Sunday, October 19, 2008

Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)



Cast
Abhishek Bachchan - Abhishek Mahatre
Amitabh Bachchan - Dhingra
Sanjay Dutt - Aftab Ahmed Khan
Neha Dhupia - Aftab Ahmed Khan's Wife
Vivek Oberoi - Maya Dolas
Director: Apoorva Lakhia
Producer: Sanjay Gupta , Sanjay Dutt
Written by: Apoorva Lakhia , Suresh Nair

Apoorva Lakhia has a fascination for making stylistic films. His latest flick ‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’ is a gritty recreation of the real-life shooting encounter between cops and gangsters in Mumbai in 1991. The film has a very raw and rugged look. At times it gets surreally dark and very violent. And after a while all the bloodshed and gore begin to get to you.

The film is not just about the shootout incident on the fateful summer day in Lokhandwala in 1991. It goes deep into the lives and minds of gangsters Maya Dolas, his sidekick Dilip Buwa and their three colleagues. It also focuses on the way cops function to nab the dreaded criminals, putting their own lives on the line.

One good thing about ‘Shootout’ is that it doesn’t take sides. It attempts to objectively present the facts of the incident, along with the events leading to it, from both the perspectives of cops and gangsters.

On the side of the cops, the central figure is ACP Aftab Ahmed Khan (Sanjay Dutt), the officer-in-charge of the entire operation to flush out the gangsters from a Lokhandwala flat. Supporting Khan in this mission are two brave cops: Kaviraj Patil (Sunil Shetty) and Javed Shaikh (Arbaaz Khan).

No comments: