Tezaab   Producer: N. Chandra Director: N. Chandra Starring: Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixitr, Chunkey Panday, Kiran Kumaar, Anupam Kher, Suparna Anand, Annu Kapoor, Mahavir Shah, Tej Sapru, Jack Gaud, Johnny Lever, Achyut Potdar and Suresh Oberoi with Mandakini in a Special Appearence Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Genre: Action Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance Reviewed by: Akshay Shah  - Rating: 7.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review

Even after so many years N.Chandra´s classic Tezaab remains a must-see and a riveting action movie.

The story of the movie was simple. It revolved around Munna aka Mahesh (Anil Kapoor)-a one time patriot, who due to circumstances of society becomes a low life "mawali". Munna falls in love with Mohini (Madhuri Dixit)-a dancer who dances so her father (Anupam Kher) can fulfill his gambling and alcohol addictions. How Munna frees Mohini from the clutches of her father and comes back on the right side of the law forms the crux of the movie. What sounds like a ordinary and everyday storyline is enhanced by some breakneck story telling and fantastic performances!! Chandra´s story at that time was considered controversial and the film moved on one track keeping the audiences glued.

As a director Chandra left no stone unturned! Whether it be the cast, characters, or storytelling he was first rate. In comparison his Ankush and Pratighaat, which were less commercial and more hard hitting, still rank higher. Pity a director of his caliber is now making films like

Style.

In terms of performances Anil Kapoor as Munna gives one of his best performances to date and lives the character he plays. He looks, talks and walks every inch of the part and becomes so engulfed in his performance that the audience forget they are watching Anil Kapoor the star. He is there in almost every frame and dominates the screen with crackling screen presence. His "tapori" image stuck with him for years and he gave similar performances in such movies as Thikana, Mashaal, Rakhwala and many more...though arguably Tezaab still has a slight edge over those.

Mahduri Dixit also gives a fine tuned performance. Though she is more remembered for her crowd pleasing dance act Ek Do Teen, her acting needs to be noted, specially in the scenes where she is pitted against Anupam Kher. She looks and dances like a dream.

Rest of the supporting cast are also excellent and compliment the two main stars well. Chunkey Panday usually relegated to inane comedy roles plays a similar character here but in control. He gives his best performance to date as Munna´s best friend. Kiran Kumar as Lothiya Pathan was terrific. He evoked terror and made a superb villain. Anupam Kher

in his role probably evoked more hatred in the viewer´s mind than Kiran Kumar did. His character is well etched out and he is a natural. Suresh Oberoi is great in his supporting stint. Rest of the cast perform well. Johnny Lever looks so young and actually manages to make the audience smile..which is more than what we can say for now.

Laxmikant Pyarelal´s music also deserved a pat on the back. In terms of today´s standards the music deserves a easy 9.5/10.0. Each and every track was a super hit and a foot tapper. Ek Do Teen became a rage and still is. Same goes for the romantic Kehdo Ke Tum Ho Meri Varna, but my favorite song in the movie remains So Gaya Yeh Jahan which is soulful and relaxing. The second version of Ek Do Teen should have been placed more carefully since it doesn´t gel with the story of the movie.

Saroj Khan´s award winning choreography deserves a special mention. Ek Do Teen steps must have been extremely difficult and her efforts did not go to waste as she won the Filmfare award that year for Tezaab. Ram Shetty´s action is thrilling though the level of violence at times is a bit much.

All up Tezaab is a must-see to this day. Even after watching many similar movies of recent years, Tezaab is a 100% entertainer which will not disappoint the viewer.