| Yeshwant | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Anil Matto |
| Starring | Nana Patekar, Madhoo, Atul Agnihotri, Mohan Joshi, Shafi Inamdar |
| Music by | Anand-Milind |
| Language | Hindi |
Yeshwant is a 1997 Bollywood crime film directed directed by Anil Mattoo. It was produced by Vijay K. Ranglani for Shalimar International.
Contents |
Inspector Yeshwant Lohar (Nana Patekar) is a plainclothes police detective. His wife Ragini (Madhoo) is illiterate; Yeshwant wants her to learn to read so that she may join the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Yeshwant goes undercover as a beggar to catch a drug dealer, Salim (Mohan Joshi). Salim is sent to prison and Lohar is ostensibly praised by his superior, Chopra. However, Chopra is corrupt, and in actuality is Salim's pay. Chopra frames Lohar for murder and gets him sent to prison as well.
Meanwhile, Ragini joins the IAS as a police officer, and is assigned to Yeshwant's former station. She suspects Chopra of framing her husband, and lets Chopra know that she is watching him closely. Chopra becomes alarmed and tries silence to Ragini. She rejects his bribe offers and escapes the thugs hired by Chopra to intimidate her.
Chopra plots to defame Ragini. She has been attacked, so he assigns Atul (Atul Agnihotri), an old friend of Ragini, as her police guard. Chopra then spreads allegations of a love affair between them, supported by faked pictures of Atul and Ragini in a compromising position. Chopra shows the pictures to Yeshwant, who avoids Ragini during conjugal visits, and releases them to the press, discrediting her with the public.
Yeshwant is released from prison, and confronts Ragini. She pleads with him to believe she is faithful. Yeshwant is enraged, and goes on a killing spree. He kills Chopra's accomplices, and then kills Chopra himself while he is engaged in an illegal drug deal. With Chopra's crimes revealed, Yeshwant is vindicated.
Some viewers felt that the film was virtually a "one-man show", with Patekar's character stealing the show. Film critics also praised the performance of Madhoo as "strong" and "flawless". The film was well-reviewed as a rare and thought-provoking piece, sorely needed in an era of superficial commercialized movies.
This film includes the famous line "Ek machhar aadmi ko hijhda bana deta hain" ("A single mosquito can emasculate a man"), spoken by Yeshwant. This line became a popular catchphrase and was widely used to promote the film.
This line was expanded into a musical number with background music and chorus, under the music direction of Anand and Milind Shrivastav.
In one scene, Inspector Joshi (Shivaji Satam) interferes, trying to save some of Chopra's henchmen from Yashwant. A scene in Shootout at Lokhandwala was inspired by this scene.