Multi starrers have their own charm. If made properly they can be most entertaining and remain etched in the minds of the viewers. Films like Waqt, Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony are some of the all time hits of this genre.

By the late 1980s, the audience seemed to have got tired of these kind of movies. Probably they had become formulaic and repititive. But Tridev turned out to be an exception. Produced by Gulshan Rai and directed by Rajiv Rai, it succeeded to become the third largest box office success that year. Tridev was a story of crime, action, romance and a revenge drama. It is known for the catchy song Oye Oye…Tirchhi Topiwale which became an instant chart buster.

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The Plot

Tridev is a tale of multiple characters and sub plots. The director succeeds in combining all of them convincingly. All roads seem to lead to the main villain Bhujang (played superbly by Amrish Puri). I won’t explain the whole plot but focus on the main characters to keep it simple!

There are 3 heroes and their respective heroines. Inspector Karan Saxena (Sunny Deol) is an honest and incorruptible police officer. He is the son of a judge (played by Subbiraaj). Karan is looking for information on smuggled arms and trying to get to the source of the menace.

Karan’s marriage has been arranged to Divya Mathur (Madhuri Dixit), the daughter of the Police Commissioner Mathur (Anupam Kher). Their fathers are good friends.

The second hero is Jai Singh (Naseeruddin Shah) who lives in a village called Madhavpur. He is a sort of Robin Hood character always helping the villagers without caring for the consequences including the breaking of any law. He has many cases filed against him in the local police station.

He meets Renu (Sonam) who is a film star. Renu has arrived in Madhavpur for a film shooting. She meets Jai and is impressed by his personality. She requests the director to cast Jai in a special appearance in the film. Jai agrees and they shoot for the song Oye Oye…Tirchhi Topiwale. After that, they part ways when she goes back to the city.

Due to some circumstances, Karan is transferred to Madhavpur. He comes to know about the troublemaker Jai Singh character. Their initial differences are sorted and they become the best of friends. Renu’s father is a politician referred as Mantriji (Raza Murad), who works with the villain Bhujang and his gang for progressing his political career.

Coming to the third pair of Ravi Mathur (Jackie Shroff) and Natasha Tejani (Sangeeta Bijlani). Ravi is the son of the police commissioner and Divya’s brother. He is a law breaker and works closely with the villains. His aim is to penetrate Bhujang’s organization and strike at its roots to destroy it completely. But his father doesn’t know his real intentions leading to a major conflict between them.

His love interest is Natasha, whose brother is Ramesh (Vijayendra Ghatge). Ramesh works for Bhujang and has agreed to help Karan in exposing the culprits responsible for the arms smuggling. Ramesh gets killed when his connection to the police gets revealed. Ravi and Natasha team up to expose the villains and seek revenge for Ramesh’s death.

And finally we have the villains led by Bhujang who is the “desh ka dushman.” He is an ex-dacoit by the name of Bhairav Singh. He has two sons (played by Tez Sapru and Dan Dhanoa). Bhujang wants one of them to get married to Mantriji’s daughter Renu. There is the dumb Raghav (Rajesh Upadhyay), Don (Dalip Tahil), who manages the smuggling operation and a corrupt inspector Suraj Singh (Sharat Saxena).

As the story progresses, Karan, Jai and Ravi realize they are against the same villain Bhujang alias Bhairav Singh. They unite as Tridev and and vow to finish him off forever.

The Music

The film is filled with great songs. Anand Bakshi is the lyricist. Kalyanji Anandji are credited as the music director but their son Viju Shah is specially credited as music conductor. Oye Oye (by Amit Kumar and Sapna Mukherjee – she won the Best Female Playback Singer Filmfare award) is the obvious winner but other songs are also well known. The songs are well choreographed.

There are other duets picturized on the main leads. Main Teri Mohabbat Mein is a duet by Mohammed Aziz and Sadhana Sargam. Gali Gali Mein Phirta Hai is sung by Manhar Udhas and Alka Yagnik. Alisha Chinoi sings Raat Bhar Jaam Se. The climax song Oye Oye..Gajar Ne Kiya Hai Ishaara features the three leading ladies and is sung by Sapna Mukherjee, Sadhana Sargam and Alka Yagnik.

My Thoughts

Tridev has the look of a classy and stylish film. Maybe this is the key element that distinguishes it from other muti starrers of that period. The film keeps moving as the lives of the key characters get intertwined. Surprisingly (or thankfully), there is no comedy side plot that keeps propping up to divert the audience’s attention. Also, there is no lost and found sub plot which is typical of this genre. It is more of an action thriller with lot of crime happening on screen. The romantic tracks and songs are quite well integrated into the story.

The three male leads were more famous and established compared to the female leads. Sunny Deol is convincing as the upright inspector and Naseeruddin Shah plays the simple village character on a revenge mission effectively. For some reason, Jackie Shroff carries / wears a dupatta at all times!

Madhuri Dixit was doing well with hits like Tezaab and Ram Lakhan. Comparatively, Sonam and Sangeeta Bijlani were new to the industry though the latter has a stunning presence in the movie. By this time, Amrish Puri had become the staple villain in Hindi movies and he doesn’t disappoint. The supporting characters are good. Anupam Kher’s character appears to be weak and helpless, always ensuring the villain outwits him easily!