Decoding Tezaab (1988)

The late eighties saw a paradigm shift in the template that Bollywood used in the 70s and 80s – from the stories of angry-young-men to passionate love stories marred by violence. Director N Chandra’s Tezaab, released in 1988, was a movie which blended the two themes with a simpleton-turned-messiah, Munna (Anil Kapoor), at the centre of the story. Tezaab, which means acid in Hindi, also gave us one of the brightest stars of all times, Madhuri Dixit.

Tezaab does not boast of anything path-breaking in terms of filmmaking, but gets a mention in the list of movies that define Bollywood for its perfect blend of commercial elements with romance and action. It also marked the beginning of the association of Madhuri Dixit and Saroj Khan, who went on to give us numerous impeccably choreographed chartbusters! And Tezaab gave Madhuri Dixit her first moniker – Mohini and the song she is still revered for – Ek do teen! But Tezaab is much more than just the songs and dance – it is a true-blood masala potboiler, with all the requisite elements of drama, action and romance.

In a plot that feels similar to the Telugu hit, Varsham, Tezaab is the story of a Naval aspirant, Mahesh AKA Munna, whose destiny (and a dozen twists) turn him into a small-time Robinhood, who thrashes the rich and saves the poor. Having been exiled or Tadipaar as they call in the movie, Munna returns to save his girlfriend, Mohini (though her name almost sounds like ‘Munni’ – a perfect match for Munna) from the clutches of her tyrant and abusive father and his goons. Shower this with generous loads of romance, limb-breaking action, mafia lords and corrupt cops – perfect recipe for a masala potboiler! Just like Varsham, we have an exploitative father (Anupam Kher) feeding off his daughter’s earnings. Earnings from forcefully making her a dancer and a starlet. And, like in Varsham (which was made 15 years after Tezaab), the love birds are separated and the macho hero is only hired by her cunning father, to free his daughter from the clutches of a mafia lord.

While Anil Kapoor played a usual Bollywood hero – macho, masculine and malevolent – the flamboyance that he brings to the character makes it larger than life. Not just his violent gait and menacing eyes, even his atrociously funny clothes and generous display of hair are worth a watch (pun intended!). Madhuri Dixit, apart from looking and dancing like a dream, also displays a praiseworthy range of emotions, especially for a newcomer. Chunky Pandey provides unintentional comic relief, while Johny Lever and the likes, get a raw deal. Anupam Kher as the cunning father is reminiscent of his role in Sridevi-starrer, Chaalbaaz. As the shrewd, money-minded father, he gets some of the cunning yet funny dialogues, which he ends with ‘Kashi Vishwanath ki kasam’! Also, if anyone is wondering why the movie was named ‘Tezaab’, it has quite a deep meaning – It is the tezaab Mohini’s father threatens her with and the tezaab brewing within Munna. Quite a deep meaning for a superficial film!

Tezaab may not be entertaining enough when watched now, years after its release. Also, with the drastic change in stories and narrative styles today, it may feel dated. But nothing beats the pleasure of watching a legitimate Bollywood masala flick on a lazy weekend. And if you get to watch a billion-dollar smile like Madhuri’s, along with a flamboyant Anil Kapoor, it’s the closest you can get to your childhood.