# Kurbaan (कुर्बान) (1991 film)
**Kurbaan** (कुर्बान; also spelled Qurban) is a 1991 Hindi-language Indian drama film directed by Deepak Bahry and released in India on 31 May 1991, starring [Sunil Dutt](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunil-dutt), Kabir Bedi, Salman Khan, and [Ayesha Jhulka](https://www.edgepedia.org/ayesha-jhulka).[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/releaseinfo/) Its story follows a decades-long property feud between two families that turns violent, and a romance between the feuding families' children a generation later.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=6028)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 31 May 1991 (India)[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/releaseinfo/) |
| Director / writer | Deepak Bahry; story, screenplay, and dialogue by Vinay Shukla[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) |
| Lead cast | Sunil Dutt (Prithvi Singh), Kabir Bedi (Inspector Suraj Singh), Salman Khan (Akash Singh), Ayesha Jhulka (Chandra Singh)[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) |
| Music | Anand-Milind, lyrics by Sameer[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) |
| Production | Karishma International; producer Bubby Kent[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) |
| Runtime | Reported as 137 min by Box Office India, 134 min by Australian Classification, and 3h 12m by Apple TV and Rotten Tomatoes[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) • [4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/kurbaan-1) • [5](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/kurbaan/umc.cmc.4a23sfv3w6q9oka29qsvszgw9) |
| Commercial result | Listed by IMDb trivia as Salman Khan's fifth consecutive hit[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/trivia/?item=tr6125459) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Two wealthy businessmen, Prithvi Singh and Maan Singh, battle in court for many years to acquire a plot of land. When the court rules in Prithvi's favor, Maan hires the bandit Panna Singh to massacre Prithvi and his family. Prithvi survives, retaliates by killing Maan Singh, and is arrested; his case reaches court, and he is on the verge of winning when Maan's police-officer brother Suraj testifies against him, resulting in a death sentence. Prithvi escapes, sees his pregnant wife safely deliver a daughter, Chandra, attacks Panna Singh's camp, and flees with his daughter to become an outlaw.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=6028)
Years later, Chandra and Suraj's son Akash meet and fall in love. When their fathers learn of the relationship, they forbid the couple from meeting and arrange their marriages elsewhere. Panna Singh is still alive and determined to kill Prithvi, while Suraj seeks to close in on him to avenge his brother's death.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=6028)
## Cast and crew
The credited cast pairs Sunil Dutt as Prithvi Singh with [Kabir Bedi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kabir-bedi) as Inspector Suraj Singh, Salman Khan as Akash Singh, and Ayesha Jhulka as Chandra Singh. Supporting roles include Gulshan Grover as Himmat Singh, Rohini Hattangadi as Kakimaa (Himmat's mother), [Goga Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/goga-kapoor) as Daku Panna Singh, Bharat Kapoor as Maan Singh, Kunika as Mrs. Gayatri Prithvi Singh, Rajesh Puri, Sudha Chandran as Prithvi Singh's sister, and Kamal Deep as the judge.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/fullcredits/)
Behind the camera, Vinay Shukla wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogue; Anand-Milind (Anand Chitragupt and Milind Chitragupt) composed the music with lyrics by Sameer; Thomas Xavier handled cinematography; and [Veeru Devgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/veeru-devgan) staged the stunts.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) • [8](https://letterboxd.com/film/kurbaan-1991/) Playback singers included [Udit Narayan](https://www.edgepedia.org/udit-narayan), Anuradha Paudwal, Sukhwinder Singh, and [Suresh Wadkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/suresh-wadkar).[9](https://www.lyricsoff.com/songs/kurbaan-1991-songs)
## Production and reception
**A film reshaped by its star's rise.** Kabir Bedi, speaking at the Times LitFest in Mumbai, recalled that the producer originally planned the film as a clash of titans between two village giants played by Bedi and Sunil Dutt. The producer asked Bedi to recommend a new actor to sing a few songs, and Bedi suggested [Salman Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/salman-khan), son of [Salim Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/salim-khan), who had just begun acting and was building a reputation. Bollywood films of that era were shot on an installment plan, a few days each month, taking about two years to complete; while Kurbaan was being shot, four of Salman Khan's films released and became superhits. According to Bedi, the scenes were then converted into a love story, and he and Dutt "became the background music."
[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/when-sunil-dutt-kabir-bedi-became-background-music-salman-khan-kurbaan-7517076/lite/)
IMDb trivia lists the film as Salman Khan's fifth consecutive hit. The film also proved a turning point for Ayesha Jhulka: she had been dropped from *Narsimha* (1991) after a dispute with its producer, but the Kurbaan unit supported her, and [Mansoor Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mansoor-khan) spotted her in one of the film's songs and offered her *Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar* (1992).[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/trivia/?item=tr6125459)
The film's songs include "Yeh Dharti Chand Sitare" (Udit Narayan and [Anuradha Paudwal](https://www.edgepedia.org/anuradha-paudwal)), "Deewano Se Pucho Mohabbat Hai Kya" ([Sukhwinder Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/sukhwinder-singh)), and "Baitha Neeli Jheel Kinare" (Suresh Wadkar and Anuradha Paudwal), all composed by Anand-Milind with lyrics by Sameer.[9](https://www.lyricsoff.com/songs/kurbaan-1991-songs)
## Censorship and versions
The Australian Classification Board classified the film M (restricted to recommended for mature audiences) with the consumer advice "low level violence" on 25 June 1991, for sale or hire on videotape, listing a duration of 134 minutes and producer B. Kent.[4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/kurbaan-1)
Reported runtimes differ across databases: Box Office India lists 137 minutes,[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028) the Australian record 134 minutes,[4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/kurbaan-1) Apple TV and Rotten Tomatoes 3 hours 12 minutes,[5](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/kurbaan/umc.cmc.4a23sfv3w6q9oka29qsvszgw9) • [11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kurbaan_1991) eTimes 2 hours 2 minutes,[12](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Hindi/movie-details/Kurbaan/movieshow/61336206.cms) and IMDbPro 133 minutes.[13](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/?site_preference=normal) These figures have not been reconciled by any single source.
## Distinguishing it from the 2009 film
A different Hindi film also titled *Kurbaan*, directed by Rensil D'Silva and starring Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, and [Vivek Oberoi](https://www.edgepedia.org/vivek-oberoi), was released in 2009 as a [Dharma Productions](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharma-productions) thriller about terrorism; reviews and music credits for that film (composer Salim-Sulaiman, songs "Shukran Allah" and "Kurbaan Hua") belong to the 2009 production, not the 1991 film covered here.[14](https://www.behindwoods.com/bollywood/hindi-music-reviews/kurbaan.html)
## References
1. [Kurbaan Cast & Crew, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=6028)
2. [Kurbaan (1991) Release Info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/releaseinfo/)
3. [Kurbaan Synopsis, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie-story.php?movieid=6028)
4. [KURBAAN, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/kurbaan-1)
5. [Kurbaan, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/kurbaan/umc.cmc.4a23sfv3w6q9oka29qsvszgw9)
6. [Kurbaan (1991) Trivia, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/trivia/?item=tr6125459)
7. [Kurbaan (1991) Full Cast & Crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/fullcredits/)
8. [Kurbaan (1991), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/kurbaan-1991/)
9. [Kurbaan (1991) Songs, LyricsOff](https://www.lyricsoff.com/songs/kurbaan-1991-songs)
10. [When Sunil Dutt and Kabir Bedi became 'background music' working with Salman Khan in Kurbaan, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/when-sunil-dutt-kabir-bedi-became-background-music-salman-khan-kurbaan-7517076/lite/)
11. [Kurbaan (1991), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kurbaan_1991)
12. [Kurbaan, eTimes, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Hindi/movie-details/Kurbaan/movieshow/61336206.cms)
13. [Kurbaan (1991), IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0102746/?site_preference=normal)
14. [Kurbaan Music Review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/bollywood/hindi-music-reviews/kurbaan.html)
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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 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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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license