Tezaab (transl. Acid) is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language action romance film starring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit 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. 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).[2] The film is also popular for the song "Ek Do Teen", which was a chartbusting success.[3] It received positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its story, screenplay, dialogues, soundtrack, and performances of the cast.
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 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.
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).[5][6] The film's soundtrack album sold more than 8million units,[7] becoming the second best-selling Bollywood music album of 1988, behind only Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.[8]
^According to Usha Iyer, the song "took sixteen days of laborious rehearsal and seven days of shooting, including a continuous twenty-four-hour shoot to produce." For Madhuri Dixit, "It was like a classroom for me. I learned how to dance for the camera with this song." Iyer, Dancing Women: Choreographing Corporeal Histories of Hindi Cinema (Oxford Univ. Press, 2020), 184; ISBN9780190938765
