Namak Haraam

Namak Haraam
Directed by	Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Produced by	Jayendra Pandya Rajaram
Written by	Sampooran Singh Gulzar D.N. Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Starring	Rajesh Khanna Amitabh Bachchan Rekha Simi Garewal A.K. Hangal Asrani
Music by	Rahul Dev Burman
Cinematography	Jaywant Pathare
Edited by	Das Dhaimade
Production company	Mohan Studios
Distributed by	R.S.J Productions Ultra Distributors Worldwide Entertainment Group
Release date	23 November 1973
Running time	147 minutes
Language	Hindi

Namak Haraam (Hindi: नमक हराम, Nastaliq: نمکEnglish: Traitor) is a 1973 Indian Hindi drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The music is by R.D. Burman, the screenplay by Gulzar, and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. It also stars Rekha, Asrani, Raza Murad, A.K. Hangal, Simi Garewal and Om Shivpuri. Rajesh Khanna received his third BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) in 1974 for this film.

This was the second Hrishikesh film Rajesh khanna and Amitabh after Anand. "Diye Jalte Hai, Phool Khilte Hai", "Nadiya se dariya, Dariye se sagar" and "Main Shayar Badnaam" are the most memorable melodies, all rendered powerfully by Kishore Kumar and picturised on Rajesh Khanna. Namak Haraam was a hit at the box office. It was remade in Tamil as Unakkaga Naan with Sivaji Ganesan and as "Anguram" in Malayalam starred by Prem Nazir.

The story focuses on two friends, Somu (Rajesh Khanna) and Vicky (Amitabh Bachchan). To avenge the fact that Vicky is insulted by the union leader of his factory, Somu infiltrates the factory as a worker and later the trade union as its leader. However Somu is moved by the plight of the workers and is influenced by their ideals, which leads to a confrontation between the two friends. This story concentrates on the rise of unions with the backdrop of Mumbai's textile mills and inflation in the early '70s.