During my hostel days in Bangalore Sunday mornings were very exciting.The first thing that I, and I am sure even some of my friends did, was to rush to the Sunday Times of India and read Khalid Mohammad’s review of the latest Hindi movie which was release that friday.Needless to say he would lace the review with such humour that one could not resist laughing ang giggling at his command on pulling down the best of Bollywood.When he turned a director with Fiza the film got a mixed response.Although Fiza did had its moments it had more than its share of flaws.The movie was a moderate success thanks to the peresence of Superstar Hrithik Roshan.Now after 3 years Khalid’s second release is also not without its set of flaws.But like Fiza it has more than its moments and is a reasonably good movie better than Fiza.I would have never thought that I would ever write an review on a movie made by a man who made movie reviewing so famous in India-Khalid Mohammad.
Rukhsana Jamal(Shabana Azmi) is a very famous middle aged singer.Her songs are chart busters and she enjoys a special position in the minds and hearts of people.Her daughter Tehzeeb(Urmila Matondkar) is a beautiful young woman who falls in love with Salim(Arjun Rampal).Both of them marry and they live happily at Salim’s home.Tehzeeb keeps her mentally retarted sister Nazneen(Diya Mirza) at her place and keeps her in a loving manner.We come to know that Tehzeeb had married Salim without Rukhsana’s consent.Now after 5 years of marriage Rukhsana decides to visit her daughter’s place.Tehzeeb is very excited as her mother would be visiting her place or the first time.But Tehzeeb has some really bad memories connected with Rukhsana.Her dad Anwar(Rishi Kapoor) had died a premature death and she hold Rukhsana responsible for it.Sheo feels that Rukhsana could not give enough time to both Nazneen and herself as she was more interested in her carrier.
Salim is a young writer who has written some succesful romantic novels.Now he plans to write a novel o Tehzeeb’s life with Tehzeeb as its title.He talks with a publishing house manager Sheena Roy(Diana Hayden)who flirts with him for her selfish and stupid reasons.Rukhasana’s entry to Salim’s home is like a volcano erupting with full force(this is what Salim himself says).The tension between the daughter and mother gathers momentum.Although they do share a bond but there are more differences than similarities between the 2.A time comes when Rukhsana decides to leave the home but is stopped by Nazneen as her birthday is approaching.This gives sufficient time for nature to take its toll and make a strong bonding between Rukhsana, Tehzeeb and Nazneen.However when everything seems picture perfect nature’s law of taking away happiness comes into the scene.
Tehzeeb as openly acknowledged(the acknowledgement comes in the titles after the movie ends) by Khalid Mohammad is based on Ingmar Bergman has a different story.In Hindi cinema we have seen some amazing movies on father-son relationship(Shakti), mother-son relationship(Mother India and Deewar) and father-daughter(daddy).But we did not have any good movie on the mother-daughter relationship(I chose to ignore Rekha’s double duds Mother 98 and Dil Hai Tumhara).In that sense Tehzeeb has a very different storyline.Khalid Mohammad who has been instrumental in writing or directing women oriented Muslim Socials-Mammo, Zubeida, Sardari Begum and his direction debut Fiza has aptly adapted the swedish classic Autumn Sonata.If Fiza was based on a lower middle class Muslim family, Tehzeeb is based on a upper middle class family.However his screenplay like Fiza has many flaws.Although the first half is quite good and unlike Fiza there are not too many tear jerking moments(infact the comedy by arjun Rampal is quite subtle), still many scenes could have been avoided.The placements of 3 songs-The one on Namrata Shirodkar, Diya Mirza’s idiotic dance before she shoots herself and to an extent the Arjun Rampal song with girls in weird get-ups are a major letdown.They should not have been included in the otherwise good movie.The scenes between Shabana and urmila are well scripted.The setting is quite realistic and dailogues penned by Javed Siddiqui are really good.The reference of Shabana attending a party hosted by Amar Singh is funny and so are many scenes of Arjun Rampal.
The direction of Khalid Mohammad is quite good in many portions but has its share of flaws as well.The cinematography by Santosh Sivan(same as for Fiza) is excellent.However music by A.R.Rahman surprisingly lacks the class o Anu Malik’s composition of Fiza.Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are just okay.One song ’’Meherbaan..’’ stands out.Editing could have been better.Choreography by Remo is good.
The movie belongs to Shaban Azmi.Her character in the beginning seems as if inspired by Asha Bhonsle and later when they show her living with a cat in a big house it reminds of real life of Rekha who lived with her dog-Pisty.Shabana comes back to big screen 1 year after Makdee.Like alawys she is excellent.The way she has acted the role of a singer, mother, ambitious and at the same time emotionally attached woman is simply superb.She exceles in the light scenes with Arjun as well as in the heavy scenes with Urmila.She carries the movies on her shoulders and it is mainly for her performance that Tehzeeb is a movie worth watching even with its set of flaws.Although Shabana had done some idiotic commercial Hindi movies like Aadha Din Aadhi Raat and Ashanti still one cannot deny the fact that she had a much more better commercial trackrecord than archrival Smita Patil who had 2 big hits Namak Halal and Shakti(both opposite Amitabh and both released in 1982).Shabana on the other hand had hits like Fakira with childhood crush Shashi kapoor, Lahoo Ke Do Rang, Shaque and 2 Manmohan Desai’s blockbusters Amar Akbar Anthony and Parvarish with her favourite Vinod Khanna.Her Masoom opposite her most frequent actor Naseer was also a big hit and she was responsible in giving Rajesh Khanna 2 of his last hits in 80-83 Thodi Si Bewafai and Avtar.Even after so many years in the business and winning so many international and national awards she still has fire in her belly and her performance in Tehzeeb proves it.
This has been a good year for Urmila as she got rave reviews for Bhoot and Pinjar.In this movie she again plays daughter of Shabana Azmi after a gap of 20 years(Masoom was released in 1983)Urmila is her usual irriating at times but still leaves a mark.Diya mirza takes a bold step of accepting the role of a mentally disturbed girl at such an early stage of her carrier.She is just okay.
Diana Hayden is the most irritating part of Tehzeeb.Her looks, voice, accent infact the character she plays is all idiotic.In Khalid’s last movie Fiza -Isha Kopikar had a brief cameo which made people make notice of her..I dont think Diana has any such chances.Namrata Shirodkar is wasted.Khalid managed to cast 3 beauty queens Namrata Shirodkar, Diana Hayden and Diya Mirza in his film but no-one makes the desired impact.Rishi Kapoor looks fat and ugly in a small role.
It is said that film critics and journalists dont make great movies.K.A.Abbas made brilliant movies like Anhonnee and Saat Hindustani but did not taste much commercial success.Khalid Mohammad made an above average Fiza and his second movie Tehzeeb is a good movie even with its flaws.
However Tehzeeb does not have a superstar like Hrithik which he had in Fiza and which made the movie a modest success.But Tehzeeb has one of the greatest actress this country has ever seen-Shaban azmi in her full bloom.She once again proves that’’Actress to bahut saari hain, par Shabana jaisi koi nahin’’
P.S.-Read my comments.