Deewaar was released worldwide on 24 January 1975 to critical acclaim and praise for its story, script, music cast performances (especially Bachchan, Kapoor and Roy). The film was commercially successful and is considered a ground-breaking cinematic masterpiece, with India Times ranking Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. It is also one of three Hindi-language films to be included on the list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[14]
The film had a significant impact not only on Indian cinema but also on Indian society; its anti-establishment themes and Bachchan's anti-herovigilante character resonated with audiences. The movie cemented Bachchan's popular image as the 'Angry young man' of Bollywood cinema.[15][16][17]Forbes included Bachchan's performance in the film on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema".[18] The film also cemented the success of Salim-Javed, who went on to write more blockbuster films, and their value skyrocketed and they were being paid as well as the leading actors of the time.[19]Deewaar's influence also extends to world cinema, influencing films from Hong Kong[20] and British cinema.[12][21]
^Aḵẖtar, Jāvīd; Kabir, Nasreen Munni (2002). Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN978-0-19-566462-1. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2019. JA: I write dialogue in Urdu, but the action and descriptions are in English. Then an assistant transcribes the Urdu dialogue into Devnagari because most people read Hindi. But I write in Urdu.
^Mazumdar, Ranjani (23 April 2007). Bombay Cinema. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN978-1-4529-1302-5. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2011.