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Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (बरसात की एक रात)

Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (बरसात की एक रात; English title "One Rainy Night") is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller directed and produced by Shakti Samanta, starring Amitabh Bachchan as a police inspector whose marriage to a blind woman is threatened when the criminal he jailed is released.1 • 2 It was released on 20 February 1981 and runs 2 hours 22 minutes (142 minutes).2 • 1

Key factDetail
Release20 February 1981 (India)2
Director and producerShakti Samanta, under the Shakti Films banner1 • 3
Lead castAmitabh Bachchan (Inspector Abhijeet Rai), Rakhee Gulzar (Rajni), Amjad Khan (Kaliram H. Sahu), Utpal Dutt (Hariya Sahu)4
SourceBased on the Bengali novel Anusandhan by Shaktipada Rajguru, who wrote the screenplay5 • 3
MusicRahul Dev Burman; songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, and Asha Bhosle6
Runtime and certificate142 minutes; certified U in India1 • 3
LanguagesHindi and Bengali1
IMDb rating6.1/10 from 432 votes1

Spoilers

Story

The film is set around a tea estate whose residents are terrorized by the wealthy contractor Hariya Sahu (Utpal Dutt) and his son Kaliram (Amjad Khan), who bribe the local inspector to ignore their crimes.7 Inspector Abhijeet Rai (Amitabh Bachchan) arrives, traps Kaliram, and secures a five-year sentence for him; he also has the corrupt inspector suspended.7

Abhijeet then falls in love with Rajni (Rakhee Gulzar), the blind daughter of Suresh (Abhi Bhattacharya), a manager on the estate, and the two marry.7 The couple moves to Sonarpur and expects a child, but Kaliram completes his sentence and returns to take revenge, turning their married life into a nightmare.7 • 1 A contemporary government-published account describes the film's two climactic nights: one in which the villain tries to molest the heroine, and another in which he attacks her, leading to the death of her unborn child.8

Production

The film is a bilingual: a Bengali version titled Anusandhan (meaning "Discovery") was made alongside the Hindi Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, with Rakhee's character named Tamosha in Bengali and Rajni in Hindi.9

Shooting. Filming took place mostly in Darjeeling, with some portions shot in Kolkata and Mumbai; IMDb lists Darjeeling, West Bengal, as a filming location.1 Aloke Dasgupta was the cinematographer and Bijoy Chowdhary the editor.7 The supporting cast included Prema Narayan as Phulwa, Asit Sen as an inspector, Sujit Kumar in a guest appearance, and Nimu Bhowmik as a doctor.4 • 10

Music

Songs listed on IMDb include "Apney Pyar Ke Sapney" (Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar), "Hai Woh Pardesi" (Mangeshkar), "Kaliram Ka Dhol" (Kishore Kumar), "Manchali O Manchali" (Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle), and "Nadiya Kinare Pe" (Mangeshkar).6 The soundtrack was released on an album paired with Burman's music for Naram Garam (1981).11

Reception and afterlife

On IMDb the film holds a 6.1/10 rating from 432 votes.1 A review aggregator records an average critic rating of 3.0/5, with one review calling the film's guessing game what makes it an engaging watch.12

Bachchan and Khan in 1981. IMDb trivia notes that Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan appeared together in five films released in 1981: Yaarana, Laawaris, Naseeb, Kaalia, and this film.1

The film remains associated with Samanta's later career. The Marathi Vishwakosh records that his classics Howrah Bridge, Aradhana, and Barsaat Ki Ek Raat were converted into animated films by Pratish Nandy Communications.13 The film is available on streaming platforms in India, including Prime Video.3

Distinction from Barsaat Ki Raat (1960)

Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) is a different film from Barsaat Ki Raat (1960), the P. L. Santoshi-directed Muslim social romance starring Madhubala and Bharat Bhushan, whose Roshan-composed qawwalis, including "Na To Karavan Ki Talash", are frequently cited separately.14 The two titles are often confused in searches and music discussions because both translate roughly as "a rainy night".15

References

  1. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981), IMDb
  2. Barsat Ki Ek Raat Cast & Crew, Bollywood Hungama
  3. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat Movie (1981), Gadgets 360
  4. बरसात की एक रात, Apple TV
  5. Hai Woh Pardesi - Barsaat Ki Ek Raat 1981, YouTube (SLP - Melodies)
  6. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) - Soundtracks, IMDb
  7. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat - Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide
  8. Yojana, July 2012, Publications Division
  9. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat - Full Movie, YouTube (Filmy Deewane)
  10. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat vintage poster listing, Bollywood Movie Posters
  11. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat & Naram Garam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Apple Music
  12. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat Reviews, Komparify
  13. सामंत, शक्ति, मराठी विश्वकोश
  14. Barsaat Ki Raat, Indian Cinema, University of Iowa
  15. Barsaat Ki Raat, Rotten Tomatoes

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

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