Krantiveer

Based on the 1993 Bombay riots, Krantiveer brought immense critical acclaim as well as commercial success to its lead actor Nana Patekar. This was his first solo hero role after gaining foothold in Bollywood as a formidable villain. His famous dialogue "Yeh Musalman ka khoon yeh Hindu ka khoon ... bataa is mein Musalman ka kaunsa Hindu ka kaunsa!!." struck the right chord with the masses. Indeed, the national integration theme was quite pertinent for those troubled times and the film became a super hit.

The plot revolved around a common man who takes on a local don (Danny) and his politician cronies who instigate communal riots. Dimple Kapadia played a journalist and rape survivor who admires Nana and helps him in his mission. Atul Agnihotri and Mamta Kulkarni had nothing much to do except a couple of unnecessary songs.

Mehul Kumar's treatment was unabashedly raw and volatile like his previous hit 'Tirangaa' (1993). Krantiveer was his last success and he made Mrityudaata (1997) and Kohram (1999) with Amitabh Bachchan later - both box office flops.

Krantiveer made Nana an instant star and public used to mouth his long monologue in the climax while watching the film multiple times in theatre. He was in full form and even grooved to love rap with Bindu (in a cameo). The film won Nana his first and only Best actor Filmfare award.

But today, Krantiveer appears quite loud and dated. It is frequently shown on Zee Cinema but I cant sit through it now. Well, times change and so does the audience taste..