Mashaal is a 1984 Bollywood action film. Produced and directed by Yash Chopra, it starred Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Anil Kapoor and Rati Agnihotri. The role played by Anil Kapoor was first offered to Amitabh Bachchan and then to Kamal Haasan, but after they declined the offer, the role went to Anil Kapoor. Vinod Kumar plays a respected, law-abiding citizen who turns to crime for exacting revenge. The movie was based on the Marathi play Ashroonchi Zhali Phule written by Marathi writer Vasant Kanetkar. The movie was remade in Malayalam as Ithile Iniyum Varu with Mamooty playing the lead role.

Dilip Kumar was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, after Motilal, he dominated the Indian cinema from late 1940s throughout 60s, being referred to as Abhinay Samrat. Kumar holds the record for most wins for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and was also the inaugural recipient of the award. He holds the most dominant box-office record for a star in Hindi cinema with over 80% box-office successes and several long-standing gross records.