Gulami - 1985

Story

The film focuses on the caste and feudal system in Rajasthan and a rebellion started by the Jats under Ranjit Singh Choudhary (Dharmendra), against the Rajput Thakur landlords. It was based on story of a school master Ranjit Singh Choudhary.

The poor peasant (mainly belonging to a lower caste in the discriminatory caste system) is born with a loan which had been taken by his ancestors and dies in debt, leaving it for his next generation; his land and belongings are always under the threat of confiscation due to non-payment of the loan and, worst, the honour of the women of his family is under constant threat from the lusty landlords, still enjoying the undesirable benefits of the feudalistic landownership system continuing for centuries in the rural India. On 15 August 1947, India got independence but the poor peasants are still accursed to bear the brunt of the slavery of the mighty.

O.P. Dutta presented the story of a well-educated and self-respectful peasant (Dharmendra) who unfortunately finds himself on the lower rung of the ladder of the social structure because of his birth. The daughter of the supercilious landlord possesses a different nature and outlook and she (Smita Patil) is his close friend.

The village police, as usual, is sold in the hands of the Rajput Thakur (Om Shivpuri) and join hands with him and his arrogant and lustful sons (Bharat Kapoor and Mazhar Khan) to oppress and humiliate the already victimized by misusing the power of the uniform. A like-minded ex-serviceman (Mithun Chakraborty) join hands with him and a lower-caste kind-hearted Hawaldar (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) comes to his side after losing his son in an confrontation with the upper-caste and rich mighties who don't allow the lower-caste grooms to ride a horse. The main protagonist has to become a bandit in the eyes of the law to save the land and the honour of the hundreds of peasants, leaving his pregnant wife (Reena Roy) behind. His friend's husband (the landlord's daughter) is a senior police officer (Nasiruddin Shah) who becomes his enemy after knowing about his friendship with his wife. The violence-ridden climax underscores this harsh reality only that the rebels die, the cruel and unjust system doesn't.