Shalimar

Shalimar

Year: 1978

Runtime: 137 mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Krishna Shah

ActionCrime

Kumar, a thief, poses as Raja Bahadur Singh’s son to attend Sir John Locksley’s island gathering, where guests K.P.W. Iyengar (Romeo), Dr. Dubari, Colonel Columbus and Countess Sylvia Rasmussen are criminals. Sir John seeks a successor and forces them to steal the ruby Shalimar (135 crore rupees) from a guarded vault, promising death for any failure. Kumar’s ruse is uncovered, yet he must join the lethal heist.

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Shalimar (1978) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Shalimar (1978), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

On the run from the police, a cunning thief named S. S. Kumar Dharmendra stumbles upon a private invitation addressed to Raja Bahadur Singh Premnath Malhotra for a secret gathering on the island associated with Sir John Locksley Rex Harrison. After witnessing the Raja being shot, Kumar steals the invitation, ferries the injured man to a hospital, and undertakes a bold disguise—wearing a Sikh turban—and pretends to be Bahadur Singh, Jr., the Raja’s supposed son, in order to gain entry to the exclusive event. The ruse kicks off a tense game where appearances must be maintained and every move is watched with suspicion.

Inside the gathering, Kumar encounters a cast of notorious criminals who were invited for a purpose beyond reunion or leisure. There is the mute Colonel Columbus John Saxon, a fearless acrobat named Countess Sylvia Rasmussen Sylvia Miles, a devoted follower of many religions named Dr. Dubari Shammi Kapoor, and a suave, scheming lothario known as K.P.W. Iyengar (Romeo) OP Ralhan. The scenes unfold with a charged mix of wit, danger, and schemes as Kumar’s true identity begins to blur with the others’ expectations, and the line between ally and rival becomes perilously thin. His entrance and demeanor don’t fool everyone, especially his former sweetheart and fiancée Sheila Enders Zeenat Aman, who now works for Sir John.

Sir John Locksley Rex Harrison himself is present, and the real Bahadur Singh Jr. appears at his father’s hospital bedside. Yet Sir John allows Kumar to stay, arguing that Kumar’s seemingly amateur background aligns with the other guests. The host’s darker motive emerges clearly: he has summoned these criminals to see who among them can be trusted to succeed him as a leader, because he is dying of cancer and wants a worthy successor to handle a final, high-stakes test. The pivotal objective is to steal the Shalimar diamond, a jewel valued at 135 crores of rupees, from a fortified room inside the palace. The room is protected by alarms, armed guards, and a surrounding minefield, turning the caper into a deadly contest where failure means death for all involved.

The perilous sequence of events begins almost immediately. Colonel Columbus is the first to die while attempting the heist, and Kumar claims that the mute man had screamed in his final moments, shocking the others. Countess Rasmussen makes an attempted theft next, but she, too, is killed. Dr. Dubari is shown dying during the attempt, though it is later revealed that he had survived the perilous moment. Romeo eventually withdraws from the scheme, only to be killed by Sir John in a brutal turn of events. Then comes Kumar’s turn to act; he stages a bold, ruse-filled effort and succeeds in stealing the Shalimar.

Just as the gem slips from the safety of the vault, the local tribal leaders ambush Sir John, killing the man who had promised them the jewel. What follows is a dramatic twist: Kumar is not the simple thief everyone assumed him to be. He is revealed to be an elite CBI officer on a special mission to arrest the masterminds behind the conspiracy. The tale wraps with the outcome of the dangerous game and, in a fitting turn of fate, Kumar and Sheila Zeenat Aman marry, tying together justice and personal recompense after a rollercoaster of deception, danger, and revelation.

A tale of deception, high-stakes gambles, and the search for trust, this story threads together glamour, danger, and a final twist that reframes every move the players made on the island and within the palace.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:16

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Movies with deadly heist games like Shalimar

Criminals are forced into a lethal competition to prove their worth.If you liked the lethal competition in Shalimar, you'll enjoy these movies where characters are forced into elaborate, high-stakes heists. These films feature tense cat-and-mouse games, dangerous tests of skill, and a glamorous yet deadly atmosphere, perfect for fans of suspenseful crime thrillers.

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These stories typically begin with a group of skilled individuals being assembled or coerced by a powerful figure. They are given an ultimate challenge, often a theft, that serves as a deadly proving ground. The plot unfolds as alliances form and betrayals occur, with the tension deriving from the life-or-death stakes of the game itself, leading to a final victor or a twist that upends the entire contest.

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They are grouped by the shared narrative structure of a forced criminal competition, the high-tension atmosphere of a deadly game, and the focus on elaborate, skill-based set pieces. The mood is consistently suspenseful, deceptive, and dangerous, offering a similar adrenaline-fueled experience.

Undercover agent thrillers with false identities like Shalimar

A protagonist living a false identity within a dangerous criminal world.Fans of Shalimar's twist of Kumar being an undercover officer will enjoy these movies about deep-cover operatives. These stories feature tense undercover missions, complex deceptions, false identities, and the dangerous game of maintaining a cover while navigating a criminal underworld, leading to a climactic reveal.

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The narrative follows a protagonist who assumes a false identity to gather intelligence or achieve a goal from within an enemy group. The journey is a tightrope walk of maintaining their cover while facing tests of loyalty and close calls with discovery. The story often builds towards a major reveal or action sequence where the protagonist's true allegiance is exposed, turning the tables on their adversaries.

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These films share the central theme of deception through a false identity, creating a pervasive mood of tension and paranoia. They feature a specific character arc of an undercover operative, a cat-and-mouse plot structure, and a pacing that balances steady infiltration with fast-paced action and revelation.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Shalimar

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Shalimar

Shalimar Spoiler-Free Summary

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More About Shalimar

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