Zanjeer (transl. Shackles) is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed and produced by Prakash Mehra from a screenplay written by Salim–Javed. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran, Ajit Khan and Bindu. At a time when India was suffering from exceptional corruption and low economic growth and the common man was left with frustration and anger over the system, Zanjeer began shifting Hindi cinema in a violent and aggressive direction. The film also ended the struggling period for Bachchan, which turned him into a rising star. It was a blockbuster success domestically in India and overseas in the Soviet Union.

Zanjeer was the first of many collaborations between Salim–Javed and Bachchan. Ever since Zanjeer, Salim–Javed wrote many of their subsequent scripts with Bachchan for the lead role and insisted on him being cast for their later films, including blockbusters such as Deewaar (1975) and Sholay (1975), establishing Bachchan as a superstar. In addition to being a turning point for Bachchan's career and Hindi cinema, Zanjeer was also a turning point for South Indian cinema, with Bachchan's acting inspiring Tamil actor Rajinikanth. Zanjeer remains an important film in the history of Indian cinema and is regarded as a classic today.