View source for Deewaar

{{short description|1975 film directed by Yash Chopra}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Deewaar
| image          = Deewaar poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Yash Chopra]]
| producer       = [[Gulshan Rai]]
| writer         = [[Salim–Javed]]
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Shashi Kapoor]]
* [[Amitabh Bachchan]]
* [[Nirupa Roy]]
* [[Neetu Singh]]
* [[Parveen Babi]]
* [[Iftekhar]]
* [[Madan Puri]]
* [[Satyen Kappu]]
* [[Manmohan Krishna]]
}}
| narrator       = 
| music          = [[R. D. Burman]]
| cinematography = Kay Gee Koregaonkar
| editing        = T. R. Mangeshkar<br />Pran Mehra
| studio         = [[Trimurti Films|Trimurti Films Pvt. Ltd.]]
| released       = {{film date|df=y|1975|01|24}}
| runtime        = 176 minutes
| country        = India
| language       = Hindi<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lal |first1=Vinay |last2=Nandy |first2=Ashis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0iwa6CavnecC |title=Fingerprinting Popular Culture: The Mythic and the Iconic in Indian Cinema |date=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=0-19-567918-0 |page=77}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Aḵẖtar |first1=Jāvīd |author1-link=Javed Akhtar |last2=Kabir |first2=Nasreen Munni |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_JILAQAAMAAJ |title=Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar |date=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-566462-1 |pages=49 |quote=JA: I write dialogue in Urdu, but the action and descriptions are in English. Then an assistant transcribes the Urdu dialogue into Devnagari because most people read Hindi. But I write in Urdu. |access-date=18 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062332/https://books.google.com/books?id=_JILAQAAMAAJ |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

'''''Deewaar''''' ({{translation}} ''The Wall'') is a 1975 Indian [[action crime film]] written by [[Salim–Javed]] and directed by [[Yash Chopra]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Deewaar (1975) – Yash Chopra |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/deewaar-v145093 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715135239/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/deewaar-v145093 |archive-date=15 July 2019 |access-date=15 July 2019 |publisher=[[AllMovie]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Obituary: Yash Chopra redefined romance, drama on screen |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/yash-chopra-redefined-romance-and-drama-on-screen-119299-2012-10-22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715135240/https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/yash-chopra-redefined-romance-and-drama-on-screen-119299-2012-10-22 |archive-date=15 July 2019 |access-date=15 July 2019 |website=[[India Today]] |date=22 October 2012}}</ref> The film stars [[Shashi Kapoor]] and [[Amitabh Bachchan]], alongside an [[ensemble cast]] of [[Neetu Singh]], [[Nirupa Roy]], [[Parveen Babi]], [[Iftekhar]], [[Madan Puri]], [[Satyen Kappu]] and [[Manmohan Krishna]].<ref>{{cite web |date=29 January 2017 |title=Deewaar was the perfect script: Amitabh Bachchan on 42 years of the cult film |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/deewaar-was-the-perfect-script-amitabh-bachchan-on-42-years-of-the-cult-film/story-x2hy87zQ0ebVlsVMV59U2I.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705181552/https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/deewaar-was-the-perfect-script-amitabh-bachchan-on-42-years-of-the-cult-film/story-x2hy87zQ0ebVlsVMV59U2I.html |archive-date=5 July 2018 |access-date=15 July 2019 |website=[[Hindustan Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rao |first=Sri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WM6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA207 |title=Bollywood Kitchen: Home-cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films |date=2017 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |isbn=978-0-544-97125-7 |page=207 |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062339/https://books.google.com/books?id=_WM6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA207 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Deewaar |work=[[Radio Times]] |publisher=[[Immediate Media Company]] |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/rp56h/deewaar/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416002839/https://www.radiotimes.com/film/rp56h/deewaar/ |archive-date=16 April 2021}}</ref> The music was composed by [[R. D. Burman]], while cinematography and editing were handled by Kay Gee Koregaonkar and T. R. Mangeshkar-Pran Mehra. In the film, two impoverished brothers struggle to survive in the [[List of slums in India|slums]] of [[Mumbai]] and eventually find themselves on opposing sides of the law. The film's title signifies the wall that springs up between the two brothers, drawn apart by fate and circumstances in a time of [[Political sociology|socio-political]] turmoil.<ref name="indianexpress">{{cite news |date=23 January 2017 |title=Deewar had the best screenplay ever, says Amitabh Bachchan |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/deewar-had-the-best-screenplay-ever-says-amitabh-bachchan-4488228/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413210846/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/deewar-had-the-best-screenplay-ever-says-amitabh-bachchan-4488228/ |archive-date=13 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Deewar: the fiction of film and the fact of politics |url=http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC38folder/Deewar.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012201503/http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC38folder/Deewar.html |archive-date=12 October 2018 |access-date=22 June 2011 |publisher=Ejumpcut.org}}</ref><ref name="Mazumdar">{{cite book |last=Mazumdar |first=Ranjani |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xenNBrRKOGoC&pg=PA14 |title=Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4529-1302-5 |page=14 |access-date=23 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062359/https://books.google.com/books?id=xenNBrRKOGoC&pg=PA14 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Kumar">{{cite magazine |last=Amitava Kumar |date=23 December 2008 |title=Slumdog Millionaire's Bollywood Ancestors |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2008/12/slumdog-millionaires-bollywood-ancestors.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529011746/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2008/12/slumdog-millionaires-bollywood-ancestors |archive-date=29 May 2012 |access-date=4 January 2008}}</ref><ref name="ejumpcut">Virdi, Jyotika. "[http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC38folder/Deewar.html Deewaar: the fiction of film and the fact of politics.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012201503/http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC38folder/Deewar.html |date=12 October 2018}}" ''Jump Cut'', No. 38, June 1993: 26–32.</ref>

''Deewaar'' was released worldwide on 24 January 1975 to critical acclaim and praise for its story, script, music cast performances (especially Bachchan, Kapoor and Roy). The film was commercially successful and is considered a ground-breaking cinematic masterpiece, with ''[[India Times]]'' ranking ''Deewaar'' amongst the ''Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films''. It is also one of three Hindi-language films to be included on the list of ''[[1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die]]''.<ref name="Movies.indiatimes.com">{{cite web |title=25 Must See Bollywood Movies&nbsp;– Special Features-Indiatimes&nbsp;– Movies |url=http://movies.indiatimes.com/Special_Features/25_Must_See_Bollywood_Movies/articleshow/msid-1250837,curpg-9.cms |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227170938/http://movies.indiatimes.com/Special_Features/25_Must_See_Bollywood_Movies/articleshow/msid-1250837,curpg-9.cms |archive-date=27 February 2009 |access-date=22 June 2011 |website=The Times of India}}</ref>

It is now considered a [[cult classic|cult classic film]] and had a significant impact not only on Indian cinema but also on [[Culture of India|Indian society]]; its [[anti-establishment]] themes and Bachchan's [[anti-hero]] [[vigilante]] character resonated with audiences. Bachchan's character is often regarded as one of the most memorable onscreen character in [[Indian cinema]], the movie cemented his image as the 'Angry young man' of [[Hindi cinema]].<ref name="hindustantimes" /><ref>{{cite news |date=23 April 2002 |title=Film legend promotes Bollywood |publisher=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1945451.stm |url-status=live |access-date=22 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722043521/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1945451.stm |archive-date=22 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mazumdar |first=Ranjani |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xenNBrRKOGoC&q=%22Deewar%22+1975&pg=PA11 |title=Bombay Cinema |date=23 April 2007 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-1-4529-1302-5 |access-date=22 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062340/https://books.google.com/books?id=xenNBrRKOGoC&q=%22Deewar%22+1975&pg=PA11 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Forbes India]]'' included Bachchan's performance in the film on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Prasad |first1=Shishir |last2=Ramnath |first2=N.S. |last3=Mitter |first3=Sohini |date=27 April 2013 |title=25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema |url=http://forbesindia.com/article/100-years-of-indian-cinema/25-greatest-acting-performances-of-indian-cinema/35125/0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112014841/http://forbesindia.com/article/100-years-of-indian-cinema/25-greatest-acting-performances-of-indian-cinema/35125/0 |archive-date=12 January 2016 |access-date=23 June 2021 |magazine=[[Forbes (India)|Forbes]]}}</ref> The film also cemented the success of Salim–Javed, who went on to write more blockbuster films; their value skyrocketed and they were being paid as well as the leading actors of the time.<ref name="topmoviestowatch">{{cite web |date=2 December 2012 |title=Topmoviestowatch.info |url=http://topmoviestowatch.info/Movies/Drama/Deewaar.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121202223220/http://topmoviestowatch.info/Movies/Drama/Deewaar.html |archive-date=2 December 2012}}</ref> 

The film was later remade in [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] as ''[[Magaadu (1976 film)|Magaadu]]'' (1976), in [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] as ''[[Thee (1981 film)|Thee]]'' (1981), in [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam]] as ''[[Nathi Muthal Nathi Vare]]'' (1983), in [[Persian cinema|Persian]]  as ''Koose-ye Jonoob'' (1978), in [[Hong Kong cinema|Cantonese]] as ''[[The Brothers (1979 film)|The Brothers]]'' (1979) and in [[Turkish cinema|Turkish]] as ''Acıların Çocuğu'' (1985).

''Deewaar''{{'}}s influence also extends to [[world cinema]], influencing films from [[Hong Kong cinema|Hong Kong]]<ref name="scroll">{{Cite web |last=Mondal |first=Sayantan |title=Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Deewar' was remade in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam&nbsp;– and Cantonese |url=https://thereel.scroll.in/828031/amitabh-bachchan-starrer-deewar-was-remade-in-telugu-tamil-malayalam-and-cantonese |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130121319/https://thereel.scroll.in/828031/amitabh-bachchan-starrer-deewar-was-remade-in-telugu-tamil-malayalam-and-cantonese |archive-date=30 January 2017 |access-date=30 January 2017 |website=Scroll.in}}</ref> and [[British cinema]].<ref name="Kumar" /><ref name="Lee">{{Cite book  |last1=Lee |first1=Joseph Tse-Hei |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pu0mDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA173 |title=Hong Kong and Bollywood: Globalization of Asian Cinemas |last2=Kolluri |first2=Satish |date=2016 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |isbn=978-1-349-94932-8 |page=173}}</ref>

== Plot ==
{{plot|date=June 2025}} <!--per [[WP:FILMPLOT]], plot summaries should be between 400 and 700 words--> 
Anand Verma resides in a modest home with his wife Sumitra and their two young sons Vijay Verma and Ravi Verma. He is a principled and well-respected [[trade union]] leader, who leads struggling [[labourer]]s on a [[Strike action|strike]] as they are depending on him to better their lives with concessions from their owner Badri Prasad. However, Prasad retaliates by kidnapping Anand's family and forcing him to sign a contract giving away the labourers' rights, in order to save his family's lives. When the striking labourers learn about Anand's actions, they all curse him and thrash him nearly to death, unaware that Anand was blackmailed to do so. The labourers even persecute Anand's family, and some of them drunkenly capture Vijay and tattoo his left arm with the [[Hindi]] words "मेरा बाप चोर है” ([[English language|English]]: ("My father is a thief"). Unable to bear the humiliation, Anand escapes from the town and decides to spend his remaining life aimlessly traveling in trains, abandoning his family for whom he had abandoned his principles and ideals. In desperation, Sumitra brings Vijay and Ravi to Mumbai and resorts to low-wage [[manual labour]] to raise her sons alone. Their home is on the [[footpath]] under a huge bridge that is home to millions of [[Homelessness|homeless]] urban poor.

As Vijay and Ravi grow up in the [[List of slums in India|slums]] of Mumbai, Vijay has an acute awareness of his father's humiliation, for he has been victimized for his father's supposed misdeeds, and is reminded of his past by the ever-present tattoo on his arm. He also refuses to enter a [[Hindu temple|temple]], stating that he wishes to chart his own destiny and not beg for it from the deities. Vijay Verma starts out as a [[shoeshiner]] and later becomes a [[dockworker]] in his youth, sacrificing his own education in order to enable Ravi to study. On the other hand, Ravi is a perfect citizen and is unwavering in his commitment to law and righteousness. Although he is unable to obtain gainful employment, Ravi romances Veera, the daughter of [[Deputy Commissioner of Police|DCP]] Narang, by whom he is sent for [[Police academy|police training]] and soon earns the rank of [[Sub-Inspector]]. In the process of fighting for his rights, Vijay refuses to pay the weekly [[extortion]] to the [[Henchman|henchmen]] of the shipyard owner Samant, who is also a [[crime boss]]. Vijay proceeds to thrash several of Samant's henchmen, causing his mother Sumitra to berate him. Vijay sarcastically asks her whether she expects him "also" to escape like a coward, implying that he criticises his father's actions, causing a perturbed Sumitra to slap Vijay and half-heartedly defend Anand. The news of Vijay’s beating of Samant’s men reaches Samant's rival, Mulk Raj Daavar, who hires Vijay to protect his [[Smuggling|smuggled]] [[Gold bar|gold bullion]] that has been thrice hijacked by Samant. Vijay sells the information to Samant to help him hijack the gold bullion, takes the money from Samant, then captures the gold bullion from his [[warehouse]] and hands it over to Daavar, who rewards Vijay with a huge sum of money, allowing him to purchase a palatial home for his family.

Meanwhile, DCP Narang provides Ravi his first assignment to apprehend and arrest some of the hardcore criminals and smugglers in Mumbai, which also include Daavar and Vijay. Ravi is shocked for having never associated his brother with criminal activities, and must now decide between apprehending Vijay and quitting the police force. Later, Ravi shoots an impoverished boy Chander in the leg non-fatally in an attempt to arrest him for committing theft, only to find out that Chander had stolen only some bread for his family. After admitting Chander to a hospital under police custody, a remorseful Ravi visits his home, offering his family some food and confessing his action, but Chander's enraged mother berates Ravi and accuses him of colluding with the state in protecting those who store goods in warehouses, and hunting down petty thieves trying to feed their starving families. However, Chander's father, who is a retired [[schoolteacher]], forgives Ravi and justifies the shooting by stating that the stealing no matter of a [[lakh]] or of a [[penny]] is a crime, and that all criminals should be treated equally and it would lead to [[anarchy]] if all the poor and needy resort to the same life. After hearing both sides from Chander's parents, Ravi, who was initially reluctant to act against his own brother, is finally motivated to agree to take his case from DCP Narang. 

When Ravi investigates that Vijay has acquired wealth overnight by crime, he confronts Vijay and orders him to surrender himself to the police. However, Vijay refuses to do so, citing all the injustice caused to him and his family. Nevertheless, Ravi decides to leave the house purchased by him and go to live in his [[Residential community|police quarters]]. Sumitra too is disgusted with Vijay and chooses to live with Ravi, even refusing to accept Vijay's gift of the high-rise [[apartment]] where she had once worked as a manual labourer. Ravi then completes his task assigned by DCP Narang and arrests many henchmen from the gangs of Samant, Davaar and Vijay (including Daavar himself), causing a [[feud]] to develop between Vijay and Ravi. Vijay enters into an sexual relationship with Anita, a [[prostitute]] whom he meets at a [[Bar (establishment)|bar]]. Around the same time, Anand's [[Cadaver|dead body]] is discovered inside a train and his [[funeral]] is performed by Vijay. Anita advises Vijay to erase the tattoo on his arm through [[plastic surgery]], but Vijay states that doing so cannot erase the words on the tattoo from his heart and soul. Meanwhile, Sumitra falls severely ill and Vijay is also unable to visit her at the [[hospital]] due to the police appointed by Ravi to arrest him. A furious Vijay enters the temple for the first time, and confronts the deity for punishing him at the cost of his faithful mother. As a result, Sumitra miraculously recovers from her illness, much to Ravi and Veera's happiness. 

Later, Vijay learns that Anita is [[Pregnancy|pregnant]] with his child and decides to abandon his life in the [[Organised crime in India|underworld]], so that he can marry Anita, surrender himself to the police and seek forgiveness from Sumitra and Ravi, not wanting their unborn son to be scarred the way he was. He also calls Sumitra and asks her to arrive at the temple to give him blessings. Despite this, things take a drastic turn when Samant and his remaining henchmen arrive and thrash Anita severely in revenge. After an emotional moment, Anita dies in the arms of Vijay, who retaliates by brutally murdering Samant and his remaining henchmen, thus branding himself a criminal forever. Ravi learns about the deaths of Samant and his henchmen, and when the two brothers meet for a final clash at the [[crime scene]], Ravi pleads with Vijay to stop running and surrender himself, and ends up shooting him in the arm and heart fatally. After getting hit by the [[gunshot]], a gravely injured and dying Vijay uses a car to escape from Ravi and crashes it into the wall of the temple, where he reunites with Sumitra and pleads forgiveness. Vijay then dies in Sumitra's arms, leaving her extremely shattered, just as Ravi arrives at the temple and is completely distraught over shooting Vijay. The film ends with a scene of DCP Narang and the police, awarding Ravi Verma, along with Veera and Sumitra for his successful pursuit of justice, though Ravi is still filled with remorse for killing Vijay Verma.

== Cast ==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Shashi Kapoor]] as [[Sub Inspector]] Ravi Verma, younger son of Anand and Sumitra, Vijay's younger brother
* [[Amitabh Bachchan]] as Vijay Verma, elder son of Anand and Sumitra, Ravi's elder brother  
** Alankar Joshi as Young Vijay Verma 
** [[Raju Shrestha]] as Young Ravi Verma
* [[Nirupa Roy]] as Sumitra Verma, wife of Anand, mother of Vijay and Ravi
* [[Neetu Singh]] as Veera Narang
* [[Parveen Babi]] as Anita
* [[Iftekhar]] as Mulk Raj Daavar
* [[Madan Puri]] as Samant
* [[Satyen Kappu]] as Anand Verma,  Sumitra's Husband, father of Vijay and Ravi
* [[Manmohan Krishna]] as [[Deputy Commissioner of Police (India)|DCP]] Narang, Veera's father.
* [[A. K. Hangal]] as a teacher
* [[Kamal Kapoor]] as Badri Prasad
* [[Sudhir (Hindi actor)|Sudhir]] as Jaichand, Vijay and Daavar's associate.
* [[Jagdish Raj]] as Jaggi
* [[Yunus Parvez]] as Rahim Chacha
* [[D. K. Sapru]] as Mr. Agarwal, building owner. 
* [[Aruna Irani]] as [[item number]] in a cameo appearance in "Koi Mar Jaye".
{{div col end}}

== Production ==

=== Story and screenplay ===
The film's screenplay, story and dialogues were written by [[Salim–Javed]] ([[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]]). The main inspiration for the plot was the film ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961), starring [[Dilip Kumar]], which had a similar premise of two brothers on opposing sides of the law, with the elder criminal brother as the main character.<ref name="hindu">{{cite news |last=Mahan |first=Deepak |date=4 March 2010 |title=Gunga Jamuna (1961) |language=en-IN |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/Gunga-Jamuna-1961/article16483523.ece |url-status=live |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316172200/https://www.thehindu.com/arts/Gunga-Jamuna-1961/article16483523.ece |archive-date=16 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=31 October 2017 |title=Hindi classics that defined the decade: 1960s Bollywood was frothy, perfectly in tune with the high spirits of the swinging times |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/1960s-bollywood-classic-films-mughal-e-azam-guide-4913491/ |url-status=live |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609215708/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/1960s-bollywood-classic-films-mughal-e-azam-guide-4913491/ |archive-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> ''Deewaar'' is thus considered to be a spiritual successor to ''Gunga Jumna''.<ref name="ganti">{{cite book |last=Ganti |first=Tejaswini |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA153 |title=Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema |date=2004 |publisher=[[Psychology Press]] |isbn=978-0-415-28854-5 |page=153 |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062340/https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA153 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Salim–Javed credited ''Gunga Jumna'' as well as [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) as the main inspirations for ''Deewaar'', which they described as a "more urban, much more contemporary" take on their themes; while ''Mother India'' and ''Gunga Jumna'' took place in a rural context, Salim–Javed reinterpreted their themes in a contemporary urban context with ''Deewaar''.<ref name="Chaudhuri">{{cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT72 |title=Written by Salim–Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=9789352140084 |page=72 |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062341/https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT72 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Amitabh Bachchan]]'s character, Vijay, was loosely inspired by the real-life [[Organized crime in India|Mumbai underworld]] gangster [[Haji Mastan]].<ref name="Kumar" /><ref name="ejumpcut" /> Vijay's story arc in the film parallels that of Mastan's life, such as the rise from a humble [[dockyard]] [[Porter (carrier)|porter]] to a powerful [[smuggler]],<ref name="ejumpcut" /><ref>{{cite news |date=22 January 2015 |title=Amitabh Bachchan's Deewar is 40: 9 Things You Didn't Know About the Angry Young Man&nbsp;– NDTV Movies |publisher=[[NDTV]] |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/amitabh-bachchans-deewar-is-40-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-angry-young-man-730775 |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222204647/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/amitabh-bachchans-deewar-is-40-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-angry-young-man-730775 |archive-date=22 February 2019}}</ref> and Mastan's rivalry with smuggler Sukkur Narayan Bakhia is similar to Vijay's rivalry with Samant ([[Madan Puri]]).<ref name="ejumpcut" />

[[Salim–Javed]]'s screenplay had dynamic dialogues and incorporated a number of symbolic [[Motif (narrative)|motifs]]. For example, the scene where the two brothers meet as adults takes place under a bridge, symbolizing a bridge forming between the brothers.<ref name="hindustantimes">{{cite news |date=29 January 2017 |title=Deewaar was the perfect script: Amitabh Bachchan on 42 years of the cult film |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/deewaar-was-the-perfect-script-amitabh-bachchan-on-42-years-of-the-cult-film/story-x2hy87zQ0ebVlsVMV59U2I.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030549/http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/deewaar-was-the-perfect-script-amitabh-bachchan-on-42-years-of-the-cult-film/story-x2hy87zQ0ebVlsVMV59U2I.html |archive-date=1 December 2017}}</ref> Set in the [[Dharavi]] [[slum]]s of [[Mumbai]], the film's story of [[gangster]]s in Dharavi was a critique of [[Political sociology|socio-political]] inequality and [[injustice]] in Mumbai.<ref name="Lee" /> The characterisations of the two brothers are [[sociological]]ly contextualised to represent a form of urban conflict and drama, aimed at presenting a causal explanation for the sequence of events and Vijay's [[social alienation]], with the narrative explaining his every action and decision, grounded in his memories and experiences.<ref name="Mazumdar" />

The script generally has an atmosphere of [[secularism]], while incorporating subtle religious motifs.<ref name="hindustantimes" /> The mother Sumitra ([[Nirupa Roy]]) and police brother Ravi ([[Shashi Kapoor]]) are religious [[Hindu]]s, whereas the criminal brother Vijay (Bachchan) is generally [[Irreligion|not religious]] and "upset with God", yet he carries a badge numbered [[786 (number)|786]] which his [[Muslim]] [[Coworking|co-worker]], Rahim Chacha ([[Yunus Parvez]]), points out to be a number of religious significance in [[Islam]]<ref name="hindustantimes" /> (representing ''[[Basmalla|Bismillah]]'') and has its own [[subplot]].<ref name="scroll" /> The 786 badge plays a powerful and symbolic role in several scenes,<ref name="hindustantimes" /> saving Vijay at key moments<ref>{{cite book |last=Prasad |first=M. Madhava |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OJUiAQAAMAAJ |title=Ideology of the Hindi Film: A Historical Construction |date=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-565295-6 |page=152}}</ref> and signifying something [[Omen|ominous]] when he loses it.<ref name="hindustantimes" />

Salim–Javed initially showed the script to Bachchan, whom they had in mind for Vijay's role after having worked with him on ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973). At the time, Bachchan was working on another film with [[Yash Chopra]], and told him about the script. After some initial scepticism, Chopra was eventually convinced to direct the film after Salim–Javed narrated the storyline to him.<ref name="hindustantimes" />

=== Casting and filming ===
Bachchan's "angry young man" performance as Vijay in the film was inspired by Dilip Kumar's intense performance as Gunga in ''Gunga Jumna'', which Bachchan sharpened and reinterpreted in a contemporary urban context reflecting the changing socio-political climate of 1970s India.<ref name="raj">{{Cite book |last=Raj |first=Ashok |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wo9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21 |title=Hero Vol.2 |date=2009 |publisher=[[Hay House]] |isbn=9789381398036 |page=21 |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062418/https://books.google.com/books?id=2wo9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="legends">{{Cite book |last=Kumar |first=Surendra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AfJkAAAAMAAJ |title=Legends of Indian cinema: pen portraits |date=2003 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |isbn=9788124108727 |page=51 |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062341/https://books.google.com/books?id=AfJkAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Salim–Javed "felt only Bachchan could do justice to Vijay's role." According to Akhtar, they "saw his talent, which most makers didn't. He was exceptional, a genius actor who was in films that weren't good." At Salim–Javed's insistence, Bachchan was cast in the role.<ref name="hindustantimes" /> Director [[Yash Chopra]]'s first choices for Vijay and Ravi's roles were [[Dev Anand]] and [[Rajesh Khanna]] respectively. After Anand rejected the script, casting plans changed and Khanna was to play Vijay and [[Navin Nischol]] was considered for Ravi. However, Salim–Javed had Amitabh Bachchan and [[Shatrughan Sinha]] in mind when they wrote the script; Sinha turned down the film when he heard Khanna was initially cast in the lead, due to a fallout between the two. [[Nirupa Roy]]'s role as Sumitra Devi was also first offered to [[Vyjayanthimala]]; Nischol and Vyjayanthimala turned down the film after they found out Khanna would no longer be involved. [[Shashi Kapoor]] was subsequently cast as Ravi, and Nirupa Roy as Sumitra Devi.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 May 2013 |title=Indian cinema@100: 12 fun facts about Deewar&nbsp;– NDTV |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/indian-cinema-100-12-fun-facts-about-deewar-361620 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522033047/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/indian-cinema-100-12-fun-facts-about-deewar-361620 |archive-date=22 May 2014 |access-date=5 August 2014 |publisher=Movies.ndtv.com}}</ref>

In 2014, Bachchan revealed that his iconic look in the film – a "denim blue shirt worn with khakee pants and a rope dangling over the shoulder" – was the result of a mistake by the tailor. He said, "The knotted shirt and rope on the shoulder in [''Deewaar''] was an adjustment for an error in stitching, shirt too long so knotted it".<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 July 2014 |title=Amitabh Bachchan's Iconic look in Deewar Resulted From Tailoring Error&nbsp;– NDTV Movies |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-s-iconic-look-in-deewar-resulted-from-tailoring-error-552297?ndtv_rhs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709063602/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-s-iconic-look-in-deewar-resulted-from-tailoring-error-552297?ndtv_rhs |archive-date=9 July 2014 |access-date=8 July 2014}}</ref> In certain scenes, Bachchan had some input on Chopra's direction, such as the father's funeral scene where Bachchan, instead of lighting the pyre with his right hand, suggests to use his left hand to show off the tattoo with the inscription "mera baap chor hai" ("my father is a thief").<ref name="hindustantimes" /> The film was shot mostly at night because Bachchan was also shooting for [[Ramesh Sippy]]'s ''[[Sholay]]'' at that time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mazumdar |first=Arunima |date=16 October 2013 |title=Anupama Chopra's 100 favourite films! |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Anupama-Chopras-100-favourite-films/articleshow/20662618.cms |url-status=live |access-date=8 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508192332/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Anupama-Chopras-100-favourite-films/articleshow/20662618.cms |archive-date=8 May 2018}}</ref>

The film contains a fight scene<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3GlDAAAAYAAJ |title=India Today |date=1993 |publisher=Thomson Living Media India Limited |page=166}}</ref> that involves Bachchan [[Martial arts film|performing martial arts]] inspired by [[Hong Kong action cinema|Hong Kong martial arts cinema]], which ''Deewaar'' was one of the first to do in Indian cinema.<ref name="Heide">{{Cite book |last=Heide |first=William Van der |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3HTdu1HuWQC&pg=PA148 |title=Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film: Border Crossings and National Cultures |date=2002 |publisher=[[Amsterdam University Press]] |isbn=9789053565803 |access-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062341/https://books.google.com/books?id=k3HTdu1HuWQC&pg=PA148 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Banker |first=Ashok |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=429ZAAAAMAAJ&q=deewaar+hong+kong |title=Bollywood |date=2002 |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |isbn=978-0-14-302835-2 |page=78 |access-date=12 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062354/https://books.google.com/books?id=429ZAAAAMAAJ&q=deewaar+hong+kong |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rather than following the Hollywood model, it follows the Hong Kong model, with an emphasis on acrobatics and [[Stunt performer|stunts]]. The style of fighting seen in ''Deewaar'' combined [[kung fu]] (as it was perceived by Indians) with [[Indian martial arts]] (particularly [[Pehlwani|Indian wrestling]]).<ref name="Morris">{{Cite book |last1=Morris |first1=Meaghan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdrHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |title=Hong Kong Connections: Transnational Imagination in Action Cinema |last2=Li |first2=Siu Leung |last3=Chan |first3=Stephen Ching-kiu |date=2005 |publisher=[[Hong Kong University Press]] |isbn=978-1-932643-19-0 |page=149 |access-date=5 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062342/https://books.google.com/books?id=DdrHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
{{Infobox album
| name         = Deewaar
| type         = Soundtrack
| longtype     = to ''Deewaar''
| artist       = [[R. D. Burman]]
| cover        = 
| border       = yes
| alt          = 
| released     = 1975
| recorded     = 
| venue        = 
| studio       = 
| genre        = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
| length       = 
| language     = [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]
| label        = [[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
| producer     = R. D. Burman
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = 
| next_year    = 
}}

The soundtrack of the movie was composed by [[R. D. Burman]], and the lyrics were penned by [[Sahir Ludhianvi]]. The soundtrack received praise and was notably one of the few Yash Chopra films not to contain vocals by [[Lata Mangeshkar]].
{{Track listing
| headline = Track listing
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| title1 = Kehdoon Tumhe, Ya Chup Rahun
| length1 = 4:09
| extra1 = [[Kishore Kumar]], [[Asha Bhosle]]
| title2 = Maine Tujhe Maanga, Tujhe Paaya Hai
| length2 = 4:29
| extra2 = Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
| title3 = Koi Mar Jaaye
| length3 = 5:37
| extra3 = Asha Bhosle, [[Usha Mangeshkar]]
| title4 = Deewaron Ka Jungle
| extra4 = [[Manna Dey]]
| length4 = 5:06
| title5 = Idhar Ka Mal Udhar
| extra5 = [[Bhupinder Singh (musician)|Bhupinder Singh]]
| length5 = 3:23
| title6 = I Am Falling in Love with a Stranger
| extra6 = Ursula Vaz
| length6 = 5:15
| title7 = 
| length7 = 
| title8 = 
| length8 = 
| title9 = 
| length9 = 
| title10 = 
| length10 = 
| title11 = 
| length11 = 
| title12 = 
| length12 = 
| title13 = 
| length13 = 
| title14 = 
| length14 = 
| title15 = 
| length15 = 
| title16 = 
| length16 = 
| title17 = 
| length17 = 
| title18 = 
| length18 = 
| title19 = 
| length19 = 
| title20 = 
| length20 = 
| total_length = 27:19
}}

== Box office==

At the Indian box office, the film grossed {{INR|75 million|link=yes}}<ref name="boi75">[http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=181&catName=MTk3NQ== Box Office 1975], [[Box Office India]]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020122136/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=181&catName=MTk3NQ%3D%3D |date=20 October 2013}}</ref> ([[United States dollar|$]]9{{nbsp}}million).{{efn|name=Exchange75|8.3759 Indian rupees per US dollar in 1975<ref name="sauder">{{Cite web |title=Pacific Exchange Rate Service |url=http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf#page=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512095429/http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf#page=3 |archive-date=12 May 2015 |access-date=21 November 2017 |website=[[UBC Sauder School of Business]] |publisher=[[University of British Columbia]] |page=3}}</ref>}} In [[Mumbai]] alone, the film grossed {{INR|10 million}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kaur |first1=Raminder |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5cyGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA189 |title=Bollyworld: Popular Indian Cinema Through A Transnational Lens |last2=Sinha |first2=Ajay J. |date=2005 |publisher=[[Sage Publishing|Sage Publications]] |isbn=9788132103448 |page=189 |access-date=4 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062418/https://books.google.com/books?id=5cyGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA189 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> In terms of [[List of films by box office admissions|footfalls]], the film sold an estimated {{nowrap|{{#expr:75/(2.03*0.65+3.10*0.35) round 0}} million}} tickets at an average 1975 price of {{INR|{{#expr:(2.03*0.65)+(3.10*0.35) round 2}}0|link=no}} per ticket.<ref name="mittal">{{Cite book |last=Mittal |first=Ashok |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJVodLc6NgoC&pg=PA77 |title=Cinema Industry in India: Pricing and Taxation |date=1995 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=9788173870231 |pages=71, 77 |access-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118133358/https://books.google.com/books?id=RJVodLc6NgoC&pg=PA77 |archive-date=18 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Adjusted for inflation]], this is equivalent to an estimated {{INR|{{#expr:31*134.38/1000 round 2}} billion}} ({{US$|{{To USD|4170|IND|year=2017|round=yes}} million|long=no}}) at an average 2017 price of {{INR|134.38}} per ticket.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2017 |title=Releases 2017 |url=https://boxofficeindia.com/years.php?year=2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808124431/https://boxofficeindia.com/years.php?year=2017 |archive-date=8 August 2022 |access-date=20 June 2020 |publisher=[[Box Office India]]}}</ref>

== Critical reception and legacy ==
{{multiple image
| caption_align     = center
| header_align      = center
| align             = right
| total_width       = 400
| image1            = Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan.jpg
| width1            = 400
| height1           = 400
| image2            = Shashi Kapoor during a media interaction at 36th IFFI, 2005.jpg
| width2            = 400
| height2           = 400
| image3            = 
| width3            = 400
| height3           = 400
| footer            = The performances of [[Amitabh Bachchan]] (left), [[Shashi Kapoor]] (centre), and [[Nirupa Roy]] garnered critical acclaim; each received [[Filmfare Award]] nominations, with Kapoor winning.
| direction         = horizontal
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| caption2          = 
}}

Upon release, ''Deewaar'' was a [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]], ranking as the [[List of highest domestic net collection of Hindi films|fourth-highest-grossing]] [[List of Bollywood films of 1975|Bollywood film of 1975]], and received critical acclaim, with critics praising the story, dialogue and screenplay, as well as the performances of the cast, particularly those of Bachchan, Kapoor and Roy.<ref>{{citation|url=https://boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=3464|title=Shashi Kapoor Passes Away|publisher=[[Box Office India]]|date=5 December 2017}}</ref>  ''[[Indiatimes]]'' ranks ''Deewaar'' amongst the ''Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films''.<ref name="Movies.indiatimes.com" /> It is one of the three [[Hindi films]] featured in the 2017 edition of the book ''[[1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die]]'', the others being ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and ''[[Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge]]'' (1995).<ref>{{cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/1001moviesyoumus0000unse_b2p4 |title=1001 movies you must see before you die |date=2017 |page=591 |location=Hauppage, NY |publisher=Barron's Educational Series Inc. |isbn=978-1-4380-5006-5}}</ref>

It was perceived by audiences to be [[anti-establishment]], while Amitabh Bachchan's character Vijay was seen as a [[vigilante]] angry hero, establishing Bachchan's image as the "angry young man" of Indian cinema.<ref name="hindustantimes" /> This resonance was amplified by the film's release during India's [[The Emergency (India)|Emergency]] period (1975–1977), a time of political repression under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that imposed strict censorship on media. In the 2025 book ''1975: The Year That Transformed Bollywood'' by Pratik Majumdar, ''Deewaar'' is highlighted as part of 1975's "powerful line-up" of landmark movies, alongside ''[[Sholay]]'', ''[[Chupke Chupke (film)|Chupke Chupke]]'', ''[[Julie (1975 film)|Julie]]'', ''[[Aandhi (1975 film)|Aandhi]]'', and ''[[Nishant (film)|Nishant]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Majumdar |first=Pratik |title=The book '1975: The year that transformed Bollywood' celebrates creativity on the celluloid during the Emergency |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/the-book-1975-the-year-that-transformed-bollywood-celebrates-creativity-on-the-celluloid-during-the-emergency/article70157455.ece |work=The Hindu |date=15 October 2025 |access-date=15 October 2025}}</ref> Majumdar portrays 1975 as a "turning point" in Bollywood, where, despite censorship challenges, cinema produced a "blessing in disguise" of 15–30 films (out of 80 released) that captured the era's "hopes, fears, and complexities" through "courageous scripts." The book argues that ''Deewaar'' contributed to the "action film era" by fusing bold narratives on political disillusionment with commercial appeal, reflecting societal truths that remain relevant five decades later. With the unprecedented growth of [[slum]]s across India at the time, Vijay was seen as a new kind of hero, with his suppressed rage giving a voice to the angst of the urban poor.<ref name="Mazumdar" /><ref name="Lee" />

''Deewaar'' is also remembered for its iconic dialogues written by Salim–Javed. The most famous example is when Shashi Kapoor delivers the line, "Mere paas maa hai" ("I have mother"), a line that is widely known in India and has become part of Indian popular culture.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nandi |first=Swagota |date=12 October 2022 |title=34 Famous bollywood dialogues of all time |url=https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/famous-bollywood-dialogues-1155410 |work=[[Pinkvilla]] |access-date=20 July 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720000654/https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/famous-bollywood-dialogues-1155410 |archive-date=20 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=4 December 2017 |title='Mere Paas Maa Hai': The iconic Deewar dialogue that makes Shashi Kapoor immortal |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/041217/mere-paas-maa-hai-the-iconic-deewar-dialogue-that-makes-shashi-kapoor-immortal.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206011027/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/041217/mere-paas-maa-hai-the-iconic-deewar-dialogue-that-makes-shashi-kapoor-immortal.html |archive-date=6 December 2017}}</ref> The film ''[[Loins of Punjab Presents]]'' (2007) mocked how the line is sometimes wrongly attributed to Amitabh Bachchan.<ref name="Lal">{{Cite book |last=Lal |first=Vinay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3a9PyOmuWFcC&pg=PT5 |title=Deewar |date=2012 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=9789350292464 |page=5}}</ref> It also established Parveen Babi as the "new Bollywood woman".<ref name="telegraphindia">{{Cite web |last1=Amitabh Bachchan |last2=Parveen Babi in Deewar |date=23 January 2005 |title=As in life, so in death: lonely and lovelorn |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050123/asp/nation/story_4287764.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050124013015/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050123/asp/nation/story_4287764.asp |archive-date=24 January 2005 |access-date=22 June 2011 |website=The Telegraph (India)}}</ref>

The film cemented the success of the writing duo Salim–Javed, who went on to write many more blockbuster films. After the success of this film, the value of film writers skyrocketed thanks to Salim–Javed, and they soon were being paid as highly as some actors at the time.<ref name="topmoviestowatch" /> Amitabh Bachchan described Salim–Javed's screenplay for ''Deewaar'' as "the perfect script"<ref name="hindustantimes" /> and "the best screenplay ever" in Indian cinema.<ref name="indianexpress" /> ''Deewaar'', one of the first Indian films with an [[Martial arts film|action sequence]] modelled after [[Hong Kong action cinema|Hong Kong martial arts cinema]], popularised the use of martial arts sequences in Bollywood films from the 1970s to the 1990s.<ref name="Heide" /> The style of fighting popularised by ''Deewaar'', with acrobatics and [[Stunt performer|stunts]], and combining Chinese [[kung fu]] (as it was perceived by Indians, based on 1970s Hong Kong films) with Indian [[pehlwani]] wrestling, became the standard model for Bollywood action scenes up until the 1990s.<ref name="Morris" />

[[File:Danny Boyle 2019 (cropped).jpg|thumb|252x252px|Deewaar was the inspiration behind director [[Danny Boyle]] (pictured above)'s [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning film ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' (2008).]]

The film was later remade in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] as ''[[Magaadu (1976 film)|Magaadu]]'' (1976), in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] as ''[[Thee (1981 film)|Thee]]'' (1981), in [[Malayalam]] as ''[[Nathi Muthal Nathi Vare]]'' (1983), in Persian as ''Koose-ye Jonoob'' (1978), and in Turkish as ''Acıların Çocuğu'' (1985). Another remake of ''Deewaar'' was the 1994 Bollywood film ''[[Aatish: Feel the Fire]]'', starring [[Sanjay Dutt]] as the older criminal brother, [[Atul Agnihotri]] as the younger police brother, and [[Tanuja]] as the mother.<ref name="Chaudhuri245">{{cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT245 |title=Written by Salim–Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=9789352140084 |page=245}}</ref> Despite the Telugu remake, the film was remade in Telugu again as ''[[Railway Coolie]]'' (2001).<ref>{{cite web |title=Railway Coolie Review|url=https://movies.fullhyderabad.com/railway-coolie/telugu/railway-coolie-movie-reviews-271-2.html |website=Full Hyderabad}}</ref>

''Deewaar'' had an influence on [[Hong Kong cinema]] and in turn [[Hollywood cinema]], by playing a key role in the creation of the [[heroic bloodshed]] crime genre of 1980s [[Hong Kong action cinema]].<ref name="bfi">{{Cite web |date=11 July 2019 |title=Heroic Bloodshed: How Hong Kong's style was swiped by Hollywood |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/heroic-bloodshed-hong-kong-hollywood-cycle-influence |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922140408/https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/heroic-bloodshed-hong-kong-hollywood-cycle-influence |archive-date=22 September 2019 |access-date=9 September 2019 |website=[[British Film Institute]]}}</ref> Hong Kong's [[Shaw Brothers]] studio remade ''Deewaar'' as ''[[The Brothers (1979 film)|The Brothers]]'' (1979),<ref name="scroll" /> which in turn inspired [[John Woo]]'s internationally acclaimed breakthrough ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'' (1986).<ref name="bfi" /> ''The Brothers'' also starred a Hong Kong actor that would later be known for heroic bloodshed films, [[Danny Lee (actor)|Danny Lee]] (playing Shashi Kapoor's character), with a police officer persona later seen in Hong Kong crime films such as Woo's ''[[The Killer (1989 film)|The Killer]]'' (1989).<ref name="scroll" /> ''Deewaar'', along with several later 1970s "angry young man" epics it inspired, such as ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977), had similarities to elements later seen in 1980s Hong Kong heroic bloodshed films.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Banker |first=Ashok |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=429ZAAAAMAAJ&q=deewar+hong+kong |title=Bollywood |date=2002 |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |isbn=978-0-14-302835-2 |page=83 |access-date=9 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222062343/https://books.google.com/books?id=429ZAAAAMAAJ&q=deewar+hong+kong |archive-date=22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

British director [[Danny Boyle]] described ''Deewaar'' as being "absolutely key to Indian cinema" and cited the film as an influence on his [[Academy Award]] winning film ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' (2008).<ref name="Kumar" /> The film's co-director [[Loveleen Tandan]] noted that "[[Simon Beaufoy]] studied Salim–Javed's kind of cinema minutely."<ref name="Hindu">{{Cite web |date=11 January 2009 |title='Slumdog Millionaire' has an Indian co-director |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200901110925.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325234357/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200901110925.htm |archive-date=25 March 2009 |access-date=23 January 2009 |website=The Hindu |df=dmy}}</ref> Actor [[Anil Kapoor]] noted that some scenes of ''Slumdog Millionaire'' "are like ''Deewaar'', the story of two brothers of whom one is completely after money while the younger one is honest and not interested in money."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Runna Ashish Bhutda |last2=Ashwini Deshmukh |last3=Kunal M Shah |last4=Vickey Lalwani |last5=Parag Maniar |last6=Subhash K Jha |date=13 January 2009 |title=The Slumdog Millionaire File |work=[[Mumbai Mirror]] |url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=11&contentid=200901132009011303014836695d00b9e |url-status=dead |access-date=30 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508021832/http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=11&contentid=200901132009011303014836695d00b9e |archive-date=8 May 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> ''Slumdog Millionaire'', which pays homage to Amitabh Bachchan, has a similar narrative structure to ''Deewaar''. Composer [[A. R. Rahman]] referenced the film in his Oscar acceptance speech.<ref name="Lal" />

== Awards and nominations ==
''Deewaar'' received the [[Filmfare Best Movie Award]] of 1976, and also won six more [[Filmfare Awards]] for [[Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue|Best Dialogue]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Sound Design|Best Sound]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Story|Best Story]], and [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] (Kapoor), and received two other nominations for [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] (Bachchan) and [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] (Roy).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lakshmi, Times Exclusive Photo, 1975 Filmfare Awards: Actress ... |url=http://www.timescontent.com/tss/showcase/preview-buy/6671/Times-Exclusive/Lakshmi-Gulshan-Rai-K-T-Desai-K-K-V.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111531/https://timescontent.com/tss/showcase/preview-buy/6671/Times-Exclusive/Lakshmi-Gulshan-Rai-K-T-Desai-K-K-V.html |archive-date=6 March 2019 |access-date=2020-11-18 |website=timescontent.com}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominee
! Result
!{{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan="9" |[[23rd Filmfare Awards|1976]]
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="9" | [[Filmfare Awards]]
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| [[Gulshan Rai]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="9" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Filmfare Nominees and {{sic|nolink=1|Winner}} |url=https://archive.org/download/FilmfareAwards/FilmfareAwards.pdf |access-date=2023-02-22 |publisher=[[The Times Group]] |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Director Award|Best Director]]
| [[Yash Chopra]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Actor Award|Best Actor]]
| [[Amitabh Bachchan]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Shashi Kapoor]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Nirupa Roy]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Story Award|Best Story]]
| rowspan="3"|[[Salim–Javed]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Screenplay Award|Best Screenplay]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Dialogue Award|Best Dialogue]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Best Sound Award|Best Sound]]
| M. A. Shaikh
| {{won}}
|-
|}

== See also ==
*''[[Angry Young Men (mini series)]]''
* [[The Emergency (India)]], imposed later in the year (see for the socio-political situation in India at the time)
* [[1975 in India]]
* [[List of Hindi films of 1975]]
* [[List of highest domestic net collection of Hindi films]]

== Further reading ==
* [[Rachel Dwyer|Dwyer, Rachel]]. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090505061752/http://www.bafta.org/learning/amitabh-bachchan-a-bollywood-life,172,BA.html Amitabh Bachchan: the Angry Young Man]". [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]], 16 November 2007.
* [[Vinay Lal|Lal, Vinay]]. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20021225231158/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Cinema/deewar.html Deewaar (The Wall)]." Revised excerpt from ''The Secret Politics of Our Desires: Innocence, Culpability, and Indian Popular Cinema'', ed. Ashish Nandy. London: Zed Press / Delhi: [[Oxford University Press]], 1998, pp.&nbsp;228–259
* Mazumdar, Ranjani. ''Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City''. Minneapolis, MN: [[University of Minnesota Press]], 2007.
* Virdi, Jyotika. "[http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC38folder/Deewar.html Deewaar: the fiction of film and the fact of politics.]" ''[[Jump Cut (journal)|Jump Cut]]'', No. 38, June 1993: 26–32.

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0072860|title=Deewaar}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{Yash Chopra}}
{{Salim–Javed}}
{{FilmfareAwardBestFilm 1971–1990}}

[[Category:1970s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1970s Indian films]]
[[Category:1970s Urdu-language films]]
[[Category:1970s action drama films]]
[[Category:1970s crime action films]]
[[Category:1975 crime drama films]]
[[Category:1975 films]]
[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Maharashtra Police]]
[[Category:Films about Islam]]
[[Category:Films about brothers]]
[[Category:Films about criminals]]
[[Category:Films about death]]
[[Category:Films about extortion]]
[[Category:Films about feuds]]
[[Category:Films about funerals]]
[[Category:Films about homelessness]]
[[Category:Films about mother–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about organised crime in India]]
[[Category:Films about poverty in India]]
[[Category:Films about prostitution in India]]
[[Category:Films about smuggling]]
[[Category:Films about social issues in India]]
[[Category:Films about social realism]]
[[Category:Films about squatting]]
[[Category:Films about the labor movement]]
[[Category:Films about theft]]
[[Category:Films directed by Yash Chopra]]
[[Category:Films scored by R. D. Burman]]
[[Category:Films set in hospitals]]
[[Category:Films set in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Films set in nightclubs]]
[[Category:Films set in police academies]]
[[Category:Films set in temples]]
[[Category:Films set in slums]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1970s]]
[[Category:Films shot in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Films with atheism-related themes]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Salim–Javed]]
[[Category:Gun fu films]]
[[Category:Hindi films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Hindi-language action drama films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language action films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language crime drama films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language crime films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Hindu mythology in popular culture]]
[[Category:Indian action drama films]]
[[Category:Indian chase films]]
[[Category:Indian crime action films]]
[[Category:Indian crime drama films]]
[[Category:Indian films about revenge]]
[[Category:Indian gangster films]]
[[Category:Indian martial arts films]]
[[Category:Indian police films]]
[[Category:Indian pregnancy films]]
[[Category:Indian vigilante films]]
[[Category:Kung fu films]]
[[Category:Rail transport films]]
[[Category:Remakes of Indian films]]
[[Category:Slumdog Millionaire]]
[[Category:Trimurti Films]]
[[Category:Urdu films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Urdu-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Wrestling films]]
[[Category:Films about single parent families]]