Film
Khiladi
Other titles called Khiladi: the 2022 film, the 2023 film.
Khiladi is a 1992 Bollywood thriller that rides the line between adventure and murder mystery, anchored by Akshay Kumar in a charismatic role. It's a film that loves the thrill of stakes—physical and emotional—and the camera never stops moving. For those who want their '90s Hindi cinema with genuine suspense beneath the romance and spectacle.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy a glossy early-nineties thriller where a playful wager among friends becomes a hunt for answers, and a love story keeps pulling you along.
Skip it if you find melodrama, cheesy romance and a nearly three-hour running time hard going, or you want restraint and tight plotting.
What it asks of you: Settle in for a leisurely ride of over two and a half hours, where romance and suspense take turns at the centre and the mood swings between playful and heavy.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Death Race2008
A clever multi-perspective thriller with twists that genuinely earn their surprises. The structure—revealing what you thought you knew—shares Khiladi's taste for games and misdirection.
But Runs nearly two and a half hours and loves its own cleverness sometimes more than clarity.
Gupt: The Hidden Truth1997
Bobby Deol in a role that demands real vulnerability within a taut mystery. It has the same hunger to unsettle you that Khiladi carries, without ever feeling tired.
But Some plot leaps require acceptance; the logic doesn't always hold if you pull at it.
Dus2005
An action thriller that understands momentum—every scene propels you forward. Sushant Singh and Suniel Shetty create genuine pressure between them that mirrors the stakes Khiladi was chasing.
But Occasionally favours spectacle over narrative sense. A bit bloated in the middle hour.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Khiladi
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Waxworks1924
Both films understand that a thriller lives or dies on visual momentum and the power of not showing you everything. Waxworks taught cinema that mystery is movement.
A silent German expressionist film about a wax museum and the stories trapped inside it. The visual language—shadows, distortion, the camera as character—influenced thrillers for a century. It's where modern suspense learned to move.
But Silent, black and white, German, and deeply strange. Requires patience and active watching; it won't come to meet you.
More like this (8)
Chandni Bar2001
A thriller that goes darker and further than most—it's uncomfortable, which is the point. Shares Khiladi's willingness to let consequences matter and to surprise you unpleasantly.
But Genuinely harsh and difficult to watch in places. Not entertainment in the traditional sense.
Humraaz2002
A conman thriller where every character wants something from every other character. The paranoia and double-crossing are the real engine, just like the murder mystery at Khiladi's heart.
But The third act pivots hard and not everyone lands with it. Feels longer than it is.
Hey Ram2000
Kamal Haasan in a Bharathan film that's part noir, part fever dream. It shares an obsessive intensity with Khiladi and a refusal to give easy answers about who to trust.
But Deliberately difficult and fractured. Not a film that wants to be comfortable; that alienates many.
Ghajini2008
An action-thriller with real emotional stakes. Aamir Khan's obsession drives the whole machine, and when the payoff comes, it lands because you've felt the weight of it building.
But Relies on a central gimmick that hasn't aged as freshly as it felt in 2008.
Jism2003
A sensual, twisty thriller where the mystery is genuinely secondary to the atmosphere. John Abraham and Bipasha Basu create real tension, sexual and otherwise.
But The plot mechanics don't survive scrutiny. It's gambling on mood over substance, and that's risky.
Kaante2002
An ensemble heist-thriller with real swagger. Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan, and the rest carry themselves with genuine coolness, and the paranoia runs deep.
But Tries to do too much. Loses the thread in pursuit of gravitas and fashion.
The Burning1981
Both films begin with a prank between friends and ask: what happens when play stops being play? The moral weight of that question drives everything.
An American slasher from the grimy VHS era. A prank gone catastrophically wrong—just like Khiladi's setup—becomes a hunt for revenge. It has a genuine wrongness to it, an accidental brutality that lingers.
But It's explicitly American exploitation cinema from a particular era. Gore, casual meanness, and an ugliness that some will find pointless.
Memories of Murder2003
Both films are about searching for truth in a world where the ground keeps shifting. They share a dark fascination with deception and the people who pursue it.
Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece about a serial killer hunt in 1980s South Korea. It's methodical, darkly funny, and genuinely frightening—a thriller that knows when to twist the knife and when to let it sit.
But Long, deliberately paced, and the resolution refuses to satisfy in the way you want. It's about the hunt, not the answer.
People
Cast
Akshay KumarRaj Malhotra
Ayesha JhulkaNeelam Chaudhary (as Ayesha Julka)
Deepak TijoriBoney
SabeehaSheetal
Tinnu AnandProfessor P.K. More
Sharat SaxenaBahadur Singh
Anant MahadevanNeelam's Uncle
Beena BanerjeeSudha Malhotra (as Beena)- Amrit PatelConstable
- Sanjeev ChitreSambo
Kunickaa SadanandJulie
Prem ChopraKailash Nath
Directing
- Abbas Alibhai BurmawallaDirector
- Mustan Alibhai BurmawallaDirector
Writing
- Aadesh K. ArjunDialogue
- Saroj KhanScreenplay
- Saroj KhanStory
Production
- Girish JainProducer
Recommended by
Dabangg, Housefull 2, Welcome, Shahenshah, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, A Gentleman, Ishq, Alaap, Balupu, Aa Gale Lag Jaa