# Dayavan (दयावान)
**Dayavan** (दयावान) is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language action crime drama directed and produced by Feroz Khan, starring [Vinod Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinod-khanna) as Shakti Velhu, a gangster known as Dayavan who dedicates his life to helping people less fortunate than himself.[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/) • [2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/dayavan) The film is a remake of the Tamil film *Nayakan* (1987), directed by [Mani Ratnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/mani-ratnam) and starring [Kamal Haasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamal-haasan).[3](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/dayavan) It was released in India on 21 October 1988.[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dayavan/cast/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 21 October 1988 (India), Hindi language, adult (A) certification[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dayavan/cast/) • [3](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/dayavan) |
| Director / producer | Feroz Khan, under his banner F.K. International[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dayavan/cast/) • [2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/dayavan) |
| Lead cast | Vinod Khanna (Shakti Velhu alias Dayavan), Feroz Khan (Shankar Waghmare), Madhuri Dixit (Neela Velhu), Amala Akkineni (Sarita Velhu)[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dayavan/cast/) |
| Source | Remake of the Tamil film *Nayakan* (1987), itself inspired by the life of the Chennai underworld figure Varadarajan Mudaliar[3](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/dayavan) • [5](https://simkl.com/movies/303356/dayavan) |
| Music | Laxmikant-Pyarelal; lyrics by Indeevar and Aziz Quaisi; playback singers included Pankaj Udhas, Anuradha Paudwal, Mohammed Aziz, and Alka Yagnik[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/dayavan) • [6](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/dayavan-2612/cast-crew) |
| Runtime | 2 hours 53 minutes (173 minutes) per IMDb; other catalogs list 2h 54m to 3h 4m[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/) • [3](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/dayavan) |
| IMDb rating | 6.4/10 from about 730 votes[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
The film follows Shakti Velhu, who as a child flees to Mumbai after killing a corrupt policeman responsible for his father's death. Growing up with a hatred of police brutality, he becomes a benevolent underworld figure whom the poor call Dayavan, meaning "the compassionate one"; the official press booklet describes the name as given by the masses in love and admiration for their hero.[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/) • [2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/dayavan) He marries a young prostitute, and the synopsis notes that the couple's happiness is short-lived as the gangster lifestyle takes its toll.[7](https://letterboxd.com/film/dayavan/cast/)
Feroz Khan cast himself as Shankar Waghmare, Shakti's childhood friend and accomplice. The supporting cast includes [Amrish Puri](https://www.edgepedia.org/amrish-puri) as Inspector Ratan Singh, Aditya Pancholi as an Assistant Commissioner of Police who is also the husband of Dayavan's estranged daughter Sarita, Anupam Kher as Mr. Kohli, [Aruna Irani](https://www.edgepedia.org/aruna-irani) as Tara, Alok Nath as Karim Baba, and [Tinnu Anand](https://www.edgepedia.org/tinnu-anand) as Ajit Singh.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094958/fullcredits/) • [4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dayavan/cast/) Ramya Krishnan appears as a dancer on the boat.[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dayavan/cast/)
## Production and music
Feroz Khan directed, produced, and edited the film under F.K. International, with cinematography by Kamal Bose, art direction by [Thota Tharani](https://www.edgepedia.org/thota-tharani) and R. Verman, choreography by [Saroj Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/saroj-khan) and P. A. Salim, and action direction by Ram Shetty.[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/dayavan) Dialogue was written by Parvez Mehdi and Aziz Quaisi, and G. Venkateswaran served as associate producer.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094958/fullcredits/)
The score and songs were composed by the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo, Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma. The soundtrack includes "Aaj Phir Tum Pe" (6:39, sung by [Pankaj Udhas](https://www.edgepedia.org/pankaj-udhas) and [Anuradha Paudwal](https://www.edgepedia.org/anuradha-paudwal)), "Kahe Saiyan Teri Meri Baat", "Dil Tera Kisne Toda", "Diwani Tum Jawanon Ki", and "Chahe Meri Jaan Tu Le Le".[9](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/dayavan-735253.html) The catalog record based on Wikidata lists [Mohammed Aziz](https://www.edgepedia.org/mohammed-aziz) as the 1989 winner for Dayavan, but that attribution is incorrect: Udit Narayan won for "Papa Kehte Hain" from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.[10](https://travelindia-guide.com/bollywood/movies/1988/dayavan/) • [14](https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards/winners.amp)
## Reception and comparison with Nayakan
The film drew attention for an extended love-making scene between Vinod Khanna and [Madhuri Dixit](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhuri-dixit) in "Aaj Phir Tum Pe Pyaar Aaya Hai"; a featured IMDb user review describes a kiss of close to two minutes that raised eyebrows and prompted film-magazine reports that the then-newcomer Dixit regretted the shot.[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/)
Box-office accounts disagree. FilmiBeat states the film was a flop.[11](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/dayavan.html) An IMDb user review reports that the film, released with a 70MM print at Minerva cinema in Mumbai, took an excellent start but settled into the average-grosser category.[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/) IMDb lists a worldwide gross of $5,336,964.[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/)
Comparisons with the original have generally favored *Nayakan*. Kamal Haasan did not like the Hindi remake, saying that Feroz Khan was unable to capture the essence of the original.[3](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/dayavan) The *Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema* notes that the emotional charge and film noir look that gave *Nayakan* its power were lost in the faithful Hindi remake.[12](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/134_IPCatalogue1990.pdf) Reviewers have nonetheless praised Vinod Khanna's performance in the title role as among the best of his career.[1](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/) A 2024 IANS retrospective of Vinod Khanna's career describes his return in 1987 and his role in Feroz Khan's *Dayavan* (1988), where he played a crime don and shared chemistry with Madhuri Dixit.[13](https://avenuemail.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/THE-AVENUE-MAIL-OCTOBER-8.pdf)
The film has remained available on streaming, listed on SonyLiv with a Digit Binge rating of 6.4/10.[9](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/dayavan-735253.html)
## References
1. [दयावान (Dayavan, 1988) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt0094958/)
2. [Dayavan (1988) – Movie Details, Cinemaazi](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/dayavan)
3. [Dayavan on Moviebuff.com](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/dayavan)
4. [Dayavan Cast & Crew – Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dayavan/cast/)
5. [Dayavan (1988) – Simkl](https://simkl.com/movies/303356/dayavan)
6. [Dayavan Complete Cast & Crew – BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/dayavan-2612/cast-crew)
7. [Dayavan (1988) – Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/dayavan/cast/)
8. [Dayavan (1988) – Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094958/fullcredits/)
9. [Dayavan Movie (1988) – Digit Binge / SonyLiv](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/dayavan-735253.html)
10. [Dayavan (1988) – cast, credits and record](https://travelindia-guide.com/bollywood/movies/1988/dayavan/)
11. [दयावान (Dayavan) 1988 – FilmiBeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/dayavan.html)
12. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema catalogue (1990), DFF](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/134_IPCatalogue1990.pdf)
13. [The Avenue Mail, October 8, 2024](https://avenuemail.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/THE-AVENUE-MAIL-OCTOBER-8.pdf)
14. [Filmfare Awards Winners List (1954–Present): Full List of Winners by Year & Category](https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards/winners.amp)
---
*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 Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license