# Jaanwar (जानवर) (1999 film)
**Jaanwar** (जानवर, "Animal" or "Beast") is a 1999 Hindi-language action crime drama directed and produced by Suneel Darshan, starring [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar) as a criminal who reforms after rescuing a lost child. It was released in India on 24 December 1999[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/) and marked Akshay Kumar's first hit film after ten consecutive flops from 1996 through 1999.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 24 December 1999 (India)[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/) |
| Director and producer | Suneel Darshan[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) |
| Lead cast | Akshay Kumar (Badshah / Babu Lohar), Karisma Kapoor (Sapna), Shilpa Shetty (Mamta)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/fullcredits/) |
| Music and lyrics | Anand-Milind; lyrics by Sameer[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) |
| Writers | Robin Bhatt (screenplay), K.K. Singh (dialogue), Ravi Shankar Jaiswal (additional dialogue)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/fullcredits/) |
| Runtime | 2h 52m (172 min) per IMDb; other listings give 2h 41m to 3h 7m[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/) • [4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jaanwar-movie-110289) • [5](https://www.moviebuff.com/jaanwar) |
| IMDb rating | 5.9/10 from about 3,300 user votes[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The film follows Babu (Akshay Kumar), an orphan whose mother dies of hunger and who is taken in by Sultan ([Shakti Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakti-kapoor)), an ambitious criminal. Babu grows up to become "Badshah", a professional criminal working for Sultan, with Abdul ([Ashutosh Rana](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashutosh-rana)) as his sidekick, while Inspector Pradhan ([Ashish Vidyarthi](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashish-vidyarthi)) pursues him relentlessly.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jaanwar) • [8](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Jaanwar?hl=en_US&id=KWTjeUGJ_yk.P)
The story opens with Badshah and Abdul robbing a jewelry store and escaping a police chase. Badshah then meets Sapna ([Karisma Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/karisma-kapoor)), a street performer dancing for money in ragged clothes, and gives her money for new clothes; she is touched by his gentlemanly behavior and the two fall in love.[5](https://www.moviebuff.com/jaanwar) • [8](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Jaanwar?hl=en_US&id=KWTjeUGJ_yk.P) Circumstances lead Badshah to commit a public murder, and during the aftermath a small boy, separated from his parents by a train accident, clings to him. With Inspector Pradhan arriving before he can explain, Badshah flees on the day of his marriage to Sapna.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jaanwar) • [1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar)
On the run, Badshah takes the child, Raju (Aditya Kapadia), and starts a new life under the name Babu Lohar, working as a blacksmith to give the boy a good future.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jaanwar) • [1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) Seven years later his old associate Abdul discovers him, and Sultan, Sapna, the child's parents, and the police all converge on him, leading to a climactic fight and the question of whether he will return the child to his parents.[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) • [7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jaanwar)
## Cast and crew
Akshay Kumar plays the dual-named lead, Badshah and Babu Lohar. Karisma Kapoor plays Sapna, a dancer, and [Shilpa Shetty](https://www.edgepedia.org/shilpa-shetty) plays Mamta. The supporting cast includes Mohnish Behl as Aditya Oberoi, Ashutosh Rana as Abdul, Ashish Vidyarthi as Inspector Pradhan, Johny Lever as Bajrangi, Shakti Kapoor as Sultan, and [Kader Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kader-khan) in a special appearance.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/fullcredits/) • [9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/jaanwar/cast/)
Behind the camera, Suneel Darshan served as both director and producer under his Shree Krishna International banner (IMDb also lists Devgan Films as a production company).[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/) [Robin Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-bhatt) wrote the screenplay, K.K. Singh the dialogue, and Ravi Shankar Jaiswal additional dialogue; Sameer Reddy was the cinematographer, Sanjay Sankla the editor, and Tinu Verma the action director.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/fullcredits/) • [9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/jaanwar/cast/) [Yash Raj Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/yash-raj-films) handled international distribution in the UK.[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar)
## Music
The soundtrack was composed by the Anand-Milind duo (Anand and Milind Chitragupth) with lyrics by Sameer.[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/fullcredits/) Playback singers on the album included [Udit Narayan](https://www.edgepedia.org/udit-narayan), Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sapna Awasthi, and Jaspinder Narula.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/fullcredits/) Songs listed for the film include "Mausam", "Mera Yaar Dildar", "Tujhko Na Dekhun", "Jaanewale", "Kasam Se", "Mere Sapno Ke Rajkumar", "Paas Bulati Hai", and "Angoori Angoori".[4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jaanwar-movie-110289)
## Reception and significance
For Akshay Kumar, the film's commercial performance carried particular weight: IMDb's trivia section records it as his first hit after ten consecutive flop films from 1996 leading up to 1999.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/) On IMDb the film holds a weighted rating of 5.9/10 from about 3,300 votes, with an unweighted mean of 7.3 and the most ratings coming from India, the United States, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and Iran.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/ratings/)
## Availability
The film has remained in circulation on streaming and digital platforms. In the United States it can be streamed free with ads on Tubi, rented from $3.99, or bought from $4.99 on Apple TV, Google TV, and YouTube.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jaanwar) • [10](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/jaanwar/20011738/where-to-watch/) In India it streams on Prime Video, MX Player, and ZEE5, and through Airtel Xstream Play via ZEE5.[4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jaanwar-movie-110289) • [11](https://www.airtelxstream.in/movies/jaanwar/ZEEFIVE_MOVIE_0-0-8080) Shemaroo Entertainment holds distribution rights.[12](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0/umc.cmc.62s0ae3mlfkug1hthoa2molw5?l=hi)
## Release details
Most sources give the Indian release date as 24 December 1999,[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/) • [4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jaanwar-movie-110289) though Bollywood Hungama lists 23 December 1999.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/jaanwar/cast/) Reported runtimes also differ across platforms, from 2h 41m (Gadgets360) and 2h 52m (IMDb) to 3h 7m (Moviebuff).[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/) • [4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jaanwar-movie-110289) • [5](https://www.moviebuff.com/jaanwar) Filming locations included Switzerland, and the film was shot in Hindi.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/)
## References
1. [Jaanwar, Yash Raj Films](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/jaanwar)
2. [Jaanwar (1999), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/)
3. [Jaanwar (1999) Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/fullcredits/)
4. [Jaanwar Movie (1999), Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jaanwar-movie-110289)
5. [Jaanwar (1999), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/jaanwar)
6. [Jaanwar (1999) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230347/ratings/)
7. [Jaanwar streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jaanwar)
8. [Jaanwar, Google Play Movies](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Jaanwar?hl=en_US&id=KWTjeUGJ_yk.P)
9. [Jaanwar Cast & Crew, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/jaanwar/cast/)
10. [Where to Watch Jaanwar, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/jaanwar/20011738/where-to-watch/)
11. [Jaanwar 1999, Airtel Xstream Play](https://www.airtelxstream.in/movies/jaanwar/ZEEFIVE_MOVIE_0-0-8080)
12. [जानवर, Apple TV (Hindi)](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0/umc.cmc.62s0ae3mlfkug1hthoa2molw5?l=hi)
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*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 1996 to 1999*
*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*
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