Cheating or adultery in marriage has been an old theme in Hindi movies. Qatl is another movie in the same genre, directed by R.K. Nayyar. The movie is a tribute to Sanjeev Kumar who passed away before the movie’s release. He plays the blind protagonist effectively and raises the plot’s believability by a few notches. Presenting the review and remembering this great actor whose birthday falls on 9 July.

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The Plot

Rakesh (Sanjeev Kumar), Rohini (Sarika) and Ranjit (Marc Zuber) are the principal characters, forming the pati, patni aur woh trio. Rohini is a poor girl who happens to meet Ranjit in a departmental store. She is about to be caught for shoplifting but Ranjit saves her (impressed by her beauty). He offers her a chance to become a drama heroine but she lacks the necessary acting skills. By chance, superstar Rakesh sees her and decides to train her to succeed as an actress.

The training starts and Rohini becomes a successful actress. Along the way, Rakesh and Rohini fall in love and get married. But their joy is short lived as Rakesh loses his eyesight while trying to save Rohini from a falling chandelier. Rohini as the dedicated better half quits the theater to take care of Rakesh.

Rakesh realises he is doing an injustice to Rohini’s talent and asks her to resume acting. She reluctantly agrees. She appoints a nurse Sita (Ranjeeta) to take care of Rakesh when she is away. Sita is the same nurse who was treating Rakesh in the hospital and he is happy to have a familiar companion for support.

They get on well and Rakesh becomes fairly independent to manage things without relying on others for support. And his “sixth” sense improves. But things are not as they seem. Through a coincidence, Rakesh becomes aware of Rohini’s affair with Ranjit and he is shattered.

The sad reality is revealed to him on Rohini’s birthday and he starts planning his revenge to teach both of them a lesson.

Rakesh’s anger is uncontrollable and he plans to murder Rohini and make Ranjit the prime suspect. No one will believe Rakesh is the murderer as he is blind. Is it possible for a blind man to plot a murder, travel alone and kill someone? Nah!

Well, Rakesh commits the murder (dressed as a Pathan) in Ranjit’s flat with Ranjit’s revolver. Ranjit is arrested. Enter Inspector Shatru (Shatrughan Sinha) who plays a bumbling police officer but with a knack of solving difficult cases. Shatru realises it has to be Rakesh who killed Rohini. And Sita seems to be involved somehow. What happens next is interesting to watch. The plot takes more twists and turns when Sita confesses the murder leading to the all important court scene. Saeed Jaffrey plays the judge.

Does Sita get convicted? Will Rakesh own up the murder? And does Ranjit walk away as a free man? The answers are revealed in a nail biting climax with a final twist!

The Music

Laxmikant Pyarelal have composed the music. The songs are not bad but don’t add to the story. The exception is the philosophical Kisi Ka Dil Jo Todega, sung by Anup Jalota and picturised on a roadside fakir (Ashok Kumar credited as Dada Muni in the titles!) The song appears in parts throughout the movie.

My Thoughts

Qatl is a well presented and directed movie and different from the regular fare. There are loopholes and too many coincidences to digest. But Sanjeev Kumar saves the day. While the blind man committing a murder may not sound very convincing, he manages to make it believable. Of special mention is the murder scene and climax. We get to see scenes from Naya Din Naya Raat, in flashback where a blind Rakesh is remembering the roles immortalised by him. Sarika, Marc Zuber and Ranjeeta are effective in their roles. Ameen Sayani appears in a short cameo.

Shatrughan Sinha manages to be funny without being too irritating. But I wonder if a serious inspector character would have made the investigation more impactful as he gets closer to the murderer.

While not a classic, Qatl manages to keep the viewer engaged till the end and Sanjeev Kumar leaves a lasting impression.