Khal Nayak (transl. Villain) is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language action crime film written, directed, and produced by Subhash Ghai under his banner Mukta Arts Ltd. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Jackie Shroff in the lead roles. The film revolves around the escape and attempted recapture of criminal Ballu (Dutt) by sub-inspector Ram (Shroff) and his girlfriend Ganga (Dixit).

Released on 6 August 1993, Khal Nayak became a major commercial success, grossing ₹240 million worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year second-highest-grossing film, only surpassed by Aankhen.^[2] The film's soundtrack, composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, sold 10 million copies in India, becoming the year's third best-selling music album, behind Dilwale and Darr.^[3]

At the 39th Filmfare Awards, Khal Nayak received 11 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Subhash Ghai), Best Actor (Sanjay Dutt), Best Actress (Madhuri Dixit), and Best Supporting Actor (Jackie Shroff). It won two awards: Best Female Playback Singer (Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun) and Best Choreography (Saroj Khan), both for the song "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai".^[4]

Balram "Ballu" Prasad, a notorious gangster, is apprehended by Inspector Ram, who seeks information about Ballu's mentor, Roshan Da, while treating him leniently. Ballu refuses to cooperate and vows to escape, which he does, damaging Ram's reputation. Determined to restore his credibility, Ram’s girlfriend and fellow officer, Ganga, goes undercover as a street worker to find Ballu. Gaining his trust, she discovers that Ballu was forced into crime by poverty and Roshan Da’s manipulation. Moved by his circumstances, she attempts to reform him, but Ballu mistakes her kindness for love. Realizing her true intentions, he turns hostile but is protected by Ganga, who believes in his potential for change.

Meanwhile, Ram learns from Ballu’s mother, Aarti, that Ballu is his childhood friend. She reveals that Roshan Da exploited their family's hardships, falsely implicating the police in the murder of Ballu’s sister, Sunita, which led Ballu to a life of crime. As the police close in, Ganga helps Ballu escape but is arrested and accused of aiding a criminal, tarnishing her reputation. Later, Ballu reunites with his mother, only to be betrayed by Roshan Da, who tries to kill them. Ram launches a police operation against Roshan Da, during which Ballu learns the truth about his sister’s death. In the confrontation, Ram kills Roshan Da, and Ballu escapes. He declares himself the new crime boss, but later discovers that Ganga is on trial for her alleged crimes.

Realizing the consequences of his actions, Ballu voluntarily surrenders and testifies to Ganga’s innocence, leading to her acquittal and reconciliation with Ram. Ballu accepts his fate and is imprisoned, completing his transformation from a misguided criminal to someone who takes responsibility for his past.

• Sanjay Dutt as Balaram "Ballu" Prasad, a notorious criminal working for Roshida; Navin and Aarti's son; Sunita's younger brother
• Madhuri Dixit as Inspector Gangotri "Ganga" Singh, an undercover police officer, Ram's girlfriend and Ballu's love interest
• Jackie Shroff as Inspector Ram Kumar Sinha, a hardworking and honest police officer; a former student at Aarti's school, Ganga's boyfriend, and Ballu's childhood friend "Babla"
• Anupam Kher as Ishwar Pandey, inspector general of Police and Ram's distant uncle
• Rakhee Gulzar as Aarti Prasad, a retired teacher; Navin's wife, Sunita and Ballu's mother
• Siddharth Randeria as Navin Prasad, the public prosecutor appointed against Roshida; Aarti's husband, Sunita and Ballu's father
• Aloka Mukherjee as Sunita Prasad, Navin and Aarti's daughter and Ballu's elder sister
• Ramya Krishna as Sophia Sulochana, Ballu's girlfriend
• Pramod Moutho as Roshan "Roshida" Mahanta, Ballu's mentor who lured him into a life of crime and deceit
• Sushmita Mukherjee as Mrs. Maithili Pandey
• Navtej Hundal^{[sentence fragment]}
• Arun Bali as Police Commissioner Kuljeet Chaddha
• Anand Balraj as a police inspector
• A. K. Hangal as Shaukat Bhai
• Sudhir Dalvi as Shambhu Master, a village school teacher (special appearance)
• Neena Gupta as Champa, a dancer in the song "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai"
• Ali Asgar as Munna, a thug working for Roshida
• Sunil Shende as the Judge of Ganga's trial
• Hans Dev Sharma as investigation officer, assistant to Ram Kumar Sinha

Director Subhash Ghai initially conceived the project as an art film starring Nana Patekar. The original narrative followed the protagonist's journey from Pune to Mumbai. During production, inspired by a suggestion from a screenwriter, Ghai shifted the film’s direction toward the action genre.^[5]

Ghai was determined to cast Jackie Shroff in the role of Ram.

Anil Kapoor expressed interest in portraying the antagonist.; However, Ghai advised against it, stating that Kapoor was not suited for the role and that his casting could lead to the film's failure. Sanjay Dutt was subsequently cast.

The film's lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi.^[5]

During filming, Sanjay Dutt was arrested and incarcerated in connection with the 1993 Bombay bombings case.^[5]

Won

• Best Female Playback Singer – Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun for "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai"
• Best Choreography – Saroj Khan for "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai"

Nominated

• Best Film
• Best Director – Subhash Ghai
• Best Actor – Sanjay Dutt
• Best Actress – Madhuri Dixit
• Best Supporting Actor – Jackie Shroff
• Best Music Director – Laxmikant–Pyarelal
• Best Lyricist – Anand Bakshi for "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai"
• Best Male Playback Singer – Vinod Rathod for "Nayak Nahin Khal Nayak Hoon Main"
• Best Female Playback Singer – Alka Yagnik for "Paalki Pe Ho Ke Sawaar"

The film's soundtrack was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi.

Upon release, "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" ("What's Behind the Choli") sparked controversy due to its suggestive lyrics.^[6]

Khal Nayak became a major commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹240 million worldwide, ranking as the second-highest-grossing second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, surpassed only by Aankhen.^[1]

Ghai raised objections at the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) against Khal-Naaikaa, a similarly titled film that was due to be released on the same day as Khal Nayak. However, the IMPPA ruled against him, stating that while Ghai could change his film's release date, the producers of Khal-Naaikaa would not alter theirs. As a result, both films were released on 6 August 1993.^[5]

Khal Nayak was remade in Telugu as Khaidi No. 1 (1994),^[7] in Tamil as Hero,^[8] and in Punjabi as Billa (2002).

• Khal Nayak at IMDb
• Mumbai Mirror – "When the Bad Guy Ruled the Box Office"