indian cinema heritage foundation

Sharaabi (1984)

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  • LanguageHindi
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For Rai Sahib Amar Nath Kapoor the only important thing in the world is money and nothing but money. For money he could forget his own family. His wife lying on a death bed wished to have a glimpse of him—her dear husband. But he was so much busy in his business activities that he ordered all the top Doctors of the city to attend to her, but could not spare a few minutes to fulfill her last wish. Before dying, his wife left her child in the lap of Munshiji. Munshiji is a childhood friend of Rai Sahib but after becoming a millionaire, he treated Munshiji merely as a servant 

Whenever the crying of the motherless child Vicky disturbs the night parties or days business meetings of Rai Sahib, he is given two spoons of brandy and put to intoxicating sleep though Rai Sahib is an absolute teatotller himself. So by the time Vicky reaches the age of 12 years, the spoons of brandy had turned into bottles—missing the affectionate care of mother and father, Vicky had turned a drunkard. If Vicky had any regard for anybody, it is for the sympathetic Munshiji who has been more than father and mother to him. 

Since childhood, Vicky has been seeing his father destroying the huts of the poors and building palatial buildings and money multiplying distilleries. After growing up Vicky started restoring the hutment colonies of the poor and backwards. He showers his love and kindness on the down-trodden. He even falls in love with a poor girl "Meena" who earns her livelihood by singing and dancing in a theatre. But Rai Sahib disapproves his son's soft corner for the poor, and his hard-earned wealth being wasted on them. Dozens of daughters of wealthy businessmen are chasing Vicky but his falling in love with a poor girl cannot be digested by Rai Sahib. This conflict creates a wedge between father and son which is widened by the business rivals of Rai Sahib and by the Theatre organiser who would like to possess the theatre beauty Meena and beloved of Vicky. 

The scheming enemies succeed in tearing apart the father and son. Rai Sahib disinherits Vicky from his properties and Vicky has to leave his own house and go onto the pavements. Meena leaves the theatre job and joins T.V but still she cannot escape the evil designs of the theatre organiserNatwar Shah. Hurdles are created between the love of Meena and Vicky by their enemies. 

Vicky is discarded by his own father but Munshiji never left Vicky in all his adversities. It is only Munshiji who knew that homeless and penniless Vicky wouldn't get sleep without drinking, and that is why for one bottle of liquor Munshiji labours and loses his own life. When Vicky realises that for his drinking habit Munshiji has sacrificed his life, he breaks the bottle and leaves drinking forever. But his father Rai Sahib could not bear the vacuum and loneliness in his palatial empire and takes to suicidal drinking. He never knew that the scheming business partners of his who had succeeded in separating him from his son have now plans to dispose him off physically. 

When Vicky came to know of his father's plight and the evil designs of his partners what does he do? 

And when the wisdom dawns on Rai Sahib, could he change himself? See it unfolding on the screen in "SHARAABI"....

(From the official press booklet)

Cast

Crew

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