Sunny Deol debuted with Betaab(1983) which was a blockbuster at the box office. After this, Deol didn't get a hit till Arjun(1984) which gave him the action hero image. Like Betaab, Arjun was a blockbuster by the same director Rahul Rawail. After this, Deol didn't get many hits and was labelled a wooden actor despite giving hits like Dacait(1987), Yateem(1988) Paap Ki Duniya(1988), Tridev(1989), and Chaalbaaz(1989). Dacait and Yateem were the only big hits that won him accolades because the other films listed either had 2 heroes or were multi starrers. However, Ghayal came with a bang in 1990 and turned his flagging career. Ghayal was a miracle as it gave Sunny his first film which was appreciated by every one, it even gained positive reviews.
Ghayal tells the typical story of a champion boxer whose brother starts working for the wrong people and gets trapped in their web of lies and deceit. Ajay's brother Ashok hides everything from the family till the point where he goes missing. Everything was going fine, Ajay even got his love interest Varsha approved by the family but not every story in Bollywood action films goes smooth. Ajay's brother gets frequently tortured, is seen hanging with bruises on his body, and finally dies after being electrocuted(he couldn't stand the severe shocks when they electrified him the last time). Ajay finds his brother's dead body and he is upset. To make matters worse, he gets arrested for his brother's murder. In the police station, one would wonder things would be fine with a devastated Sunny Deol locked in a cell. But no, right from his arrest, Deol is handcuffed, beaten, and finally left bruised in the prison. This upsetting story was told in a flashback and Ajay breaks out with his friends who choose to help him from the time in his prison. The rest of the film is how Ajay takes his revenge with Rambo Style action sequences.
At the time of its release, Ghayal was a blockbuster at the box office. However, it didn't just score big at the box office, it got Deol a Filmfare award and the film it self earned a national award. The film was appreciated by everyone, it changed everything. The film created new records and even changed the definition of action and action heroes. If Amitabh's Zanjeer(1973) started the superb trend of the angry young man, Sunny's Ghayal(1990) changed the 80s trend of action and action heroes. Neither were the action sequences poorly conducted nor were they cheesy like most of the stunts from the action films of the 80s.
Direction by Rajukumar Santoshi is excellent, this was his directional debut and in his first film, he excels. He takes a typical action script and handles it extremely well. Not only did he redefine action films but also change the style of action films. The script is typical but Santoshi's direction gives it an edge over most action films.
Sunny Deol rocks as Ajay, his anger(despite the shouting) is well executed. His expressions are well timed, he never hams it up as the lead actor. Truly, people saw a new side of Sunny Deol after this film. Meenaxi Sheshadhri is good as the heroine and not once does she fail as an actress. Raj Babbar and Moushami Chaterjee are good in supporting roles, they do their bits well. Amrish Puri for once does brilliant as the villain, his expressions are good and his dialogue delivery is fabulous. Sudesh Behry and the three other people who play the jail mates of Ajay do a good job, the rest provide good support.
On the whole, Ghayal(1990) is a brilliant action flick. This is probably the one and only time when such a typical film is well handled. Even Santoshi's Ghatak(1996) couldn't match up to this film. Although, Damini(1993) won more accolades, this film broke more records.
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