# Satyameva Jayate (2018 film)
**Satyameva Jayate** (सत्यमेव जयते) is a 2018 Hindi-language action film directed and written by Milap Zaveri, in which a vigilante who burns corrupt police officers alive is hunted by an honest police officer, DCP Shivansh Rathod[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/credits/). It stars [John Abraham](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-abraham) as Virendra "Vir" Rathod and [Manoj Bajpayee](https://www.edgepedia.org/manoj-bajpayee) as DCP Shivansh Rathod, with Aisha Sharma and [Amruta Khanvilkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/amruta-khanvilkar) in supporting roles[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/credits/). Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani, and Nikkhil Advani for T-Series and Emmay Entertainment, the film released in India on 15 August 2018, Independence Day[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/satyamev_jayate_2018) • [3](https://www.easterneye.biz/john-abraham-interview-satyamev-jayate-is-an-aspirational-film/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Milap Zaveri (also credited as Milap Milan Zaveri)[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/credits/) |
| Lead cast | John Abraham as Virendra "Vir" Rathod; Manoj Bajpayee as DCP Shivansh Rathod; Aisha Sharma as Shikha; Amruta Khanvilkar as Sarita[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/credits/) |
| Release | 15 August 2018 in India, on Independence Day; earliest release 9 August 2018 in Australia[3](https://www.easterneye.biz/john-abraham-interview-satyamev-jayate-is-an-aspirational-film/) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/) |
| Runtime and rating | 140 minutes; CBFC A (adults only) certificate after 8 demanded cuts[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8202612) |
| India box office | Net ₹903.9 million (₹90.39 crore); worldwide gross ₹1.21 billion (₹121.00 crore) against a ₹450 million (₹45.00 crore) budget; verdict Hit[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Satyamev_Jayate_2018?expand_article=1) |
| Critical reception | 17% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 12 reviews; 69% audience score[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/satyameva_jayate) |
| Franchise | Followed by Satyameva Jayate 2 (2021), which underperformed[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-milap-zaveri-breaks-silence-satyameva-jayate-2s-failure-john-abraham-lifted-bike-two-hands-jr-ntr-sir-rrr-lifted-bike-one-hand-convict/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The film is set against corruption within the Mumbai police. When four police inspectors are burnt alive in a series of killings, the city's police force is shaken, and DCP Shivansh Rathod is tasked with catching the man behind the police killings[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8202612) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/satyameva-jayate/). The killer, Veer Rathod, is driven by a harrowing past and a strong sense of justice to take down corrupt and degenerate cops[10](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/satyameva-jayate/ET00073625/). The two men share the same enemy but are divided by the law, and a cat-and-mouse game reveals how much they have in common despite standing on either side of it[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/satyamev_jayate_2018) • [10](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/satyameva-jayate/ET00073625/).
### Sequel
Zaveri decided to make a second part on the release night itself, reasoning that the theme of corruption would always supply new stories[15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/john-abrahams-whole-back-became-red-and-black-in-five-seconds-when-the-table-was-broken-on-it-milap-zaveri-on-satyameva-jayate-2-shoot/articleshow/87911380.cms). *Satyameva Jayate 2*, with Abraham in a triple role, was delayed by the pandemic and released on 25 November 2021 rather than on a national holiday; Zaveri later attributed its failure partly to that timing and partly to his own story choices, saying he had gone too far with over-the-top action[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-milap-zaveri-breaks-silence-satyameva-jayate-2s-failure-john-abraham-lifted-bike-two-hands-jr-ntr-sir-rrr-lifted-bike-one-hand-convict/).
## Production and casting
**A comeback vehicle for its director.** Milap Zaveri had built a reputation writing dialogue for adult comedies such as *Grand Masti*, *Kya Kool Hai Hum 3*, and his own *[Mastizaade](https://www.edgepedia.org/mastizaade)*, which failed and left him unable to find work[11](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/life-of-a-lsquo-flop-rsquo-director/cid/1310302). He made the short film *Raakh* to rebuild his standing, then pitched *Satyameva Jayate* to producer Monisha Advani of Emmay Entertainment, who committed to the project[11](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/life-of-a-lsquo-flop-rsquo-director/cid/1310302). He had carried the idea for 18 years, first considering it as a web series, and wrote the feature script in one and a half months[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/i-ll-never-direct-a-sex-comedy-again-says-satyameva-jayate-director-milap-zaveri/story-32EcQKk4717mWfGtWinPoL.html).
No actor wanted to work with him until the director Rohit Dhawan suggested contacting John Abraham, telling Zaveri that Abraham was the only actor who did not judge a filmmaker by his last film[11](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/life-of-a-lsquo-flop-rsquo-director/cid/1310302). Abraham asked for 48 hours to decide; Dhawan persuaded him to watch *Raakh* first, and Abraham then agreed to the film[11](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/life-of-a-lsquo-flop-rsquo-director/cid/1310302). Abraham described the project as a quintessential commercial Hindi film with an underlying message, and said he and Bajpayee both responded to the script at the narrative level[3](https://www.easterneye.biz/john-abraham-interview-satyamev-jayate-is-an-aspirational-film/).
## Release and censorship
The film opened in India on 15 August 2018, coinciding with the country's 72nd Independence Day[3](https://www.easterneye.biz/john-abraham-interview-satyamev-jayate-is-an-aspirational-film/). For theatrical release, the [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification) (CBFC) demanded 8 cuts before approving the film with an A rating[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8202612). Its soundtrack included the song "Dilbar", with music by Nadeem Saifi, Shravan Rathod, and [Tanishk Bagchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/tanishk-bagchi), performed by [Dhvani Bhanushali](https://www.edgepedia.org/dhvani-bhanushali), Neha Kakkar, and Ikka[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8202612).
## Box office
Indian trade tracker Sacnilk reports a budget of ₹450 million (₹45.00 crore), an India net collection of ₹903.9 million (₹90.39 crore), and a worldwide gross of ₹1.21 billion (₹121.00 crore), giving the film a Hit verdict; its opening day net was ₹205.2 million (₹20.52 crore)[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Satyamev_Jayate_2018?expand_article=1). [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists worldwide gross of $11,933,798, including $11,101,272 from India[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/). The Numbers, by contrast, reports only $130,489 worldwide, from Australia ($98,561) and the United Kingdom ($31,928), with no domestic figure[13](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Satyameva-Jayate-%28India%29-%282018%29). The two trackers disagree sharply on the film's reported gross, and neither source reconciles the difference.
## Reception
Professional critics were largely negative. Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 17% Tomatometer from 12 reviews against a 69% audience score[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/satyameva_jayate). [Anupama Chopra](https://www.edgepedia.org/anupama-chopra), a film critic and founder of Film Companion, wrote that the film "bludgeons you and leaves you drained and entirely cheerless"[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/satyameva_jayate). Reviews collected by Bollywood.com ranged from Taran Adarsh's 4/5, calling it a powerful mass entertainer, to 0.5/5 from [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times), with recurring complaints about gore, loud treatment, and dated formula[14](https://www.bollywood.com/movies/satyameva-jayate/reviews/). Audience ratings diverged: [BookMyShow](https://www.edgepedia.org/bookmyshow) users gave 7.9/10 from more than 7,200 votes, with the most common tags being #Blockbuster and #GreatActing[10](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/satyameva-jayate/ET00073625/). The film received 3 nominations at the Zee Cine Awards, 1 at the Screen Awards, and 1 at the IIFA Awards[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/satyameva-jayate/).
## References
1. [Satyameva Jayate (2018) credits, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/credits/)
2. [Satyamev Jayate (2018), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/satyamev_jayate_2018)
3. [John Abraham Interview: Satyamev Jayate is an aspirational film, Eastern Eye](https://www.easterneye.biz/john-abraham-interview-satyamev-jayate-is-an-aspirational-film/)
4. [Satyameva Jayate (2018), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8202612/)
5. [Satyameva Jayate (2018), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8202612)
6. [Satyameva Jayate (2018) box office, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Satyamev_Jayate_2018?expand_article=1)
7. [Satyameva Jayate, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/satyameva_jayate)
8. [Milap Zaveri on Satyameva Jayate 2's failure, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-milap-zaveri-breaks-silence-satyameva-jayate-2s-failure-john-abraham-lifted-bike-two-hands-jr-ntr-sir-rrr-lifted-bike-one-hand-convict/)
9. [Satyameva Jayate, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/satyameva-jayate/)
10. [Satyameva Jayate (2018), BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/satyameva-jayate/ET00073625/)
11. [Life of a 'flop' director, The Telegraph India](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/life-of-a-lsquo-flop-rsquo-director/cid/1310302)
12. [I'll never direct a sex comedy again, says Milap Zaveri, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/i-ll-never-direct-a-sex-comedy-again-says-satyameva-jayate-director-milap-zaveri/story-32EcQKk4717mWfGtWinPoL.html)
13. [Satyameva Jayate (2018), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Satyameva-Jayate-%28India%29-%282018%29)
14. [Satyameva Jayate (2018) critics reviews, Bollywood.com](https://www.bollywood.com/movies/satyameva-jayate/reviews/)
15. [Milap Zaveri on the Satyameva Jayate 2 shoot, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/john-abrahams-whole-back-became-red-and-black-in-five-seconds-when-the-table-was-broken-on-it-milap-zaveri-on-satyameva-jayate-2-shoot/articleshow/87911380.cms)
---
*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 2010s › Hindi films of 2018*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 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