| Sarfarosh | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Matthew Matthan |
| Screenplay by | John Matthew Matthan Hriday Lani Pathik Vats |
| Story by | John Matthew Matthan |
| Produced by | John Matthew Matthan |
| Starring | Naseeruddin Shah Aamir Khan Sonali Bendre |
| Cinematography | Vikas Sivaraman |
| Edited by | Jethu Mundul |
| Music by | Songs: Jatin–Lalit Background Score: Sanjoy Chowdhury |
Production company | Cinematt Pictures |
| Distributed by | Eros Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 163 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹8 crore[1] |
| Box office | ₹33.46 crore[1] |
Sarfarosh (transl. Fervent) is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written, produced and directed by John Matthew Matthan. Based on true events regarding state-sponsored terrorism taken place in India during early 90s, it stars Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan and Sonali Bendre in lead roles, while Mukesh Rishi, Pradeep Rawat, Akhilendra Mishra, Makrand Deshpande and Shri Vallabh Vyas play another pivotal roles, with Govind Namdev and Surekha Sikri in special appearances. John started working on Sarfarosh in 1992. Seven years were spent on the research, pre-production and production till it finally released in 1999. The film deals with an Indian police officer's quest to stop cross-border terrorism.[2]
The film was released just before the Kargil conflict when tensions between India and Pakistan were high. On release, the film was both, critically and commercially, successful. The movie received praise, for the cast performances, especially Shah, Khan and Mukesh Rishi. Its technical aspects, music and story were also praised.[3][1] The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film, and was screened at the International Film Festival of India.[4] The film was remade in Kannada as Sathyameva Jayathe with Devaraj and in Telugu as Astram (2006) with Vishnu Manchu and Anushka Shetty.