Nidhiram Sardar

Nidhiram Sardar
Directed byRabi Ghosh
Screenplay byAshok Ghoshal
Story byAshok Ghoshal
Produced byDeepen Bhattacharya
StarringUttam Kumar
Aparna Sen
Utpal Dutt
Subhendu Chatterjee
Tarun Kumar
CinematographySoumendu Roy
Edited byRamesh Joshi
Music byAnanda Shankar
Production
company
Subhadeep Chitram
Distributed bySuchandrima
Release date
  • 24 September 1976 (1976-09-24)
CountryIndia
LanguageBengali

Nidhiram Sardar (Bengali pronunciation: [nidhiɾam sɔrdɑr]) is a 1976 Indian Bengali-language vigilante action film directed by Rabi Ghosh in his debut.[1][2] Produced by Deepen Bhattacharya under the banner of Subhadeep Chitram, the film stars Uttam Kumar in the titular role, alongside Aparna Sen, Utpal Dutt, Subhendu Chatterjee, Tarun Kumar and Ajitesh Banerjee in other pivotal roles.[3][4]

Written by Ashok Ghoshal, the film drew inspirations from the folklores of Robin Hood, while Ghosh himself cited the film as a felicitation to Wolfshead (1969) and Magnum Force (1973). Music of the film is composed by Ananda Shankar, with lyrics penned by Gauriprasanna Mazumder. Soumendu Roy handled its cinematography and Ramesh Joshi did the editing.

Nidhiram Sardar was theatrically released on 24 September 1976, coinciding with Durga Puja. It became moderately successful at the box-office, and received mixed reviews: praise for its action sequences, cinematography and cast performances, and criticism for the slow-paced editing, screenplay and storyline.[5] It was remade into Telugu as Gharana Donga (1980) starring Krishna.

Plot

Suddenly, a thief known as Nidhiram Sardar completely transforms the lives of the Kolkata Police. He steals from unscrupulous businessmen and distributes the loot among the poor. Mr. Gangaram, an import-export merchant, finds himself in a confrontation at the Hotel Love Bird. The hotel's owner—a quirky, high-profile criminal named Sitesh Pyne, becomes deeply alarmed by this incident. Meanwhile, Yamini, a smart young woman and the sole breadwinner of a middle-class family, suddenly begins facing certain difficulties. She finds herself being regularly stalked by some unidentified anti-social elements. In this predicament, she seeks assistance from Ram Prasad Singha, a renowned singer. Ram Prasad, a man of courage guided by his own strong moral principles sets out to uncover the truth behind the problem. He puts forth his utmost effort and, with the help of his relative Mallick and his old friend Sanjay, successfully solves the case.

Cast

Special appearance

Soundtrack

Nidhiram Sardar
Soundtrack album to Nidhiram Sardar by
Ananda Shankar
Released1976
GenreFeature Film Soundtrack
Length8:26
LanguageBengali
LabelSaregama
ProducerAnanda Shankar
Ananda Shankar chronology
Asamay
(1976)		 Nidhiram Sardar
(1970)		 Dui Prithibi
(1980)
External audio
audio icon Nidhiram Sardar Audio Jukebox on YouTube
Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Shyam O Radha Bina"Manabendra Mukherjee2:47
2."Dekhina Ki Korte Paro"Aarti Mukherjee3:17
3."Na Na Na"Aarti Mukherjee2:21
Total length:8:26

Trivia

Actor Saswata Chatterjee, who was six years old in 1976, recalled visiting the set of Nidhiram Sardar with his father Subhendu Chatterjee. He recounted that Bhanu Banerjee was shooting for a different film on the very same set. He further mentioned that upon watching a shot of a humorous scene featuring Bhanu, he burst into loud laughter—a reaction that delighted the latter, who then confidently declared that this film was bound to be a hit. Subsequently, he took Saswata onto his lap, shared many stories with him, and later even posed for a photograph together.[9]

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ "Bollywood Movie Nidhiram Sardar 1976". nidhiram-sardar-1976.bollyviews.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  2. ↑ FilmiClub. "Nidhiram Sardar (1976)". FilmiClub. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Nidhi Ram Sardar (1976) - Review, Star Cast, News, Photos". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Action 1976: A defining era". letterboxd.com. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Bhattacharya, Spandan (3 April 2017). "The action heroes of Bengali cinema: industrial, technological and aesthetic determinants of popular film culture, 1980s – 1990s". South Asian History and Culture. 8 (2): 205–230. doi:10.1080/19472498.2017.1304093. ISSN 1947-2498.
  6. ↑ "Uttam Kumar: The characteristics of a hyper masculine action hero". Film Heritage Foundation. 16 November 2021. Archived from the original on 21 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "A Closer Look at Bengali Superstar Uttam Kumar". The Criterion Collection. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Chatterjee, Sanghamitra (18 May 2025). "The life and legacy of Sushil Majumdar: Filmmaker, freedom fighter, and much more than Byomkesh Bakshi's client". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 6 May 2026. One of his most memorable performances was as Byomkesh Bakshi's client in Satyajit Ray's Chiriakhana (1967), co-starring Uttam Kumar. Majumdar also played the chief antagonist in Nidhiram Sardar (1976).
  9. ↑ Das, Soujannya (4 December 2024). "Saswata Chatterjee: 'I plan not to work in West Bengal if I don't get something really interesting'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 6 May 2026. Bhanu jethu asked, "Who made the noise?" and was told that Subhendu Chatterjee's son. Since I had seen the shot and laughed, he considered it a hit.
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