A Psychological Thriller
If Ashutosh Rana’s villain still scares you, I feel fulfilled as a director – Tanuja Chandra
Dushman (1998), produced by Pooja Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt was the directorial debut of Tanuja Chandra, an Indianized adaptation of the Hollywood film “Eye for An Eye,” Dushman starred Kajol, Sanjay Dutt, and Ashutosh Rana along in lead and supported by Tanvi Azmi and Kunal Khemu, Tanuja Chandra’s debut film Dushman was a revenge tale with strong performances and a villain who still makes your spine shiver.
When asked about her experience working on Dushman, Kajol said in an interview with Rajeev Masand a few years ago that, although she was excited to be offered a strong female-backed role by a woman director, she had to turn it down a few times because she didn’t want to film the rape scene. She finally agreed to join the project only after Chandra persuaded her that a body double would be utilized for the scenario. I can only image how terrifying it must have been for Rana and the body duplicate to perform a scene like this, which to this day is remembered by all.
Kajol had two distinct looks for her dual role in the movie: one with long hair and the other with a bob cut. The 48-year-old claimed in a recent interview with a film magazine that her second hairstyle was her least favorite thus far. “There’s something about that wig that makes me think back” (frowns). At that moment, I genuinely believed it was effective. Today, I don’t think that’s true! Kajol was said to have said.
Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan turned down the role of Major Suraj Singh Rathod, a visually-impaired soldier. The role eventually went to actor Sanjay Dutt. This was the first time that Sanjay Dutt played the role of a visually-impaired man on-screen and the young boy who played the role of Dutt’s caretaker, Bheem, was child actor Kunal Kemmu.
The story is about the twins Sonia and Naina Sehgal (Kajol). Despite being identical, Sonia and Naina couldn’t be more dissimilar; whereas Naina is quiet and introverted, Sonia is extroverted and outspoken. In a separate plot, Gokul Pandit (Ashutosh Rana), a ruthless murderer and rapist, is being sought after by the police.
The Sehgal family suffers tragedy when Gokul rapes Sonia and kills her cruelly. Following a police investigation, Gokul is taken into custody but subsequently found not guilty because one of the key witnesses, Sunanda, who also happens to be Gokul’s fiancé, lied in court. Inconsolable, Naina swears she will find Gokul. Naina quickly discovers that Gokul is pursuing her and that she needs assistance to get over her fear of him. With retaliation on her mind, she encounters blind military veteran Suraj Singh Rathod (Sanjay Dutt), who assists her in overcoming her fear of Gokul. Naina and Suraj grow romantically attached as Suraj trains her.
After a fight, Suraj one day declines to see Naina, so she decides to pursue Gokul on her own. Gokul kidnaps Naina’s younger sister, Dia, from school in an attempt to frighten Naina. Because of this, Naina’s mother decides to head straight to Nainital because her daughter’s life is in danger. But Naina’s hate was uncontrollable, and she would stop at nothing to exact revenge on her sister. Gokul ties Naina up and tries to rape her like her sister after she sets a trap for him. Naina then tries to kill him. When Suraj gets to her place, he fights Gokul and gets stabbed in the process. After breaking free, Naina shoots Gokul to death.
After his injuries heal, Suraj plans to leave Naina, but he soon comes to understand that she loves him and cannot live without him. As the film comes to a close, Suraj and Naina are seen meeting at the airport just before he leaves the city.
For those who loved ferocious Ashutosh Rana on-screen, it might be tough to believe that Dushman was his debut film. Needless to say, it was lauded by the audience and received critical acclaim too an in the 44th Filmfare Awards, he won Best Villain award. Believe it or not, but actor Mukul Dev was initially signed for the film in the villainous role, but was later replaced by Ashutosh Rana, who did a brilliant job. Due to Kajol’s unavailability, Mona Ghosh Shetty completed the dubbing for her. Kajol received a Best Actress nomination at the filmfare for her performance in the film, but instead won the award for her performance in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
One of the greatest revenge movies ever created in Hindi is still Dushman. While it falls short of Anjaam’s (starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit) standards, it is nonetheless engaging from start to finish. You are captivated to the screen all the way through the movie.
