Dostana

<p>Vijay Verma, a principled , and Ravi Kapoor, a successful , are close friends who avoid discussing their respective professions to preserve their bond. Unbeknownst to each other, they operate on opposite sides of the law—Vijay arrests criminals while Ravi, unknowingly working for underworld don Daaga, defends them in court. Their friendship is tested when both fall in love with the same woman, Sheetal. While Vijay openly expresses his love and earns Sheetal’s affection in return, Ravi harbors unspoken feelings for her. When Ravi confesses his love to Vijay, the latter decides to sacrifice his relationship with Sheetal for Ravi’s happiness. He writes her a letter ending their relationship, but the letter reaches Ravi—who, unaware of its contents, sets it aside. Daaga, seeking to exploit their emotional turmoil, reveals Vijay and Sheetal’s relationship to Ravi. Feeling betrayed, Ravi aligns himself with Daaga to sabotage Vijay. Meanwhile, Vijay’s informant, Tony, shares his tragic past: after refusing to aid Daaga’s smuggling operation, Tony lost his family in a revenge attack that left his son Johnny disabled. Daaga later frames Vijay for the custodial death of a suspect. Ravi agrees to defend Vijay in court but demands that Sheetal spend a night with him in return. On that night, Ravi discovers and reads Vijay’s letter, realizing his friend’s sacrifice. Guilt-stricken, he reconciles with Vijay. Before they can act, Daaga captures both men. They are saved by Sylvia, Daaga’s moll, who is secretly Tony’s sister-in-law and a police informant. In the ensuing conflict, Tony is fatally shot, but not before entrusting Johnny’s care to Vijay. Daaga attempts to escape with his associate Balwant Singh via plane, but they are pursued by Ravi and Vijay. Balwant is killed by Daaga, who is eventually gunned down by Vijay after attempting to shoot him. The ordeal ends with the restoration of Ravi and Vijay’s friendship. One of the prison scenes in , in which ‘s character beats a fellow inmate (played by ), who is later killed by another prisoner, was directly adapted by director from a similar sequence in his earlier film (1956), which featured under comparable circumstances. In a coincidental development decades later, (1980) would share its title with a produced by , the son of ’s original producer, . The newer film starred (son of Amitabh Bachchan), alongside and . Although unrelated in plot, the reuse of the title and familial connections between the cast and crew of both films garnered media attention. The music for was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The song Salamat Rahe Dostana Hamara” was ranked No. 32 on the annual list for 1980, while “Mere Dost Kissa Yeh Kya Ho Gaya” ranked No. 27 on the 1981 list.</p>