Achanak (1973 film)

Achanak film poster
Directed by	Gulzar
Produced by	Raj N. Sippy Romu N. Sippy
Written by	Khwaja Ahmad Abbas Sampooran Singh Gulzar
Starring	Vinod Khanna Lily Chakravarty Asrani
Music by	Songs: Vasant Desai Background Score: Salil Chowdhury
Cinematography	K. Vaikunth
Edited by	Waman B. Bhosle Gurudutt Shirali
Release date	5th October 1973
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Achanak (Hindi: अचानक, translation: Suddenly) is a 1973 Hindi film starring Vinod Khanna, and made by Gulzar. Gulzar won a Filmfare nomination as Best Director for this film. Even though Gulzar is an accomplished lyricist, this film did not have any songs in it.K.A. Abbas earned a Filmfare nomination for best story. It is inspired by the real-life sensational 1958 murder case KM Nanavati v State of Maharashtra.

1963 movie Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke was also based on the same case.Akshay Kumar starrer 2016 movie Rustom is based on the same case as well.

The film music is composed by Vasant Desai and background score is composed by Salil Chowdhury.

Major Ranjeet Khanna (Vinod Khanna) is in love with his wife Pushpa (Lily Chakravarty), who seems to love him as well. His commanding officer, also his father-in-law Lt Col Bakshi, is played by Iftekhar. Ranjeet is happy with his marriage, until he finds out about his wife's affair with his best friend. He kills them both and turns himself in to the police. Then, he escapes from the police to find the Ganges River, because he wanted to fulfill his wife's wish of dropping her wedding necklace (mangalsutra) into the river. However, the police shoot him first and he is hospitalized, where he becomes emotionally attached to the doctors (Om Shivpuri, Asrani) and the nurse (Farida Jalal), who are also devastated when he is sentenced to hang to death.