''Tezaab'' () is a 1988 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language action romance film starring

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films, in addition to Indian television and international films. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a ...

and

Madhuri Dixit Madhuri Dixit Nene (Maiden and married names, née Dixit, ; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress and television personality. She has appeared in Madhuri Dixit filmography, over 70 Hindi films. Praised by critics for her performances and danc ...

in lead roles. The film gave Dixit her first big break, making her an overnight star in addition to reaffirming Kapoor's star status, after a successful '' Mr. India'' (1987). The film was directed, produced and co-written by

N. Chandra Chandrashekhar Narvekar (born 4 April 1952) is an Indian producer, writer and director, known for gritty realism, in his early dark and loud films. His most successful commercial films are ''Ankush (1986 film), Ankush'', ''Pratighaat'', ''Tezaab' ...

. The music was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. ''Tezaab'' released on 11 November 1988, and was a major commercial success at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of the year. It ran in theatres for more than 50 weeks, becoming a golden jubilee success. With ''Tezaab'', N. Chandra scored a box office hat-trick with his previous hits '' Ankush'' (1986) and '' Pratighaat'' (1987). The film is also popular for the song " Ek Do Teen", which was a chartbusting success. It received positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its story, screenplay, dialogues, soundtrack, and performances of the cast. At the 34th Filmfare Awards, ''Tezaab'' received a leading 12 nominations, Best Film, Best Director (Chandra), Best Actress (Dixit) and Best Supporting Actor (Pandey), and won 4 awards, including Best Actor (Kapoor), Best Female Playback Singer (

Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik (born 20 March 1966) is an Indian playback singer who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. One of the most prominent singers of 1990s era Bollywood, she has received several accolades, including two National Film Awards, two Ben ...

) and Best Choreography ( Saroj Khan), the latter two for the song "Ek, Do, Teen". At the ceremony, Kapoor scored his first Best Actor win, while Dixit garnered her first-ever Best Actress nomination.

Plot

When Inspector Singh learns that a man, Munna is about to reach his region of jurisdiction, he checks Munna's record. Munna is identified as Cadet Mahesh Deshmukh, whom he first met at the scene of a bank robbery in

Nashik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...

a few years prior, where Mahesh's parents and numerous other bank employees had been brutally murdered by a gang of thieves. Following the bank incident, Inspector Singh finds Munna, rekindles their connection, and inquires as to his whereabouts. Munna reveals that he and his sister had relocated to Bombay, where they had met Mohini, a poor and miserable woman who was compelled to dance in order to support her father Shyamlal, a drunk man who does not want to marry Mohini off. He acted similarly against his wife, and when she disobeyed him, he attacked her with acid, resulting in her committing suicide. In his youth, Shyamlal had taken a huge loan from Lotiya Pathan, a dreaded gangster, and the only way to repay it was to make Mohini dance. Shyamlal also has to deal with Chote Khan, the younger brother of Lotiya, who was involved in the robbery and the death of Mahesh's parents. Meanwhile, Mahesh and Mohini fall in love with each other while studying in the same college, where he joins a group of boys. After being released on bail, Chote Khan attempts to rape Jyoti, but Mahesh kills him in self-defense. Mahesh is subsequently arrested and sentenced to one year in prison. After his release, Mahesh changes his name to Munna. Upon learning Munna's backstory, Inspector Singh allows him to complete his mission under strict conditions. When Lotiya hears of Munna's return, he kidnaps Mohini. Shyamlal pleads with Munna to rescue her and insists that she be returned only to him. Munna successfully rescues Mohini, but although they are happy to reunite, Munna asks her to return to her father, leaving Mohini heartbroken. As promised, Munna surrenders to Inspector Singh, is tried in court, and sentenced to prison. After a retrial, Munna is acquitted and decides to start a new life in Goa. However, Jyoti convinces him not to abandon his love for Mohini. Munna sends his friends Guldasta and Baban to inform Mohini of his whereabouts. Shyamlal, overhearing Mohini's plans to escape, becomes enraged and attempts to stop her. In the ensuing conflict, Guldasta and Shyamlal are both killed, but Mohini manages to escape and reunites with Munna. Meanwhile, Lotiya, enraged by Munna's acquittal, plans to kill him to avenge his brother's death. Munna's friend Baban learns of Lotiya's conspiracy and confronts him, leading to a fierce fight where Lotiya is defeated. In a moment of rage, Baban attempts to kill Lotiya, but Munna intervenes to prevent the murder. Lotiya regains his strength and attacks Munna with a club. Baban sacrifices himself to protect Munna. Munna then confronts Lotiya and is about to kill him when Inspector Singh arrives and stops him, urging Munna not to take the law into his own hands. However, when Lotiya attempts another attack on Munna, Inspector Singh shoots and kills him, bringing the conflict to an end. ; Alternate ending Baban does not die here; excluding this fact, the rest of the ending is exactly like the original.

Cast

as Mahesh "Munna" Deshmukh *

as Mohini Dhanyekar *

Anupam Kher Anupam Kher (born 7 March 1955) is an Indian actor, director and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has acted in more than 540 films. A veteran of Indian cinema, Kher is recipient of two Na ...

as Shyamlal Dhanyekar, Mohini's father * Chunky Pandey as Sushim "Baban" Choudhry, Munna's friend * Suparna Anand as Jyoti Deshmukh, Munna's younger sister * Kiran Kumar as Lotiya Pathan * Annu Kapoor as Abbas Ali / Guldasta *

Suresh Oberoi Suresh Oberoi (born 17 December 1946) is an Indian actor and politician who appeared in Hindi films. He is a recipient of the 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He started his career in radio shows, modelling and later moving ...

as Inspector Gagan Singh *

Tej Sapru Tej Sapru (born 5 April 1955) is an Indian actor. He is the son of D. K. Sapru and Hemvati, both of whom were actors in the Hindi film industry. He has appeared in a number of Bollywood films between the 1980s and 2010s, including '' Tridev'', ...

as Rantej Saxena *

Johnny Lever John Prakash Rao Janumala, better known by his stage name Johnny Lever (born on 14 August 1957) is an Indian actor and comedian who is known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the most recognised comedic actors in India and is widely ...

as Kainchee Singh, Munna's friend * Mahavir Shah as Inspector Tarachand Gupta * Salman Khan as Rookki * Jack Gaud as Mukut Bihari *

Dinesh Hingoo Dinesh Hingoo (born 13 April 1940) is an Indian actor who played comic and supporting roles in Hindi films. He has appeared in over 300 films, from ''Taqdeer (1967)'' to ''Be Careful (film), Be Careful (2011)'', and is known for his laughter an ...

as Marwadi Seth *

Achyut Potdar Achyut Potdar (born 22 August 1934), also simply known as Achyut, is an Indian actor who has worked in over 125 Bollywood films. In addition to film, Potdar has appeared in 95 serials, 26 plays and 45 ads. Early life and education He was bor ...

as Namrish Deshmukh, Munna's father * Vijay Patkar as Chiraunji Surwadhre, Munna's friend * Jaywant Wadkar as Aman Pratap Ahuja, Munna's friend * Mandakini as Nikita Sharma (Special appearance) *

Suhas Joshi Suhasini Joshi, popularly known by her screen name Suhas Joshi, is an Indian actress in Marathi theater, film and television. She has also worked in many Bollywood films. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2018 for Acting. In ...

as Sumira Dhanyekar, Mohini's mother (Cameo appearance) * Ravi Patwardhan as Lawyer, Public Prosecutor

Soundtrack

The song ''Ek Do Teen'' was inspired by the opening bars of an old popular song "Chanda Mama Door Ke" composed by the famous yesteryears music composer Ravi for the film '' Vachan'' (1955). The film's

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

sold more than 8million units, becoming the second best-selling

Bollywood music Hindi film songs, more formally known as Hindi Geet or Filmi songs and informally known as Bollywood music, are songs featured in Hindi films. Derived from the song-and-dance routines common in Indian films, Bollywood songs, along with da ...

album of 1988, behind only ''

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak ''Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'' (; ''QSQT''), also known by the initialism ''QSQT'', is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film, directed by Mansoor Khan in his directorial debut, and written and produced by Nasir Hussain. The film st ...

''. ''Ek Do Teen'' was subsequently recreated for another movie ''

Baaghi 2 } ''Baaghi 2'' () is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. The film, which is the second installment in ''Baaghi'' film series, is a remake of the 2016 Te ...

(2018)'', sung this time by

Shreya Ghoshal Shreya Ghoshal (; born 12 March 1984) is an Indian singer. Noted for her wide vocal range and versatility, she is one of the most prolific and influential singers of India. Often referred to as the "Queen of Dynamics'' for her remarkable voc ...

and another version sung by Palak Muchhal. ''So Gaya Yeh Jahan'' also remade for another film. In 2013, this song was remade for Nautanki Saala! sung by

Nitin Mukesh Nitin Mukesh Mathur (born 27 June 1950) is an Indian playback singer known for his work as a playback singer in Hindi films as well as Bhajans. He has toured internationally, including to the United States in 1993, and a world tour in 2006 wi ...

with composer Laxmikant–Pyarelal. On 2019, this song remade again for movie

Bypass Road A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, to improve road safety and as replacement ...

, sung by

featuring Jubin Nautiyal and Saloni Thakkar with composer Raaj Aashoo.

Awards

; 34th Filmfare Awards: ;;Won * Best Actor –

* Best Female Playback Singer –

for "Ek Do Teen" * Best Choreography – Saroj Khan for "Ek Do Teen" * Best Dialogue –

Kamlesh Pandey Kamlesh Pandey is an Indian screenwriter. He has won the Filmfare Awards for Tezaab, Star Screen Awards for Saudagar and IIFA Award for Rang De Basanti. He is from Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, and lives in Mumbai. Career Film Pandey star ...

;; Nominated * Best Film –

* Best Director – N. Chandra * Best Actress –

* Best Supporting Actor – Chunkey Pandey * Best Music Director – Laxmikant–Pyarelal * Best Lyricist –

Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 1945) is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civili ...

for "Ek Do Teen" * Best Male Playback Singer –

Amit Kumar Amit Kumar (born 3 July 1952) is an Indian playback singer, actor, music composer. Kumar launched his own music production company, named Kumar Brothers Music. He predominantly worked in Bollywood and regional film songs since the 1970s, ...

for "Ek Do Teen" * Best Female Playback Singer –

Anuradha Paudwal Anuradha Paudwal (born 27 October 1954) is an Indian playback singer and politician who works predominantly in Hindi cinema and Odia cinema. She has been described in media as one of the most prominent Bhajan singers and also as one of the m ...

for "Keh Do Ke Tum"

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0096252, title=Tezaab 1988 films 1980s Hindi-language films 1980s crime action films Indian crime action films Indian action thriller films Indian romantic musical films Indian romantic thriller films Indian crime thriller films Indian vigilante films Indian nonlinear narrative films 1980s romantic musical films 1988 action thriller films 1980s romantic thriller films 1988 crime thriller films Films directed by N. Chandra Films scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal Indian remakes of American films Hindi films remade in other languages Films set in Maharashtra Films set in Mumbai Films shot in Maharashtra Films shot in Mumbai Indian romantic action films 1980s masala films 1980s romantic action films 1980s vigilante films 1988 musical films