974 or in early 1975, but censorship-related issues and the Emergency declared in June 1975 delayed it; after cutting a few fights, it opened at the Ganga, New Excelsior, Palace, and other theaters[9](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/dulal-guha-his-life-and-times).\n\nThe release date is reported differently across databases: Bollywood Hungama gives 26 June 1975[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/pratigya/), [Letterboxd](https://www.edgepedia.org/letterboxd) and Filmweb list 23 June 1975[4](https://letterboxd.com/film/pratiggya/) • [10](https://www.filmweb.pl/film/Pratiggya-1975-434731), and Digit Binge gives 22 June 1975[11](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/pratiggya-735426.html). Runtimes also vary by source, from 2 hours 20 minutes on [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch)[12](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pratiggya) to 2 hours 30 minutes on Indian Film History[1](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/pratiggya).\n\n## Music\n\nLaxmikant-Pyarelal composed the score and [Anand Bakshi](https://www.edgepedia.org/anand-bakshi) wrote the lyrics[2](https://cinemaazi.com/film/pratiggya). The four songs listed on streaming databases are \"Main Jat Yamla Pagla Diwana\" ([Mohammed Rafi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mohammed-rafi)), \"Morni Re Morni\" ([Lata Mangeshkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/lata-mangeshkar)), \"Uth Neend Se Mirzia Jaag Ja\" (Mangeshkar and Rafi), and \"Pardesi Aaya Des Mein\" (Mangeshkar)[11](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/pratiggya-735426.html). \"Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana\" became the film's most remembered number, and a Cinemaazi feature notes that with it Dharmendra more or less introduced new dance moves into Hindi cinema[9](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/dulal-guha-his-life-and-times). The 2011 comedy-drama *Yamla Pagla Deewana*, also starring Dharmendra, took its title from this song[3](https://archives.christuniversity.in/disk0/00/00/17/30/01/1024008_vaneet.pdf).\n\n## Box office and reception\n\nBollywood Hungama's trade table records a lifetime India collection of 35 million (3.50 crore) and classifies the film as a Super-Hit[7](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/box-office-collections/filterbycountry/IND/1975/). An NDTV report on a viral 1975 ticket photograph states that the film was made on a budget of 15 million rupees (1.50 crore rupees) and earned about 70 million rupees (7 crore rupees), that a ticket at the Ganga theater cost 3.30 rupees (a net rate of 1.42 rupees plus 1.58 rupees tax and 0.31 rupees surcharge), and that an October-dated ticket shows the film ran in theaters for four months, overlapping with the 15 August 1975 release of *Sholay*, which also starred Dharmendra[13](https://ndtv.in/bollywood/dharmendra-movie-pratiggya-ticket-photo-viral-priced-at-just-rs-3-earned-him-rs-7-crore-9689568?pfrom=home-khabar_taazatareen).\n\nThe film sits alongside *Sholay*, *Deewaar*, and *Chupke Chupke* in 1975, a year widely noted as a peak for Hindi commercial cinema[4](https://letterboxd.com/film/pratiggya/). On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.7[12](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pratiggya).\n\n## Other uses of the title\n\nA different Hindi film titled *Pratigya* (प्रतिज्ञा) was released in 1943, directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal for Chitra Productions, Bombay, with Motilal, Swarnalata, and a young [Meena Kumari](https://www.edgepedia.org/meena-kumari) (credited as Baby Meena) among its cast; the Hindi Film Database notes that a film with this title was also passed by the Censor Board in 1975, corresponding to the Dharmendra film[14](https://hamraaz.org/filmssite/public/film.php?id=1172).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Pratiggya (1975) — Cast, Review & Details, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/pratiggya)\n2. [Pratiggya (1975) — Movie Details, Cinemaazi](https://cinemaazi.com/film/pratiggya)\n3. [Portrayal of Sikhism in Hindi Movies, Christ University archives](https://archives.christuniversity.in/disk0/00/00/17/30/01/1024008_vaneet.pdf)\n4. [Pratiggya (1975), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/pratiggya/)\n5. [Pratiggya Movie — Release Date, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/pratigya/)\n6. [Pratiggya (1975) — Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216110/fullcredits/)\n7. [Box Office Collection Live, India 1975, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/box-office-collections/filterbycountry/IND/1975/)\n8. [Pratiggya (1975) — Full Hindi Movie, Goldmines Bollywood (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdgEom2Uto)\n9. [Dulal Guha: His Life and Times, by Anirudha Bhattacharjee, Cinemaazi](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/dulal-guha-his-life-and-times)\n10. [Pratiggya (1975), Filmweb](https://www.filmweb.pl/film/Pratiggya-1975-434731)\n11. [Pratiggya Movie (1975), Digit Binge](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/pratiggya-735426.html)\n12. [Pratiggya streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pratiggya)\n13. [Dharmendra movie Pratiggya ticket photo viral, NDTV India](https://ndtv.in/bollywood/dharmendra-movie-pratiggya-ticket-photo-viral-priced-at-just-rs-3-earned-him-rs-7-crore-9689568?pfrom=home-khabar_taazatareen)\n14. [Pratigya (1943), Hindi Film Database](https://hamraaz.org/filmssite/public/film.php?id=1172)\n\n---\n*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 1970s › Released 1970 to 1975*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/pratiggya", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/pratiggya.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Pratiggya\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/pratiggya. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Pratiggya](https://www.edgepedia.org/pratiggya)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/pratiggya](https://www.edgepedia.org/pratiggya). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Pratiggya\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/pratiggya. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Pratiggya is a 1975 Hindi action comedy directed by Dulal Guha, starring Dharmendra, Hema Malini, and Ajit, with Laxmikant-Pyarelal music and the hit song Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana; a Super-Hit that inspired the 2011 film's title." }