And so the grapevine goes... Review on Shootout at Lokhandwala

The movie with an impressive line up of stars, some shining and some not so shining is based on a shootout or in Bombay cops’ parlance “encounter” of 2 dreaded gangsters Mahendra Dolas aka Maya and Bua.The movie starts with a scene where 3 cops, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty and Arbaaz Khan are being “Amitabhised”(Loud baritone voice hurling invectives even though the energy and zest is really so not required here).Liberally borrowing scenes from several Hollywood movies you have a smart a*s, stern talking toughie; Amitabh(who only in the last reel I figured out was the defense counsel) putting 3 offciers through the wringer.These 3 were charged with human rights violation for killing the gangsters without giving them as much as a free trial. This act had heckled the human rights guys so much that they decided to constitute an enquiry into the heinous crime… err the one committed by the officers.

The movie then cuts into flash back mode with Sanjay narrating the whole story that built up to the police taking this extreme step of mercilessly killing the duo, Maya and Bua in cold blood.The exchange between the accused trio and a glowering Amitabh is way over the top. Mr. Bachan doesn’t from any measure size up as a defense counsel for them. He admonishes the 3 cops, chides their ineptitude, derides them, riles them while all three of them sit mutely soaking in the singing barbs. There is a brief scene detailing a brush between Abhishek  Mhatre’s with some dreaded Sikh terrorists which led to us having to sit through the ordeal of watching Abhishek Bachan emote and act for precisely 3 minutes. Abhsihek kicks the bucket but not without performing some dare devil stunts. Mercifully the director cuts short his play acting session with a surd’s bullet.

This whole episode led to the formation of the ATS - Anti Terrorist Squad. Dutt then talks on how he hand picked some of the finest cops to form the mighty ATS. 2 of these happen to be Sunil Shetty and Arbaaz Khan(whose singular distinction is being married to a certain Ms. Arora and a gene relation with a certain brattish Khans)

Cut to Sunil Shetty;  a smart glib talking, wise cracking cop who wished to frisk women at the airport but had to be content with doing the same to men instead. Arbaaz- now the way his character is sketched is quite strange. He is quite proficient in mouthing highly embellished language in Urdu, Hindi, English… the language is as flower as it could get, as chaste as it can get. He is what you get when you marry Shakespeare with Premchand who happened to have some Urdu lineage. What on earth was he doing as a cop. He is caught reprimanding his kid for not doing well in school urging him that if doesn’t do well he will end up being a loser like his dad. quite a bleak future looming ahead. he says.So sonny boy

In class you better TOP else you become a loser. A COP.

Next in is the villain – Mr. Oberoi in his element. He is doing what he does best, what he started out with – Company, a movie in the not so distant past which earned him multiple accolades. He plays to the gallery with sufficient panache. He is decidedly loathsome as the pistol brandishing Maya.

His sidekick Tushaar Kapoor is definitely hilarious as the second lieutenant the dreaded Bua. His histrionics are far from being anything criminalesque instead it is a complete knee slapper. He evokes mega mirth and not flaring fear.

Together they extort money from loaded neo rich builders and such mostly at the behest of “D” who once again is shown as this fat lump waltzing in a bath robe around a pool dotted with semi clad firang babes. Talk about hackneyed and stereotypical depictions. Anyways. Maya soon is fed up of feeding on the morsels gained by working for D so much that he decides to do a bit of killing and extorting for himself. That’s when D turns his tanned and not so toned back on him, squeals on him and an entire battalion of cops storm the hideout which is as you guessed it right at Lokhandwala.

Maya’s was attempting to extorting money from a particularly unrelenting builder on that fateful day, but unfortunately that was not to be. Sanjay Dutt(Shamsher Khan) got tipped off by D.  The cops soon decided to extinguish the life out of everybody who was party to Mr. Oberoi and gang.

The highs:

1. Ensemble star cast . We haven’t seen a casting coup  of this magnitude in Bollywood for a long time. Everybody in the movie was a somebody. I am told that Oberoi’s cronies fattu etc are television hotties. Its fun to indulge in some star spotting. Even spotted the original master mind, the ring leader of this operation A.A Khan in a cameo. Then how can you miss motor mouth, hammy omnipresent Rakhi Sawant in a blink, wink think role.(Think ‘cos even after you reflect, reminisce, ruminate you would never fathom why on earth was she there in the movie.) Someone suggested the reason being she was the flavour of the season. If that is the case whe sure left a “tarty” taste in my mouth. Yikes!

2.Vivek Oberoi – great restrained performance when there was so much scope to be really over the top

1. Tusshar Kapoor- come on guys he deserves a mention, it is sheer talent to make people roll in the aisles with your acting skills especially when you are blessed with a buffoon like face that could launch a 1000 caricatures

   
   




2. Aarti Chabria - whoever she is whatever she did before, she did lend a touch of credibility to the bar dancer’s role. Seemed almost real … was she by any chance moonlighting by the day as an actor:-) 5. Direction - slick, fast paced tightly wound

   
   




3. Songs - much as you would want to ignore they do grow on you. And lastly Sanjay Dutt- the man sure rocks, only he could have pulled off the act of a cop with so much credibility. His towering presence and stern demeanour electrified the screen. His swagger and stride gave the audience a lump in the throat each time he blazed the screen. The man was mesmerising  hats off to him.

   
   

The lows:1. Amitabh: gentleman high time you went slow and toned down your histrionics. Over the top would not keep you on top for long. So STOP.

1. Dia Mirza: goodness gracious, as a reporter she looked everything but the part. She had a permanent lusty(trust me guys I aint kidding) look on the face even when she was interviewing Ms. Hot Flava. What was with the strange I am about to reach orgasm randy look on her face while interviewing people. What were you thinking. WHAT WHAT WHAT…? Pray tell

   
   




2. Neha Dhupia – Boo Hoo Hoo WHY WHY WHY? Mr. Lakhia. pray Tell

   
   

The Hmmm’s: Why did Mr. Dutt and his trio not pounce on the dreaded  duo when they dropped in for a casual chat with the cops in a hotel, gym etc. off duty time was it…?! Maybe the manner the gangster portrayed was larger than life. It did kinda glorify them and their devil may care attitude. Could play serious damage on impressionable minds wanting to emulate them. To an extent you would even feel sorry for them and hope that they manage to give the cops a slip. The portrayal should have been more negative for us to hate them and want them killed. The tagline- which gave me sleepless nights- based on true rumours. RUMOURS RUMOURS?! What the &^*%

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