When film lovers discuss the golden eras of South Asian cinema, 1989 is often remembered for Maine Pyar Kiya (Bollywood) or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Hollywood). But in Pakistan, 1989 brought us Parinda — a gritty, urban crime drama directed by , not to be confused with the famous Indian film of the same name (Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda , also 1989).

The story revolves around two childhood friends, Kishore (played by Saurabh Shukla) and Raja (played by Jackie Shroff), who grow up together in a poor neighborhood in Mumbai. As they mature, their lives take different paths. Kishore becomes involved with a local gangster, Monga (played by Rajinder Singh Bedi), while Raja becomes a honest and struggling taxi driver.