Khalnayak is a 1993 Bollywood film about a man named Ballu (played by Sanjay Dutt), who is accused of terrorism. He is arrested by a man named Ram (later revealed to be his childhood friend.) Ram, however, goes to see his girlfriend Ganga (Madhuri Dixit), and Ballu escapes. Ganga (also a cop) tries to save her boyfriend's reputation, and find the real criminal, Ballu's boss.
Tropes used in Khalnayak include:
- The Alcoholic: Ballu.
- Action Girl: Ganga.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Subverted with Ganga; she admires her boyfriend's badassery, and isn't about to leave him for that outlaw Ballu.
- Played straight with Sophia, the woman who later becomes Ballu's girlfriend
- All Love Is Unrequited: Ballu falls in love with Ganga, but she only likes him as a friend.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Ballu tries this.
- Badass Ballu.
- Bosom Buddies: Ballu and his men dress up in skirts and veils and mock The Item Number that Ganga performed
- Carpet of Virility: Displayed frequently by Ballu
- Christmas Cake: Ganga
- Cloudcuckoolander: Ballu.
- Complete Monster: Ballu's boss
- Defective Detective: Ram
- Dirty Harriet: Ganga goes undercover to chase the criminal.
- Drunken Song
- Ear Worm: The opening song
- Elite Mook: Ballu Before eventually taking over the mob.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
- Everything's Better with Monkeys: Some monkeys watch a fight between Ram and Ballu.
- The Item Number: The very controversial "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" (What's beneath the blouse? The answer isn't nearly as perverted as you would think!)
- The opening credit number also qualifies
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
- Green-Eyed Monster: See "Love Triangle".
- Guile Heroine: Ganga.
- "I Want" Song: "Aajan Sajan Aaja" and "Palki Me Hoke"
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
- Love Makes You Crazy: Oh, Good Lord yes...
- Love Triangle: Ballu falls in love with Ganga, but she is already in a relationship with Ram.
- Mistaken for Cheating
- My Girl Is Not a Slut: Everyone is shocked by Ganga's actions, which even get her arrested. Ram almost leaves her.
- No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: The Item Number generated controversy with India's Moral Guardians for its title and cheeky lyrics. The controversy (and the prospect of seeing Madhuri Dixit dance) actually brought more people to the theaters to see it.
- Pair the Spares: See below
- Second Love: Ballu eventually gets himself a new girlfriend.
- Shout-Out: The drama involving Ballu, Ganga, and Ram is compared to that involving Ravana, Sita, and Rama in the Ramayana
- Too Kinky to Torture: Ballu
- Title Drop
- Tsundere: Ganga
- We Used to Be Friends: Ram and Ballu.