Karma (1986 film)

Rana Vishwa Pratap Singh (Dilip Kumar) is an ex-high ranking police officer who is in charge of a jail that successfully reforms criminals.

One day he is informed that the head of a major terrorist organisation Dr. Dang (Anupam Kher) has been captured and will be secretly held in his prison due to its remote location.

On arrival at the prison Dang states he expects a cell akin to a hotel room. He also makes it clear that through bribes and favours he will be released very shortly. The following day Dang assaults a prison warden during an argument about the condition of his cell. On hearing this, Singh goes to Dang's cell and slaps him, insulting him highly. Dang then vows to personally take revenge on Singh.

While Singh is away, Dang's army successfully locates the prison and frees him. They then set about destroying the prison and killing everyone including Singh's family who reside nearby. However, Singh's wife is spared.

After a period of mourning, Singh decides to embark on a mission to bring Dang and his terrorist organisation to justice. Singh's plan is to train an elite unit, the members of which will be selected from death row. He believes the offer of freedom will motivate the prisoners to swap a life of crime for one of honor. The mission is approved by the Indian government and Singh successfully recruits Baiju Thakur (Jackie Shroff), Johnny/Gyaneshwar (Anil Kapoor), and a former terrorist Khairuddin Chishti (Naseeruddin Shah).

Under the guise of being forest rangers, Singh and his recruits set up base near the Indian border, where they believe Dr. Dang's compound is located. They are joined by Singh's friend Dharma (Dara Singh). Singh and his soldiers form a strong family bond during their training. Baiju and Johnny fall in love with local girls Radha (Sridevi) and Tulsi (Poonam Dhillon) and make several attempts to elope. Each time they are recaptured by Singh who firmly reminds them that they can either continue with the mission or return to death row. Khairuddin pleads with Singh to let Baiju and Johnny leave as he believes they have been reformed. Singh is not pleased and reminds Khairuddin that he granted them life on the basis that they would fight to the end. As far as he is concerned they are here to complete the mission only.

The mission takes a setback when Singh is shot by the terrorists whilst protecting his three soldiers who are locked in a nearby building. Singh is taken to a hospital and placed on life support. The three soldiers are distraught and realise they need to complete the mission for Singh. They then receive intelligence on the exact location of Dr. Dang's compound, which they successfully infiltrate. With the help of hostages (who are Indian army soldiers) who have been held captive by the terrorists, they set about destroying the compound and killing the terrorists. It soon becomes apparent that the destruction of the heavily guarded ammunition centre is the only way the terrorists organisation can be defeated. Khairuddin hatches a plan that involves driving a truck filled with explosives into the heart of the building. Baiju and Johnny argue that the plan is too dangerous and they would all be killed in the process. However, Khairuddin wants to sacrifice himself so that his friends can enjoy their new-found freedom. Baiju and Johnny are forcibly removed off the truck by Khairuddin, who then goes on to destroy the ammunition centre at the cost of his life. Johnny and Baiju return to the main compound and kill the remaining terrorists, bringing the battle to its conclusion. Singh, having made a swift recovery, joins the battle and kills Dr. Dang thus completing the mission.

The two surviving soldiers are awarded bravery medals and a posthumous award is granted to Khairuddin. Singh and the two soldiers form a long-lasting friendship.

• Dilip Kumar as Jailor Vishwanath Pratap Singh / Rana / Dada Thakur
• Nutan as Mrs. Rukmini Singh
• Naseeruddin Shah as Khairuddin Chishti
• Anil Kapoor as Gyaneshwar Prasad / Johny
• Jackie Shroff as Baiju Thakur
• Poonam Dhillon as Tulsi
• Sridevi as Radha
• Dara Singh as Dharma
• Bindu as Tulsi's Aunty
• Shakti Kapoor as Jagga / Jolly
• Anupam Kher as Dr. Micheal Dang
• Tom Alter as Rexon
• Viju Khote as Jailor
• Vinod Nagpal as Minister Tripathi
• Mukri as Chhote Khan
• Shammi as Mausi
• Dan Dhanoa as Gyan Singh (BSO Prisoner)
• Kaikala Satyanarayana as BMS Kittamkittu
• Chandrashekhar Dubey as Kittamkittu's Assistant
• Manik Irani as Goon
• Sharat Saxena as Somu
• Shashi Puri as Anil Pratap Singh
• Satish Kaul as Sunil Pratap Singh
• Beena as Sunil's Wife
• Jugal Hansraj as Rana's Youngest Son
• Kishori Shahane as Heena (Special Appearance)
• Subhash Ghai as Pedestrian With Bicycle (Special Appearance)

• Karma at IMDb