Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)

Director:

Apoorva Lakhia

Writers:

Apoorva Lakhia (writer)
Suresh Nair (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 2007 (India)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Based on true rumours

Plot:

On a calm summer day in 1991, in the bustling Lokhandwala Complex, five criminals including Maya and Dilip were counting 70 lakhs in flat no...

Cast

Sanjay Dutt	...	Shamsher Khan
Amitabh Bachchan	...	Dhingra
Arbaaz Khan	...	Javed Shaikh
Sunil Shetty	...	Kaviraj Patil
Vivek Oberoi	...	Maya Dolas
Tusshar Kapoor	...	Dilip Buva
Ravi Gossain	...	Aslam Chikna
Rohit Roy	...	Fattu
Diya Mirza	...	Mita Matu
Neha Dhupia	...	Rohini, Shamsher Khan's Wife
Aarti Chhabria	...	Tarannum
Shabbir Ahluwalia	...	Rc
Amrita Singh	...	Maya's mother
Aditya Lakhia	...	Doubling
Abhishek Bachchan	...	Abhishek Mahatre

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA (2007)

Company:

White Feather Films

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene just before the shoot out, when the anchorwoman is interviewing an actress, the table has a Pepsi bottle on it. However, this Pepsi bottle looks like the redesigned Pepsi bottles from the late 90s: since the film takes place in 1991, the bottle should have been the older gray/white style.

Quotes:

Javed Shaikh: I've told you before, I don't want to join the ATS. I don't risk my life for the police anymore.
Kaviraj Patel: Yup, now why would he want to join the ATS, he's got used to a cushy posting. Stopping guys and girls from kissing in the park! That's real police work!

Shootout at Lokhandwala

The star cast is huge. The director is decent. The production house is creative. The claim is that it is based on true rumors. All these appeals to audiences, and I too was! The story is based on so called true events that lead to a broad day light shootout in a residential area flat named Lokhandwala of Bombay; of underworld mafia by Bombay police lead by Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS). The movie is clearly divided into two halves. The first half showcases the emergences and development of all key characters and their past through several flashbacks and recollections. The second half is more engaging with the actual shoot-out taking place in the last 40 minutes.

The ATS squad is lead by Shamsher Khan (Sanjay Dutt) who selects several officers for the task (Suniel Shetty and Arbas Khan are the key two). The underworld mafia is remotely controlled by Dawood Ibrahim from Dubai through a small gang led by Maya Dolas (Viviek Oberio) of four other members (one of them is Tushshar Kapoor). The character of Lawyer Dhingra is played by Amitabh Bachchan who cross examines the ATS squad (that leads to several flashbacks) and finally wins the case for them.

As the movie is based on research the directors have tried to show all the sides of the story and the key one is of Shamsher Khan getting the tip off of the mafia hide out from Dawood or a local informer – both the events are shown for the audience to judge the truth.

The movie is too loud and noisy with continuous action scenes, chases and gun-fire. Apart from that there are too many song and dance sequences that are specially made for the front benchers. The first half of the movie is boring, whereas the second half holds good attention. Three songs before interval are lousy and one song after the interval (Ganpat Chai La) is excellent – music and choreography are good.

All the actors have performed well. Amitabh overacts a lot during cross examination. The movie belongs to Sanjay Dutt. He performs the role of Shamsher Khan to the hilt – the personality, the emotions and the sway of his walk steals our heart. Daringly his counter part role has been performed brilliantly by Viviek Oberio, who puts his heart and soul into this black role of Maya Dolas. After Company, Viviek would be remembered again for this portrayal for a long time. Viviek is ably supported by Tushshar Kapoor who too has acted well.

There is too much of guns and violence. The camera angle is journalistic and at times jarring. The music is over the top and loud. The overall direction is not up to the mark. The Director – Apoorva Lakhia could have done a wonderful job with this volcanic subject. But there are no second chances! (Stars 5 out of 10)