Review
There's an admirable ambition in C.I.D.'s narrative architecture—a plot that spirals outward from a simple murder into a web of deception, false arrests, and moral redemption. The central premise, where our protagonist Inspector Shekhar becomes the hunted after being framed, carries genuine dramatic potential. Director Raj Khosla demonstrates competent command over the investigative thriller format, and the screenplay attempts something more layered than the typical crime drama of its era. The construction of Dharamdas as a puppet master operating from the shadows, while lesser villains take the fall, shows narrative sophistication. What prevents the film from reaching its full potential, however, is the uneven pacing and a reliance on convenient plot devices—the pivotal turn where Kamini abandons villainy feels rushed rather than earned, stranding what could have been a complex character study in melodrama.
The performances carry the weight reasonably well. The lead actor commits to Shekhar's journey from respected officer to hunted fugitive with appropriate gravity, and there's genuine chemistry when paired opposite Rekha, whose initial bristling indignation gives way to romantic investment. The supporting turns are functional rather than memorable, though the character of Master provides some lighter breathing room. What works most effectively is the film's second half—the tense infiltration of Dharamdas's fortress and the cat-and-mouse dynamics generate real suspense. Ye
Storyline
This guy Shrivastav gets gunned down right before he can expose some big-shot gangster, and Inspector Shekhar arrives just in time to watch him die! Shekhar spots a suspicious figure by the elevator and chases him with the help of a feisty woman named Rekha whose car he borrows—except she's so furious about it that she literally throws the keys in the mud and they lose the chase! A petty pickpocket named Master witnesses the whole thing and identifies the killer as Sher Singh, who gets arrested, but it quickly becomes clear that someone much more powerful is pulling the strings.
The real villain, Dharamdas, decides the best way to cover his tracks is to frame Shekhar for the murder, so his gang seduces and drugs him through the gorgeous Kamini, then orchestrates Sher Singh's death in jail to pin it on Shekhar! Our hero gets convicted and faces the gallows, but with romantic feelings for Rekha growing stronger and Master's encouragement, he makes a daring escape to gather evidence and expose the truth. Dharamdas sends assassins after him, but Shekhar manages to reach Kamini's hideout half-dead, and here's where it gets brilliant—he talks her into abandoning crime because she's too clever to just follow orders!
Kamini becomes Shekhar's unlikely ally as they navigate through Dharamdas's labyrinth of hidden corridors in a tense cat-and-mouse game, and somehow they both escape! Shekhar surrenders himself at the police station ready to finally prove Dharamdas is the mastermind, but tragedy strikes when Dharamdas's men shoot Kamini just as Shekhar's about to clear his name. With Kamini on the brink of consciousness and her testimony about to expose everything, Shekhar desperately pleads with Rekha's father to believe him before it's too late!