Elaan (एलान)
Elaan (एलान) is a 1994 Hindi-language action film directed by Guddu Dhanoa and produced by Raju Narula under the Tridev Arts banner, starring Akshay Kumar, Amrish Puri, and Madhoo. Its plot centers on an honest police officer whose elder son is killed, and whose younger son turns to vigilante justice when the legal system fails.1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 21 January 1994, India, Hindi language1 |
| Director / producer | Guddu Dhanoa; Raju Narula, banner Tridev Arts1 |
| Lead cast | Akshay Kumar (Vishal), Amrish Puri (Ramakant Chaudhry), Madhoo (Mohini)1 |
| Music | Shyam-Surendra; lyrics by Rani Malik and Sateesh Shah1 |
| Writer | Dilip Shukla (story, screenplay, and dialogue)1 |
| Box office | India nett 46,100,000 rupees, distributor share 22,937,500; classified a hit by Box Office India3 |
| Audience rating | 5.1/10 on IMDb from about 1,000 votes4 |
Spoilers
Plot
The film follows ACP Ramakant Chaudhry, an upright and principled police officer whose eldest son Vikas is killed in a pre-planned accident by goons. Ramakant tries to punish the culprits through the law but fails to find substantial evidence. His younger son Vishal, frustrated with how the law has handled his brother's murder, decides to take matters into his own hands and confronts the criminals himself.2 • 5
The extended synopsis adds that gangsters Manna Shetty and Baba Khan terrorize the city, and that Ramakant's honesty makes him a liability in a corrupt city. When Vishal witnesses a murder and identifies the killer, the son of a prominent person, his father at first disbelieves him. Ramakant eventually arrests the culprit, after which his wife is abducted and released with a time bomb tied to her waist, forcing father and son to choose between saving their family and compromising with the killers and corrupt elements within the police force.6 The ShemarooMe synopsis adds that Ramakant is framed for killing a fellow officer, declared mentally unstable in court, and confined to a mental asylum, while Vishal is also framed and arrested.7
Cast and crew
Akshay Kumar plays Vishal Chaudhry, Amrish Puri plays Ramakant Chaudhry, and Madhoo plays Mohini Sharma. The supporting cast includes Farida Jalal as Revati Chaudhry, Dalip Tahil as Police Commissioner Desai, Deven Verma as Head Constable Devkinandan Sharma, Mohnish Bahl as Vijay Sharma, Mohan Joshi as Baba Khan, Rami Reddy as Manna Shetty, Sulabha Arya as Parvati Sharma, and Satish Kaul as Vikas Chaudhry.1 • 4
Behind the camera, Dilip Shukla wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogue, Shripad Natu handled cinematography, and A. Muthu was the editor. The music was composed by the duo Shyam-Surendra, with lyrics by Rani Malik and Sateesh Shah, and singers credited on the film include Kumar Sanu, Lata Mangeshkar, Poornima, and Sadhana Sargam.1 • 5
Release and box office
Elaan released in India on 21 January 1994. The British Board of Film Classification recorded a home-entertainment version of 140 minutes 18 seconds, classified on 20 January 1994 with Eros Video (Electronics) Ltd as distributor.1 • 8 Listed runtimes differ across databases: Box Office India gives 140 minutes, IMDb gives 2 hours 26 minutes (146 minutes), and Apple TV gives 2 hours 20 minutes.1 • 4 • 2 IMDb lists a color print in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and Film City in Goregaon, Mumbai, as a filming location.4
Box Office India records an all-India nett gross of 46,100,000 rupees with a distributor share of 2,29,37,500, led by Mumbai (13,275,000 nett) and Delhi/UP (10,275,000 nett), and labels the film a hit. In Bihar alone it netted 2,600,000 rupees, with first-week collections of 650,000 declining over eleven weeks.3
Reception and availability
The film holds a 5.1/10 rating on IMDb from about 1,000 users, and Rotten Tomatoes lists no professional reviews for it.4 • 9 IMDb trivia notes that it was the first film to release at Mumbai's renovated New Citylight cinema, where it became a hit.4
Elaan remains available to stream: in India it can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, for free with ads on JioHotstar and ShemarooMe, and abroad on Hulu and Prime Video.6 • 9 The current digital edition is presented by Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd with English subtitles.2
References
- Elaan, Cast & Crew, Box Office India
- Elaan, Apple TV
- Elaan, Circuit Collections, Box Office India
- Elaan (1994), IMDb
- Elaan (1994), Indian Film History
- Elaan streaming, JustWatch
- Elaan, ShemarooMe
- Elaan, BBFC
- Elaan, 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 1990s › Action and thriller films › Released 1990 to 1995
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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