Lagaan (2001) is in the news because it is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In focus is obviously its director Ashutosh Gowariker (AG) whose script and vision came alive on screen with the help of Aamir Khan. That reminded me of the first film directed by AG. He debuted in 1993 with Pehla Nasha, which attempted to be a thriller cum suspense film but failed at the box office. It was inspired from the English film Body Double (1984). He followed it up with Baazi starring Aamir Khan which was also a flop. Interestingly, Lagaan was his first hit film and the rest as they say is history!

So, today’s post is about Pehla Nasha starring Deepak Tijori, Raveena Tandon and Pooja Bhatt in the lead roles. AG makes a sincere effort to present his first offering. The spark is visible but unfortunately the outcome and impact is not the same as seen in Lagaan or subsequent movies.

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The Plot

Deepak Tijori (credited as Depak Tijori) plays Deepak Bakshi, a struggler who dreams of becoming a film star. At the very beginning there is a long dream sequence. Deepak imagines himself as the hero of a film called Baazigar(!). The film’s premiere is in progress. The film ends with the hero defeating the villains. The audience claps in unison.

And surprise! Sitting in the audience are 5 heroes of the early 1990s. They play themselves in what may be one of the prominent cameo appearances in a Hindi movie. We see Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rahul Roy and Sudesh Berry getting up and congratulating Deepak on his performance.

The dream ends abruptly and Deepak is brought back to reality. He is searching for work and finding it difficult to make ends meet. People like his landlady (played by Shammi) and milkman keep chasing for the dues. Things reach a point where the landlady dares him to come back without the money for the rent.

Poor Deepak spends his days giving auditions hoping for a good break. One day, he is at a producer’s office where he meets an old friend Vjay (Jayant Kripalani). Vijay’s uncle is a film financier. Vijay manages his uncle’s finances and has come to collect an agreement in the producer’s office. Once upon a time he wanted to be a film writer but has now changed tracks. Deepak is happy for him and tells Vijay about his own struggles. Vijay tells him to meet director Mahesh Ahuja (Jalal Agha) who is casting for his next film.

Luck shines. Mahesh Ahuja is impressed by Deepak and casts him as the lead hero in a film called Maut Kaa Kuaa. On the very first day, the climax scene is being shot near a well. The hero (Deepak) is being lowered in the well by the villain. However Deepak is unable to deliver his dialogue. He freezes and has to be brought up urgently. He reveals he has a fear of dark and enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).

Vijay is on the set and is concerned about Deepak. He offers to drop him home. Deepak is thankful and tells him about his medical (or rather psychological) condition and also mentions his accommodation problems. He cannot go to his old place and is searching for a new place. Vijay hears all this and is sympathetic.

Deepak is in luck. Vijay takes him to his flat located in Apollo Towers which is actually his uncle’s house but he uses it too. Vijay tells Deepak he can stay there for a few days. In the meantime he is going to Delhi and will be back in 2 or 3 days. The flat is well stocked with food and other luxuries. The only concern is to water the plants in the terrace at 8.00 p.m. daily else his uncle won’t leave him alone.

Vijay shows him the view of the city from the terrace. Before leaving he shows a telescope placed on the terrace and invites Deepak to have a look. He points the telescope at a nearby bungalow. Deepak sees a young woman dancing and singing a song Aaj raat bas mein nahi dil. Apparently, this happens everyday at the same time. Vijay tells Deepak to enjoy the view and leaves.

Deepak settles down. He is watching Satyajit Ray’s Charulata on TV where the heroine is shown holding binoculars in a scene. Deepak is distracted and is reminded of the telescope and the young woman and goes to the terrace. He sees a man in the woman’s bedroom. They seem to be having an argument. The man slaps her and leaves. The woman lies down crying in bed. Unfortunately he is unable to see the the faces of the man or the woman.

Next morning, Deepak calls the studio and is informed that he has been replaced. A frustrated Deepak goes to the studio and creates a scene but it is of no use. That night he is again treated to the young woman’s dance. That’s two nights in a row.

On the next day, Deepak is driving Vijay’s car (yes, Vijay has offered him that permission too). He sees the woman in the bungalow coming out in her car. He sees her face for the first time. He notes she is a stylish, rich and ravishing woman (played by Raveena Tandon). He also notices she is being followed by a suspicious looking looking character (Makarand Deshpande).

The woman enters a shopping centre which has a deserted look. Deepak follows her out of curiosity and also to warn her of the person following her. She enters a shop and purchases stockings. The woman goes back to her car when she notices Deepak. For some reason she throws the bag with the stocking in the trash can. Deepak retrieves them and puts them in his pocket.

The woman seems to be on her way to meet someone out of the city. She drives and reaches Igatpuri(?) and books into a hotel. Deepak has been following her. He sees her speaking on the telephone and hears that the other party won’t be coming after all. The woman looks dejected and goes outside the hotel. It is quite a secluded area. Deepak goes down and greets her. He tells her someone has been following her. She gives him a knowing look.  He assures her it’s not him but another man.

Unknowing to both, the man has been watching them. He rushes towards the woman, grabs her purse and flees. Deepak chases him and is about to catch him when the man enters a tunnel. Poor claustrophobic Deepak is helpless. He can’t move ahead in the dark tunnel and is left gasping. The man taunts him. Then takes something from the purse, drops the purse and runs away. Deepak picks the purse and finds the driving license of the woman. Her name is Avantika Bajaj. The woman reaches Deepak and he informs her what has happened. She assists him to come out of the tunnel; he becomes normal once he is out in sunlight.

Deepak is taken in by her beauty and embraces her. They have a moment of intimacy before the woman walks away.

Back home Vijay calls him to inform that his return has been delayed. Deepak spends his time spying on the neighbouring bungalow. He imagines singing a romantic song with Avantika conversing on the telephone. Deepak is lost in Avantika’s thoughts when he is jolted back to reality. He sees the same man entering Avantika’s bungalow. Deepak dials her number and tries to warn her. She sees the man in the nick of time and tries to save herself by spraying deodorant on his face. Later, she tries calling the police but the line is busy.

Deepak rushes towards his car to drive towards Avantika’s bungalow. He realises he has forgot the car keys and starts running instead. But he is too late. The man gains consciousness, strangles Avantika and leaves as Deepak enters to find her dead body.

The police come in. Inspector Mujumdar (Paresh Rawal) is a shrewd investigator. He makes Deepak blurt out everything. How he spied on Avantika, followed her, the shady man and so on. Mujumdar finds something fishy about Deepak. Additionally, the stockings are found in Deepak’s pocket leading to some awkward moments. But he knows Deepak is not the murderer and lets him go.

A further twist is about to come. Deepak goes to a dance bar with a friend. He sees a girl Monika dancing with her troupe. All is fine until he sees her performing the same dance step which Avantika used to perform. He shouts “Avantika” in the middle of the performance. Monika and her 2 twin brothers John and Jack (Amin and Karim Hajee) are not amused.

After this, it all downhill. Deepak tries to make sense of the Monika’s identical dance move. Did she know Avantika? He tries to meet her to get to the bottom of the mystery. All this leads to a boring climax where the villain/ murderer’s identity is revealed.

The Music

Anand Bakshi has written the songs with music provided by the brothers Uttank and Neeraj Vora. The songs were sung by Vinod Rathod, Sadhana Sargam and Asha Bhosle. 2 songs had became famous. One is Mr. Zero Ban Gaya Hero which Deepak sings with his friends and telephone duet Tum Ho Haseena Main Hoon Deewana which has a catchy tune.

My Thoughts

The film has a dark look throughout and does not make it pleasant to watch. The direction is slick in places. The first half till the murder is engaging but after that the director seems to have lost his hold. The plot is full of loopholes and many scenes seem half baked to say the least.

This was Deepak Tijori’s first movie as a solo hero. He performs well but is not consistent. A more seasoned actor would have worked well in the tight scenes. Raveena suits the character mainly because of her looks and screen presence. Pooja Bhatt’s character is irritating and gets repetitive. There are many actors from Lagaan who are associated with the movie including Aamir Khan, Amin Hajee, Aditya Lakhia and Daya Shankar Pandey. There are gimmicks in the form of the cameo appearances by the 5 heroes and a heroine (Juhi Chawla). Sadly, it does not make any difference to the film. AG’s effort is visible but unfortunately it does not translate into a well made and memorable film.