Akayla(1991)
'Akayla' (transl. Alone) is a 1991 Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ramesh Sippy and produced by the Mushir-Riaz duo. The ensemble cast includes Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Amrita Singh, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Aditya Pancholi, and Keith Stevenson in a dual role as the antagonist. The story follows CID Inspector Vijay Verma, a lonely cop who hunts a criminal mastermind who uses his mentally handicapped twin brother as an alibi. The film is loosely based on the 1971 American film 'Dirty Harry'. It marked the fourth and final collaboration between director Ramesh Sippy and Amitabh Bachchan, following 'Sholay', 'Shaan', and 'Shakti'. 'Akayla' received mixed reviews upon its 8 November 1991 release, with praise for Bachchan and Amrita Singh's performances but criticism for the predictable plot.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Prime Video, Zee5, Netflix, Plex, YouTube, Airtel Xstream Play
- Theatrical Release
- 1 January 1991
- Director
- Ramesh Sippy
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 2h 50m
- Rating
- 4.9/10
Storyline
CID Inspector Vijay Verma is a lonely cop who loses everyone he loves. A clever criminal named Tony Briganza uses his twin brother as a perfect alibi to escape justice. Vijay must find a way to prove Tony's guilt before Tony destroys everything Vijay has left.
“One man against a city of crime.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Akayla
Cast reunions in this film: Amitabh Bachchan & Shashi Kapoor (7 films together), Jackie Shroff & Amitabh Bachchan (6 films together), Amitabh Bachchan & Amrita Singh (6 films together), Jackie Shroff & Aditya Pancholi (4 films together), Amrita Singh & Aditya Pancholi (4 films together), and Jackie Shroff & Meenakshi Sheshadri (3 films together).
Trivia
- The film was originally planned as a comeback for director Ramesh Sippy after a break, following his iconic film 'Sholay'.
- Actor Amrish Puri, who played the villain Jojo, was also filming 'Phool Aur Kaante' around the same time, juggling two major 1991 releases.
- A key action sequence involved a helicopter, which was a relatively expensive and ambitious stunt for Hindi films at the time.
- The movie's title 'Akayla' is a Hindi word meaning 'alone' or 'solitary', reflecting the inspector's lone vendetta.
- Despite starring Amitabh Bachchan, the film did not perform well at the box office upon its initial release.
- The soundtrack, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, included a song picturized on Bachchan and Kimi Katkar that was filmed in Mauritius.
- This was one of the few films where actor Ajit Vachani played a positive supporting role as a friend of Vijay, rather than his common villainous parts.