Mr. India (1987 film)

Mr. India
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Shekhar Kapur
Written by	Salim–Javed
Produced by	Boney Kapoor Surinder Kapoor
Starring	Anil Kapoor Sridevi Amrish Puri
Cinematography	Baba Azmi
Edited by	Waman Bhonsle Gurudutt Shirali
Music by	Laxmikant–Pyarelal
Production company	Narsimha Enterprises
Distributed by	Sujata Films
Release date	25 May 1987 (1987-05-25)
Running time	179 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹38 million[2]
Box office	₹100 million (India)[3]

Mr. India is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language superhero film directed by Shekhar Kapur and produced jointly by Boney Kapoor and Surinder Kapoor under the Narsimha Enterprises banner. The story and screenplay was written by the duo Salim–Javed in what was their last collaboration before their split. Starring Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, and Amrish Puri, the film tells the story of Arun Verma (Kapoor), a humble violinist and philanthropist who receives a cloaking device that grants him invisibility. While renting out his house to pay his debts, he meets the journalist Seema Sahni (Sridevi) and falls in love with her. Meanwhile, the criminal Mogambo (Puri) has plans to conquer India.

After watching his previous directorial venture Masoom, a 1983 family drama about children, Boney Kapoor approached Kapur to make another film with similar themes. Principal photography, handled by Baba Azmi, took place in Srinagar, Mumbai, and other locations in India, starting in July 1985, and finished after 350 days. Laxmikant–Pyarelal composed the soundtrack, while Akhtar wrote the lyrics. After filming ended, Waman Bhonsle and Gurudutt Shirali jointly edited it; Peter Pereira completed the special effects.

Mr. India was released on 25 May 1987. It emerged as a commercial success and became the second highest-grossing film of the year at the Indian box office after Hukumat, where it earned ₹100 million (US$7.72 million) against a ₹38 million (US$2.93 million) budget; it was also an overseas hit in China. It received widespread acclaim from contemporary and modern critics, with most of them appreciating the performances of Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. In 2013, Sridevi was awarded the Special Award at the 58th Filmfare Awards.

Mr. India was a breakthrough for its director and cast members and became a milestone in Hindi cinema for its rarely filmed superhero genre, which was followed by several Indian films in later years. It was remade in Tamil as En Rathathin Rathame (1989) and Kannada as Jai Karnataka (1989). A 3D sequel, titled Mr. India 2, was announced in 2011 but has not entered production.