{ "id": "epzhj5vstt", "slug": "yodha", "title": "Yodha", "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-1990s", "label": "Hindi films of the 1990s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films", "label": "Action and thriller films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films.yr-1990-1995", "label": "Released 1990 to 1995", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films.yr-1990-1995" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films.yr-1990-1995", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000: Released 1990 to 1995", "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-1990s.action-and-thriller-films.yr-1990-1995", "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-1990s", "label": "Hindi films of the 1990s", "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-1990s" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films", "label": "Action and thriller films", "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-1990s.action-and-thriller-films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films.yr-1990-1995", "label": "Released 1990 to 1995", "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-1990s.action-and-thriller-films.yr-1990-1995" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Yodha (योद्धा) is a 1991 Hindi action drama directed by Rahul Rawail, starring Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, and Danny Denzongpa; a box-office flop, distinct from the 2024 Hindi film of the same name.", "snippet": "Yodha (योद्धा) is a 1991 Hindi action drama directed by Rahul Rawail, starring Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, and Danny Denzongpa; a box-office flop, distinct from the 2024 Hindi film of the same name.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1990s.action-and-thriller-films.yr-1990-1995", "markdown": "# Yodha\n\n**Yodha** (योद्धा) is a 1991 Hindi-language action drama film directed by Rahul Rawail, starring [Sunny Deol](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunny-deol) as the lawyer Karan Srivastav and [Sanjay Dutt](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjay-dutt) as Suraj Singh, a man drawn into working for an underworld don who hides behind a judge's respectability.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) • [2](https://www.goldposter.com/movie/790536/) It was released in India on 22 February 1991 and was produced by Karim Morani, Bunty Soorma, and Aly Morani for Cineyug Films.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yodha_1991)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | 22 February 1991 (India), Hindi language, action drama[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) |\n| Director and writer | Rahul Rawail; screenplay by K.K. Singh[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) |\n| Lead cast | Sunny Deol (Advocate Karan Srivastav), Sanjay Dutt (Suraj Singh), Sangeeta Bijlani (Vidya Agnihotri)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) |\n| Antagonist | Danny Denzongpa as Daaga, also known as Justice Dharmesh Agnihotri, a judge secretly running an underworld operation[2](https://www.goldposter.com/movie/790536/) |\n| Music | Bappi Lahiri; lyrics by Anand Bakshi; four songs plus an instrumental theme[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/) |\n| Runtime | 142 minutes per IMDb; Box Office India lists 144 minutes[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) • [5](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=6070) |\n| Box office | Budget of ₹28.5 million (₹2.85 crore); the film failed commercially[6](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/sunny-deol-sanjay-dutt-second-flop-together-aamir-khan-quit-role-2-crore-budget-3211952.html) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe film follows two men on a collision course. Karan Srivastav is a respected lawyer whose honesty has earned him many enemies, including Suraj Singh. Karan's father, the journalist Chandrakant Srivastav (played by [Shafi Inamdar](https://www.edgepedia.org/shafi-inamdar)), dies in circumstances officially called suicide, and Karan is convinced he was murdered; at one point he gets himself arrested to get close to the imprisoned criminals who might be responsible.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yodha_1991) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/yodha/umc.cmc.1kfsoswdff10sp0lpcd52rdjx)\n\nSuraj Singh, addicted to drugs, watches his girlfriend being assaulted while helpless to intervene, and afterwards vows to end drug dealing, becoming a hit man for the underworld don Daaga, who is in fact Justice Dharmesh Agnihotri operating under a veil of respectability.[2](https://www.goldposter.com/movie/790536/) The don exploits the rivalry between Karan and Suraj, turning them into bitter enemies, while both remain unaware that a single man is responsible for the ruin of both their lives.[2](https://www.goldposter.com/movie/790536/) In Apple TV's summary, the plot is described in broader strokes: Karan works as a lawyer and Suraj is portrayed as someone fate has treated badly, yet both end up on the same side of a struggle, confronting lawless elements in an effort to cleanse society of its problems.[7](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/yodha/umc.cmc.1kfsoswdff10sp0lpcd52rdjx)\n\n## Cast\n\nSunny Deol plays Advocate Karan Srivastav and Sanjay Dutt plays Suraj Singh, with Sangeeta Bijlani as Vidya Agnihotri, Paresh Rawal as Chagganlal, Danny Denzongpa as Daaga, Shafi Inamdar as Chandrakant Srivastav, Annu Kapoor as Umeed Singh, and [Shilpa Shirodkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/shilpa-shirodkar) in a special appearance.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) • [8](https://www.moviebuff.com/yodha-1991-hindi) A contemporary retrospective account describes Shilpa Shirodkar's role as a cameo cast opposite Sanjay Dutt, with Danny (Denzongpa) as the main antagonist.[9](https://snratings.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/thisweekthatyear-featuring-rahul-rawails-yodha/)\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe film was produced under Cineyug Films by Karim Morani, Bunty Soorma, and Aly Morani, with Pravin Bhatt as director of photography.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yodha_1991) • [8](https://www.moviebuff.com/yodha-1991-hindi) According to Moviebuff, the film was initially titled *Be-Naqaab*, and its production was delayed because Sanjay Dutt had to make repeated trips to New York for the cancer treatment of his wife Richa Sharma.[8](https://www.moviebuff.com/yodha-1991-hindi) A Hindi-language retrospective gives the budget as ₹28.5 million (₹2.85 crore) and states that the film lost money at the box office.[6](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/sunny-deol-sanjay-dutt-second-flop-together-aamir-khan-quit-role-2-crore-budget-3211952.html)\n\n**A second Deol–Dutt failure.** *Yodha* was the second time Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt acted together, after *Kroadh* (1990). IMDb's trivia notes that after *Kroadh* flopped, the pair returned with this film, which also failed at the box office.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) A retrospective review published in 2021 places the release at Alankar Cinema, Mumbai, on 22 February 1991, and calls it below average at the box office, adding that expectations had been high because the Deol–Dutt pairing had given a decent earner in *Kroadh* less than a year earlier.[9](https://snratings.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/thisweekthatyear-featuring-rahul-rawails-yodha/) The same review judges Rawail's direction as not on the level of his earlier *Arjun* (1985) and *Dacait* (1987), though not bad for 1991, when multistarrer action films still worked commercially.[9](https://snratings.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/thisweekthatyear-featuring-rahul-rawails-yodha/)\n\n## Music\n\nThe soundtrack was composed by [Bappi Lahiri](https://www.edgepedia.org/bappi-lahiri) with lyrics by [Anand Bakshi](https://www.edgepedia.org/anand-bakshi). The album contains four songs and an instrumental theme:[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/)\n\n1. \"Duniya Mein Jeena Hai To\", performed by [Amit Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/amit-kumar), Kumar Sanu, and Anupama Deshpande[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/)\n2. \"Pyar Bada Mushkil Hai\", performed by Amit Kumar and [Alka Yagnik](https://www.edgepedia.org/alka-yagnik)[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/)\n3. \"Whole Day Whole Night\", performed by [Kumar Sanu](https://www.edgepedia.org/kumar-sanu) and Alka Yagnik[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/)\n4. \"Ladka Kunwara\", performed by Asha Bhosle[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/)\n5. \"Yodha Theme\", instrumental[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/)\n\n## Reception and availability\n\nThe film holds a 4.6/10 rating on IMDb from 358 user votes, and it is referenced in the 2009 film *99*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/) Rotten Tomatoes lists no critic reviews or audience ratings for it.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yodha_1991) The film has remained available on streaming platforms: it streams on Netflix in India, and Apple TV offers it for rent or purchase in the United States, with Sun NXT and [Google Play](https://www.edgepedia.org/google-play) among other outlets listed by filmi.ai.[10](https://www.netflix.com/in-hi/title/60032019) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yodha_1991) • [11](https://filmi.ai/film/yodha-1991/)\n\nThe title Yodha (meaning warrior) has also been used for other Indian films, including a 2024 Hindi film starring [Sidharth Malhotra](https://www.edgepedia.org/sidharth-malhotra), which is a separate work.[12](https://www.boxofficeden.com/2024/03/yodha-box-office-reviews-budget-hit-or.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Yodha (1991) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/)\n2. [Yodha (1991) – GoldPoster](https://www.goldposter.com/movie/790536/)\n3. [Yodha (1991) – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/yodha_1991)\n4. [Yodha (1991) Soundtracks – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267130/soundtrack/)\n5. [Yodha – Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=6070)\n6. [Sunny Deol Sanjay Dutt: Yodha retrospective – TV9 Hindi](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/sunny-deol-sanjay-dutt-second-flop-together-aamir-khan-quit-role-2-crore-budget-3211952.html)\n7. [Yodha – Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/yodha/umc.cmc.1kfsoswdff10sp0lpcd52rdjx)\n8. [Yodha (1991) – Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/yodha-1991-hindi)\n9. [#ThisWeekThatYear featuring Rahul Rawail's Yodha – SNRatings](https://snratings.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/thisweekthatyear-featuring-rahul-rawails-yodha/)\n10. [Yodha – Netflix India](https://www.netflix.com/in-hi/title/60032019)\n11. [Yodha – filmi.ai](https://filmi.ai/film/yodha-1991/)\n12. [Yodha (2024) Box Office, Reviews – Box Office Den](https://www.boxofficeden.com/2024/03/yodha-box-office-reviews-budget-hit-or.html)\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 1990s › Action and thriller films › Released 1990 to 1995*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 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/yodha", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/yodha.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": "\"Yodha\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/yodha. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Yodha](https://www.edgepedia.org/yodha)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/yodha](https://www.edgepedia.org/yodha). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Yodha\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/yodha. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Yodha is a 1991 Hindi action drama directed by Rahul Rawail, starring Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, and Danny Denzongpa; a box-office flop, distinct from the 2024 Hindi film of the same name." }