# Mrityudaata (मृत्युदाता)
**Mrityudaata** (मृत्युदाता; also rendered Mrityudata, translated as "Angel of Death") is a 1997 Hindi-language action drama musical directed by Mehul Kumar and produced by Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), made as the comeback film of [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan) after roughly five years away from the screen.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) • [2](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/mrityudaata) It stars Bachchan as a surgeon who turns vigilante after his brother and wife die, with [Dimple Kapadia](https://www.edgepedia.org/dimple-kapadia), Karisma Kapoor, Arbaaz Ali Khan, and [Paresh Rawal](https://www.edgepedia.org/paresh-rawal) in principal roles.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) Despite a strong opening, the film was a box office failure and is remembered chiefly for the popularity of its Daler Mehndi song and for the financial crisis it deepened at ABCL.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688) • [4](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781135943189_A23811970/preview-9781135943189_A23811970.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Film | Mrityudaata (मृत्युदाता), Hindi action drama musical, 1997, India[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) |
| Director and writers | Mehul Kumar (director, story, screenplay); Jalees Sherwani (dialogue)[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688) |
| Production | Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL); producer Amitabh Bachchan[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) |
| Lead cast | Amitabh Bachchan (Dr. Ram Prasad Ghayal), Dimple Kapadia (Janki Ghayal), Karisma Kapoor (Renuka Jain), Arbaaz Ali Khan (Bharat), Paresh Rawal (Trilochan Tripathi)[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) |
| Music | Anand-Milind; lyrics Sameer; the Daler Mehndi song "Na Na Na Re" became popular[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119721/) |
| Box office | Budget 130,000,000 rupees; total nett gross 86,950,000 rupees on 285 screens; verdict: flop[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688) |
| Certification | A (adults only) from the Indian censor board[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) |
## Spoilers
### Story
Dr. Ram Prasad Ghayal (Amitabh Bachchan) is a successful surgeon living with his wife Janki (Dimple Kapadia) and his brother Bharat (Arbaaz Ali Khan), an architect.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) Bharat is in love with the dancer Renu ([Karisma Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/karisma-kapoor)), who is also loved by Raja ([Deepak Tijori](https://www.edgepedia.org/deepak-tijori)), brother of the villain Rana Tonga ([Mukesh Rishi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mukesh-rishi)).[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) Bharat refuses to sign off on a power project involving heavy kickbacks, is framed for a murder, and is sent to jail, where he dies.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) The grief of Bharat's death claims Janki's life as well, and Ram, learning that his brother was killed rather than suicidal, vows revenge on the politician Trilochan Tripathi (Paresh Rawal), Mohanlal (Ashish Vidyarthi), and Rana.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) A trade-paper review of the time summarized the turn: the life-saving doctor becomes a life-taker, trading his scalpel for a machine gun.[6](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-22-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-26th-april-1997/)
## Production and context
Bachchan had not acted in films for several years while he built ABCL, his entertainment company, which produced and distributed films, ran a music label, and staged events including the [Miss World](https://www.edgepedia.org/miss-world) 1996 pageant in [Bangalore](https://www.edgepedia.org/bangalore).[7](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/amitabh-bachchan/introduction/teaching) According to Mehul Kumar, Bachchan approached him at the Rangeela music launch and asked whether he had a "garma-garam" (hot, fresh) script; the film was completed in six months.[8](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-approached-mrityudaata-director-mehul-kumar-for-work-during-abcl-crisis-9448358/lite/) [Sunny Deol](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunny-deol) was offered Arbaaz Ali Khan's role but declined because he was shooting Border.[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbayWizHbcs)
The Indian censor board required cuts before granting the A certificate: all references to "Seva Dal" and a photograph of [Indira Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/indira-gandhi) on a wall, which suggested a particular political party, were removed, along with a scene of a doctor drinking.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119721/)
## Release and reception
The film opened on 25 April 1997 at Eros and 23 other cinemas of Bombay, released by ABCL through Shringar Films, with excellent publicity and a bumper opening almost everywhere except East Punjab, where first-day shows were not full.[6](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-22-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-26th-april-1997/) It dropped conspicuously from the second day in the C.P. and C.I. territories.[6](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-22-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-26th-april-1997/) Release dates in later databases disagree: Box Office India and several catalogs give 25 April 1997,[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688) IMDb gives 25 May 1997 for India,[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119721/releaseinfo/) and FMDb and the Times of India list 6 June 1997.[11](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/348166-mrityudaata)
Contemporary reviews were harsh. Film [Information](https://www.edgepedia.org/information) called the film too routine for a superstar's comeback, faulted the verbose, sermonizing dialogue by Jalees Sherwani, and predicted heavy losses for distributors who had bought it at a prohibitively high price.[6](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-22-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-26th-april-1997/) India Today's Anupama Chopra, a film critic and author, wrote that Bachchan's charisma worked "but only just".[12](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19970515-movie-review-mrityudaata-starring-amitabh-bachchan-dimple-kapadia-831373-1997-05-14) The same review credited the [Daler Mehndi](https://www.edgepedia.org/daler-mehndi) song as superb and beautifully picturized, arriving at the right moment to break the monotony.[6](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-22-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-26th-april-1997/) On IMDb the film holds a weighted rating of 2.9/10 from about 490 votes.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119721/)
## Box office and aftermath
Box Office India records a budget of 130,000,000 rupees against a total nett gross of 86,950,000 rupees on 285 screens, with a first day of 9,500,000 rupees and a first week of 44,700,000 rupees, and classifies the film as a flop.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688) Bollywood Hungama's figures agree on the nett total of 87 million (8.70 crore), with worldwide gross of 130.5 million (13.05 crore) including 14.5 million (1.45 crore) overseas.[13](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/mrityudaata/box-office/) Film Information's trade analysis placed Mrityudaata and Koyla, released a week apart, as the two highest-priced films of their time to flop, noting that their sale prices did not match their costs of production.[14](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-29-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-3rd-may-1997/)
The failure compounded ABCL's troubles. The *Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema* records that following the disastrous reception of the comeback film, the company faced a severe crisis, was forced to sell its "Big-B" record label and its "Star Track" talent bank, and faced questions about its survival; it approached the [Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction](https://www.edgepedia.org/board-for-industrial-and-financial-reconstruction) in March 1999.[4](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781135943189_A23811970/preview-9781135943189_A23811970.pdf) • [7](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/amitabh-bachchan/introduction/teaching) Bachchan later said at the India Today Unforgettables stage in 2016 that the corporation's failure had bankrupted him and that he returned to acting, asking [Yash Chopra](https://www.edgepedia.org/yash-chopra) for work, which led to [Mohabbatein](https://www.edgepedia.org/mohabbatein).[8](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-approached-mrityudaata-director-mehul-kumar-for-work-during-abcl-crisis-9448358/lite/) In a 1999 interview with Vir Sanghvi, an Indian journalist and television presenter, Bachchan said of his wife Jaya Bachchan, a harsh critic of his work, that she "didn't sit through Mrityudaata".[15](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-mrityudaata-jaya-bachchan-walked-out-flop-7876378/)
## Music
The score is by the Anand-Milind duo, with lyrics by Sameer.[3](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688) The standout number is "Na Na Na Re", performed by Daler Mehndi with Sudesh Bhosle; per an IMDb trivia note, Bachchan noticed Mehndi at a wedding, was impressed by his vocals, and had him record the song when the film was already 90 to 95 percent complete.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119721/) The song was very popular on release, and Mehndi appears in the film performing it.[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbayWizHbcs) • [1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815) Other songs include "Illa Loo Illa Loo", "Hamre Deshva Ki Burai", "Kabhi Khusiyon Ki Sargam", "Tak Jhoom", and "Apne Baap Ka Kya".[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815)
## References
1. [Mrityudata Movie (1997): Release Date, Cast, Songs, Review, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/mrityudata-movie-109815)
2. [Mrityudaata (1997), Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/mrityudaata)
3. [Mrityudaata, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2688)
4. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema (Rajadhyaksha & Willemen), Routledge preview](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781135943189_A23811970/preview-9781135943189_A23811970.pdf)
5. [Mrityudaata (1997), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119721/)
6. [FLASHBACK: Film Information, issue dated 26 April 1997](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-22-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-26th-april-1997/)
7. [Amitabh Bachchan, Tuli Research Centre for India Studies](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/amitabh-bachchan/introduction/teaching)
8. [Amitabh Bachchan approached Mrityudaata director for work amid ABCL bankruptcy, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-approached-mrityudaata-director-mehul-kumar-for-work-during-abcl-crisis-9448358/lite/)
9. [Amitabh Bachchan at the audio release of his comeback film 'Mrityudaata', WildFilmsIndia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbayWizHbcs)
10. [Mrityudaata (1997) release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119721/releaseinfo/)
11. [Mrityudaata (1997), FMDb](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/348166-mrityudaata)
12. [Movie review: Mrityudaata, India Today, 15 May 1997](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19970515-movie-review-mrityudaata-starring-amitabh-bachchan-dimple-kapadia-831373-1997-05-14)
13. [Mrityudaata Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/mrityudaata/box-office/)
14. [FLASHBACK: Film Information, issue dated 3 May 1997](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-29-april-2022-from-our-issue-dated-3rd-may-1997/)
15. [When Amitabh Bachchan revealed Jaya Bachchan walked out of Mrityudaata screening, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-mrityudaata-jaya-bachchan-walked-out-flop-7876378/)
---
*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 Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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