Shoot Out at Lokhandwala

Director: Apoorva Lakhia
Producer: Sanjay Gupta, Sanjay Dutt
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Vivek Oberoi, Tusshar Kapoor, Arbaaz Khan, Sameer Dattani, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Aftab Ahmad Khan, Neha Dhupia, Dia Mirza, Rohit Roy, Ravi Gosai, Aarti Chhabria
Music Dir: Anu Malik

This is a coincidence that the serial blasts that rocked the financial capital of the India some 13 years ago, about 100 persons have been found guilty of this crime only now and the quantum of punishment is being announced by Mumbai's special TADA court. One among them is actor Sanjay Dutt. However, he is awaiting the verdict for his crime, any moment. Another coincidence is that on the eve of the verdict Sanjay appears in a new avatar on big screen.
He tells us the story of a daring cop whose transfer from Mumbai was followed by one of the most dreaded attack on humanity (Mumbai bomb blasts). While most of the films based on the subject talk about the Mumbai bomb blasts or their repercussions on the nexus between police, politicians or their pals in underworld, 'Shoot Out At Lokhandwala' provides the glimpse of what had happened just before the blasts. It is the story of Maya Dolas.
Maya was a small time gangster who dared challenge the don sitting in Dubai. There have been claims and counter-claims for this encounter. While the police files tell their own story human right activists claim something different. Some assert that the encounter was wholly an effort to wipe out Maya Dolas' gang by Anti-Terrorist Squad of Mumbai Police while others assert that it was done by some police officers on the behest of the don in Dubai.
Producers - Sanjay Gupta, Sanjay Dutt and Ektaa Kapoor - don't delve into the legality of the encounter. They present a situation where everyone seems to be taking side of the police. The story is a chronology of events that happened in Mumbai during those days. It is presented in flash back format where ATS Chief Khan (Sanjay Dutt), Inspector Kavi (Suniel Shetty) and a constable Khan (Arbaaz Khan) come to seek help from ex-chief justice Dhingra (Amitabh Bachchan). Dhingra asks them several questions. While answering them Khan narrates the chronology of events that finally lead to 'Shoot Out At Lokhandwala'. The story goes back to Sikh terrorism in Punjab followed by the army action in the Golden Temple and thereafter the murder of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two guards.
If the film claim is to be believed then Punjab terrorism had fuelled the evil in Mumbai as well. The elements that were the root cause of Punjab terrorism also fanned terrorism in Mumbai. The pulse of the film is set by murder of Inspector Mhatre (Abhishek Bachchan). ATS is formed and to establish its credentials, ATS kills whoever falls in its target area. Small time goons like Maya (Vivek Oberoi) and Sharp Shooter Buwa (Tushaar) join hands and unleash a new wave of terror for Mumbaiites; they pose a new challenge to the ATS team. How do they tackle the situation and how the underworld faces the gun-trotting cops, forms the crux of the film. There are informers on both side; personal enmities are settled under legal covers. However, the common man had to run for the cover from bullets on the streets of Mumbai.
As a director Apoorva Lakhia shows his class finally in 'Shoot Out At Lokhandwala'. Having directed Abhishek Bachchan in his debut film 'Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost' and Senior Bachchan in 'Ek Ajnabee', he gets a chance to direct both in his latest flick, though both of them have very short presence in the proceedings. Apoorva Lakhia himself writes a story with the help of Sanjay Gupta and Suresh Nair on an incident that goes down in the history of Mumbai police as the most controversial event of that period. Apoorva Lakhia's winning ace for the film is his script; except for some songs thrown in between without any reason, the film moves on with a good pace. He adheres to a yellowish tone throughout the film to give it a nostalgic value. He remembers not to show any mobile phone in the hands of its cast as it was not the fashion those days. The costumes also conform to early nineties. And, to add to his finesse, he has people like Gururaj R Jois handling camera and Javed & Ejaz duo handling action sequences. The team works in tandem and comes out with results that are quite satisfactory, if not excellent.
Lakhia also gets great help from its cast, especially Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty and Vivek Oberoi. Sanjay Dutt as ATS Chief Khan delivers one of the best performances of his career. After being tagged as 'Munna Bhai' for his comic roles, he comes out with a performance that required depth. He wins the hearts of the people , both as a diehard police officer and as a husband torn between duty and family.
Suniel Shetty after a long gets a role where he has to work more and speak less. The role suits him. The scene where Sanjay Dutt speaks to Suniel Shetty at the airport explains the whole situation for ATS formation. Shetty's hanging the phone every time he calls home and his wife picks it, shows the undercurrent of the film where families are sidelined during such crises. Tushaar tries hard to portray a character that required a lot of maturity but falls short of expectation.
The third best is Vivek Oberoi who gets the best chance to resurrect his career. The people immediately link Maya to Chandu Nagre in 'Company' (his debut film). Though Vivek and Abhishek don't come face to face in any sequence, the film will also go down in history to have Aishwarya's former lover and her husband in one film, soon after her marriage with Abhishek.
Arbaaz Khan keeps his role and performance subtle.But it is the gang of Maya (Shabbir Ahluwalia as RC, Rohit Roy as Fatim aka Fattu and Aditya Lakhiya as Doubling) that disappoints a lot. The melodrama and overacting could have been avoided to give the film a more pensive look. Overall, the film sees good fortune at box office; it will appeal to the audience in multiplexes and its presentation will keep the viewers glued in single screen theatres, too.