Hey Ram
Saketh Ram's wife is raped and killed during direct action day riots in Calcutta. He is convinced that Mahatma Gandhi is responsible for all the problems happening in the country and sets out to kill him.
Directed by Kamal Haasan · Crime · Drama · History · 186 min · 2000
Trailer
Director
Kamal Haasan
Writer
Kamal Haasan (Tamil dialogues), Manohar Shyam Joshi (Hindi dialogues)
Studio
Raaj Kamal Films International
Release
18 Feb 2000
Runtime
186 min
Genres
Crime, Drama, History
Full Plot
The film starts with Saketh Ram as a very old man and almost immediately goes into flashback. As a young man he is among his friends, in conviviality. He has taken a Bengali wife, Aparna, and everything is wonderful in his life, However the year is 1946, and the imminent independence of India from British suzerainty is complicated by religious antagonism between the Hindu majority and the large Muslim minority, who demand their own independent state. Saketh and Aparna visit Calcutta; rioting is reported, but Saketh goes out to get some food, and he soon encounters a Hindu woman being chased by Muslim rioters. He rescues her, but the rioters later come to his house, and brutally rape and then kill his wife. Saketh is devastated and takes to the streets, determined personally to kill as many Muslims as he can find. He meets up with Sriram Abhiyankar, who is leading a group of Hindu extremists, and Saketh becomes temporarily taken with the cause himself. At the same time, he is persuaded to take a new wife, Mythili, and life begins to stabilize for Saketh after all. However he then falls in with an eminent Maharajah who is leading an underground group with the intention of assassination. Travelling with the Maharajah, Saketh meets one of his old friends from younger days, who has fallen on hard times. Reminiscing, and getting his old friend back on his feet deflect the process of recruiting Saketh, but only temporarily, and soon he is manipulated into committing himself to renouncing his family and his new wife, in the interests of the cause which now is disclosed as the assassination of Gandhi. Although a fellow Hindu, Gandhi was felt by some to be too conciliatory to Muslims and in the logic of extremists, Gandhi became the prime target. Soon Saketh is informed that Gandhi will be in Delhi for some weeks, and that Saketh is to take the opportunity to do "his duty". However, hiding from a snap search by the police, he has to hide his pistol on a delivery lorry, and it is driven away to a factory owned by Muslims. Going there hoping to retrieve the gun, he becomes engulfed in a shoot-out between some Hindu attackers and the Muslims, and finds that his loyalties are not so clear cut as he had imagined. Finally he escapes after the death of another of his old friends in the crossfire. The next day, January 30th 1948, he contrives to be near Gandhi in a public prayer ground, his appointment with destiny. But the film still has 20 minutes to run, and the ending is not what you expect.
Cast & Characters
Lead
Shah Rukh Khan
Supporting
Rani Mukerji
Supporting
Vasundhara Das
Ambujam
Hema Malini
Goel
Om Puri
Shriram Abhayankar / Ramakrishna Pande
Atul Kulkarni
Maharaja
Vikram Gokhale
Mahohar Lalwani
Saurabh Shukla
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $3.9M, Hey Ram has grossed $4.9M worldwide — about 1.3x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Kamal Haasan has directed 4 films in our catalog, including Vishwaroopam II, Virumaandi.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Kamal Haasan appears in 28 films in our catalog, including Thevar Magan, Papanasam.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Kamal Haasan spent all of 1998 on filming Marudhanayagam, which ended up in production hell due to lack of funds.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Kamal Haasan began working on the film Hey Ram after seeking to please his fans by starting another project before resuming work on Marudhanayagam.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
The film was initially titled Satya Sodanai, a reference to Gandhi's autobiography, but Kamal Haasan later decided on the title Hey Ram.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Kamal Haasan produced and co-wrote the Hindi version of the film with Manohar Shyam Joshi.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
Audience Breakdown (Einthusan)
Hey Ram holds 8.0/10 on IMDb (14,570 votes).
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of August 11, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.0/10 on IMDb (14,570 votes)), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hey Ram's IMDb rating?+
Hey Ram has a 8.0/10 rating on IMDb from 14,570 votes.
Is Hey Ram good? What are critics saying?+
Hey Ram holds 8.0/10 on IMDb (14,570 votes).
How long is Hey Ram?+
Hey Ram has a runtime of 186 min.
Who directed Hey Ram?+
Hey Ram was directed by Kamal Haasan.
Where can I watch Hey Ram?+
Hey Ram is available to stream, rent, or buy on Eros Now Select Apple TV Channel, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Eros Now Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to the movie "Hey Ram" is overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing their appreciation for its originality and masterpiece status. Reviewers have praised the film's re-release as a necessary step to allow adults to understand it fully. The hashtag #HeyRam has gained significant attention online, with fans eagerly awaiting a second release worldwide.
From the trailer's comments
OMG! re-matster and re-release! Let's see if ppl are grown enough to understand it atleast now
@sriku1988 · 1569 likesAt that moment no one matured enough to understand this movie. A masterpiece movie
@murshidfarzan2507 · 1607 likesThis movie SHOULD release again all over the world. A true Master piece from the Legendary Kamal Haasan
@JinanMadhavan · 400 likesHey Ram doesn't need Oscar Oscar needs Hey Ram🛐❤️ Masterpiece
@karthickaj9835 · 30 likesThis film is very much alive even after 19 years truly a masterpiece
@jithendranponnusamy903 · 772 likesநாம் கொண்டாட மறந்த படம்
@gataoct1 · 170 likesI don't think a movie can be made like this ever in indian cinema again
@multifacekamal · 1309 likesஇன்னும் எத்தனை வருடம் ஆனாலும் மயங்காத சரித்திர திரைப்படம்.
@solasivarajan · 208 likes
