Vishwatma

Vishwatma
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRajiv Rai
Written byRajiv Rai
Produced byGulshan Rai
StarringNaseeruddin Shah
Sunny Deol
Chunky Pandey
Sonam
Divya Bharti
Jyotsna Singh
Raza Murad
Gulshan Grover
Amrish Puri
Narrated byNaseeruddin Shah
CinematographyThomas A. Xavier
Edited byRajiv Rai
Music byViju Shah
Production
company
Distributed byTrimurti Films
Release date
  • 24 January 1992 (1992-01-24)
Running time
181 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Box office9.5 crore

Vishwatma (transl. Universal Soul) is a 1992 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Rajiv Rai and produced by Gulshan Rai. It stars an ensemble cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Sunny Deol, Chunky Pandey, Sonam, Divya Bharti (in her Hindi debut), Jyostna Singh, Raza Murad, Gulshan Grover and Amrish Puri.

The story of the film revolves around an Indian police officer, who is tasked to capture a powerful, internationally operating crime lord and bring him back to India.

Vishwatma marked Rai's third directorial venture after Tridev (1989) and was initially planned to be a sequel to the same. It was the most-expensive Indian film at the time of its production; being extensively shot in Kenya and the first Indian film to be shot there. The chartbuster song "Saat Samundar Paar" was shot at Bubbles Discothèque, a popular nightclub in Nairobi in those days. The modern-sounding song struck a chord and still enjoys a massive cult status among Indian audience.

The film was a big commercial success and received critical acclaim upon release from contemporary as well as modern critics, with praise drawn towards its screenplay and action sequences. It earned over ₹95 million in its total theatrical run worldwide and was the sixth highest-grossing Indian film of 1992. The soundtrack created a rage and was very much successful. It proved to be a major launchpad for debutanté Divya Bharti, who went on to achieve the limelight in Bollywood.