Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Aghaat Brings Working-Class Politics to Bollywood Through Union Rivalry
Aghaat is a film about factory workers and the unions that represent them.
Two unions at Shivalik Engineering disagree about how to help workers.
Their rivalry becomes worse after Chotelal loses his legs in a factory accident.
One union offers his family better compensation if they join it.
Instead of working together, the unions use the accident to gain more members.
The factory management benefits because the workers are divided.
After Chotelal dies, the disagreement turns into a violent fight.
The film suggests that workers lose power when their representatives stop cooperating.
It does not present one union as completely good and the other as completely bad.
Govind Nihalani’s 1985 film Aghaat examines labour unrest and rivalry between two workers’ unions.
The conflict begins when Madhav Verma’s union clashes with Rustom Patel’s union at Shivalik Engineering.
An injured worker’s compensation becomes a contest for influence rather than a unified labour struggle.
The factory management benefits as divided unions weaken workers’ collective bargaining power and job security.
A 4K-restored version screened at the 2023 Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
- Who
- Govind Nihalani directed Aghaat, featuring Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Bharath Gopy and Pankaj Kapur; Vijay Tendulkar wrote the film.
- What
- Aghaat portrays labour unrest, rivalry between two unions and the weakening of workers’ collective strength.
- When
- The film is set within the 1985 period of mainstream Bollywood; its restored version screened in 2023.
- Where
- The story takes place mainly at Shivalik Engineering and its factory gates; the restoration screened at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
- Why
- Nihalani uses the union conflict to examine declining labour solidarity, employment insecurity, industrial change and management control.
Madhav Verma’s Union
Rustom Patel’s Union
Approach to worker representation
Madhav Verma’s Union
Verma supports peaceful protests and workers’ unity, but his principles are tested as the rivalry intensifies.
Rustom Patel’s Union
Patel’s union attracts workers by promising better pay and compensation and uses more aggressive organising methods.
Chotelal’s compensation
Madhav Verma’s Union
The film presents Verma’s union as part of a broader collective struggle for workers’ rights rather than as automatically correct.
Rustom Patel’s Union
Krishnan Raju uses Chotelal’s accident to pressure his family to join Patel’s union by promising higher compensation.
Effect of the rivalry
Madhav Verma’s Union
Verma’s union ultimately adopts violence that it had previously opposed.
Rustom Patel’s Union
The competing union’s tactics contribute to a violent confrontation, while the film emphasizes that neither side provides a complete solution.
- Film
- Aghaat
- Director
- Govind Nihalani
- Main conflict
- Rival unions led by Madhav Verma and Rustom Patel compete for workers’ support.
- Central incident
- Factory worker Chotelal loses both legs in an accident and later dies in hospital.
- Writers
- Vijay Tendulkar and Vasant Dev worked on the screenplay and dialogues.
- Music
- Vanraj Bhatia composed the music, with lyrics by Vasant Dev.
- Restoration
- A 4K restoration by the NFDC–National Film Archive of India screened in 2023.