Knock Out (2010 film)
Knock Out is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language action thriller directed by Mani Shankar. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Irrfan Khan, and Kangana Ranaut and is considered an unofficial remake of the American film Phone Booth. It released on 15 October 2010 and earned about ₹62 million, but it was a commercial failure. The Bombay High Court later ordered the producers to share part of their revenues with 20th Century Fox, which owns Phone Booth’s rights.
Plot in short:
Bachubhai (Irrfan Khan) sits in a phone booth to make a call. A mysterious caller traps him there, giving orders he must follow or be shot. A man outside is killed from a distant building, drawing the attention of the police, media, and journalist Nidhi Srivastav (Kangana Ranaut). Bachubhai, who works for a corrupt politician with 320 billion in black money, is forced to transfer the money to a government account for the public good. Veer Vijay Singh (Sanjay Dutt) is the Chief of the Investigation Bureau. In the end, the money is transferred and Bachubhai survives.
Rights and reception:
The film faced legal questions about copying Phone Booth. Courts ruled in favor of Fox, with payments and injunctions in place. Critics were mixed: some said the only clear link to Phone Booth was the phone booth setup, while others noted the story diverged. The music was by Gourov Dasgupta, with a supporting score by Atul Raninga and Sanjay Wandrekar.
Cast and music:
- Sanjay Dutt as Veer Vijay Singh
- Irrfan Khan as Bachubhai
- Kangana Ranaut as Nidhi Srivastav
- Music: Gourov Dasgupta; background score: Atul Raninga and Sanjay Wandrekar
- Soundtrack features five original songs, one remix, and an alternate version
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:03 (CET).