Haath Ki Safai

Haath Ki Safai

Year: 1974

Runtime: More mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Prakash Mehra

Drama

Orphaned after his parents’ death and separated from his brother, Raj Kumar wanders hungry in Bombay until pickpocket Usmanbhai takes him under his wing. Assuming the alias Raju Tardeo, he becomes a master thief. When he learns that wealthy Kamini has run away and a reward is posted, Raju pretends to fall in love, steals her necklace and returns her to her oppressive uncle, who intends her marriage to Ranjeet.

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Timeline & Setting – Haath Ki Safai (1974)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Haath Ki Safai (1974). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1970s

The story unfolds in the 1970s, a period of rapid urban growth in Mumbai and rising underworld activity. Gangsters, smugglers, and opportunists navigate a city of gleaming hotels and backroom deals. The era’s cinematic texture feeds the film’s melodramatic confrontations and plots of wealth, betrayal, and redemption.

Location

Mumbai

Mumbai serves as the pulsating backdrop for the film, a sprawling metropolis where street-level crime and glossy hustles coexist with opportunity and spectacle. The city’s markets, hotels, and backstreets provide the stage for Raju and Shankar’s illicit schemes. The film contrasts the glamour of urban life with the grit of crime, as characters move between crowded streets and shadowy hideouts.

🎭 City setting

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:19

Main Characters – Haath Ki Safai (1974)

Meet the key characters of Haath Ki Safai (1974), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Raju (Randhir Kapoor)

The younger brother who is drawn into pickpocketing under Usmanbhai’s tutelage. Resourceful and quick with his hands, he struggles with a desire for a legitimate life and loyalty to his family. His arc follows a shift from petty theft to pursuing dignity, as he falls for Kamini and ultimately helps save Shankar.

🎭 Hero 🧭 Journey 💔 Romance

Shankar / Kumar (Vinod Khanna)

The elder brother who becomes a crime boss, using a hotel as a cover for smuggling. Though he leads a life of crime, he shows tenderness toward Kamini and Roma, and he is capable of sacrifice. After Roma’s pregnancy, he vows to give up criminal activities, setting the stage for a dramatic reconciliation.

🎭 Antihero 💼 Crime 🕊️ Redemption

Kamini (Hema Malini)

An orphan who arrives in Mumbai with a troupe, only to be manipulated by Ranjeet’s plot to seize her wealth. She develops genuine feelings for Raju, while facing deception from those around her. Her arc includes independence, vulnerability, and a shift toward trust after learning the truth.

🎭 Romantic 💎 Wealth 🕊️ Vulnerability

Roma

Shankar’s wife, pregnant with their child, who learns about her husband’s criminal life and survives deception and betrayal. Her presence anchors Shankar’s transformation and adds emotional weight to the family dynamics. She embodies resilience amid the turmoil of crime.

🎭 Wife 💖 Family 🛡️ Resilience

Ranjeet

A ruthless criminal who manipulates Kamini to claim her wealth and uses Raju as a pawn to settle old scores. His scheming drives much of the film’s tension and culminates in dangerous confrontations and power plays.

🎭 Villain 🧩 Schemer 💰 Wealth

Chopra

Kamini’s crook uncle who threads the debt that ties Kamini to Ranjeet’s plan. As a cunning fixer, he serves as a catalyst for the entangled web of loyalties and money that drives the plot.

🎭 Uncle 🃏 Ploy 💸 Debt

Raghu

A fellow pickpocket who initially robs Kamini’s purse but is caught up in the larger game of deceit and pursuit. He briefly intersects the main plot and the necklace/wealth conflict.

🎭 Minor 🗝️ Theft

Usmanbhai

The crook who mentors Raju into pickpocketing, operating the underworld with a blend of intimidation and practicality. His role is foundational to Raju’s early path toward crime and eventual redemption.

🎭 Mentor 🗝️ Underworld

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:19

Major Themes – Haath Ki Safai (1974)

Explore the central themes of Haath Ki Safai (1974), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

👨‍👦 Family

Two brothers run in parallel paths—one sinking into crime, the other choosing reform—yet they are bound by loyalty, shared pasts, and a fraternal bond that drives the plot. The film toys with misunderstandings and reconciliations, culminating in a rescue born of kinship. Family ties complicate moral choices and ultimately shape the film’s emotional arc.

🕊️ Redemption

Shankar vows to abandon crime after his wife Roma’s pregnancy reframes his priorities. Raju likewise abandons pickpocketing to pursue a dignified life. The narrative threads through moments of self-sacrifice, quiet atonement, and the hope that people can change. The ending hinges on these acts of redemption and restored loyalty.

🕵️ Deception

Ranjeet manipulates Kamini’s circumstances to inherit wealth, leveraging deception as a tool of control. People conceal true motives—Raju’s reform, Kamini’s vulnerability, Shankar’s double life—until truth confronts them. The plot’s twists hinge on misdirection, betrayals, and the uneasy balance between appearances and reality.

⚖️ Crime vs Morality

The characters walk a fine line between survive-at-all-costs crime and ethical choices that emerge in moments of vulnerability. The film continually tests loyalties, rewards restraint, and punishes cruelty, while suggesting that justice and integrity can rise from within even a criminal world. Wealth, power, and obligation collide in Mumbai’s underworld.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:19

Unlock the Full Story of Haath Ki Safai

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Haath Ki Safai Summary

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Haath Ki Safai Summary

Haath Ki Safai Timeline

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Haath Ki Safai Timeline

More About Haath Ki Safai

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Haath Ki Safai (1974) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

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Haath Ki Safai (1974) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow