China Gate(1998)
China Gate is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language revisionist Western action film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The cast includes Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, Danny Denzongpa, and Mamta Kulkarni. The story follows ten disgraced army soldiers who are hired by a young woman to protect her village from a ruthless dacoit. The soldiers, led by Colonel Krishnakant Puri, must overcome their age, shame, and corrupt local police to defeat the villain. The film is a tribute to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and was made on a budget of ₹20 crore, making it the most expensive Bollywood production at the time. It won the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue. The song 'Chamma Chamma', featuring Urmila Matondkar, became a chartbuster and was later used in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge!. China Gate was released on 27 November 1998.
Quick Facts
- Theatrical Release
- 1 January 1998
- Director
- Rajkumar Santoshi
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 2h 31m
- Rating
- 4.8/10
Storyline
A young woman named Sandhya begs ten disgraced army soldiers to save her village from a brutal dacoit. The soldiers, led by Colonel Krishnakant Puri, are old and broken. They must fight their own shame and a corrupt police force to protect innocent people. Can they find their courage again?
“Ten men. One mission. Their last chance.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for China Gate
Cast reunions in this film: Paresh Rawal & Om Puri (25 films together), Naseeruddin Shah & Om Puri (21 films together), Amrish Puri & Om Puri (12 films together), Paresh Rawal & Naseeruddin Shah (11 films together), Amrish Puri & Naseeruddin Shah (11 films together), and Om Puri & Kulbhushan Kharbanda (11 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title 'China Gate' refers to a real-life mountain pass in the Himalayas, not a location in China.
- Actor Om Puri played a supporting role, but his character's name 'Colonel Krishnakant Puri' matched his real surname by coincidence.
- This was one of the few 1990s Bollywood films to blend the 'western' genre with a story about Indian dacoits (bandits).
- The movie underperformed at the box office, which delayed director Rajkumar Santoshi's next major project.
- Actress Mamta Kulkarni, who played the female lead, was primarily known for glamorous roles, making this action-oriented part a shift.
- The film's climax involved a large-scale battle scene that was shot over several weeks in rugged terrain.
- Some of the veteran actors in the cast, like Amrish Puri, were known for playing villains, but here they played heroes.