16th November 1991, it was the fateful place of Lokhandwala complex, Mumbai (then Bombay), a shoot out involving 5 Gangsters took place. The encounter is dubbed to be the longest and most gruesome in the history of the Bombay police. Thousands of shots were fired and shoot out went for a nerve-wracking 6 hours! The movie is based on the inside story that no one saw.
Story:
Based on real incidents, the movie portrays the life of a top police cop Shamsher Khan (Sanjay Dutt) who happens to play the protagonist along with Kaviraj Patil (Suniel Shetty) and Javed Shaikh (Arbaaz Khan). Leading the happy-go-lucky antagonist side is Maya(Viviek Oberoi), along with Buwa(Tusshar Kapoor) and their henchmen. The young mobsters dare to go against the wishes of the "Bhai" in Dubai and a whooping sum of 70 Lakhs is on the line. What they least expect is a police intervention..
Blood is spilled all over the place, with even the common civilian at the risk of losing their lives. Do the police triumph or Does Maya and his gang survive? This is the basic skeletal structure of the story.
Performances:
Inspite of playing the antagonist, Viviek Oberoi instills life into the character of Maya. After a credible performance as Chandu in his 2001 release, Company, for the first time Viviek shows that he has high-octane acting skills. (So what, if he doesn't have Aishwarya, it seems he is back with a bang!). Sanjay Dutt deserves a worthy praise for enacting the role of ACP Khan in the most authentic way. Dutt leaves no stone unturned and his very presence is a treat to watch.
Tusshar kapoor comes out of his "Good-boy" shell and tries a different character. He does well, but still the air of a soft, loverboy is evident. Suniel shetty and Arbaaz khan do their parts quite well. Amitabh Bachchan as Lawyer Dingra is projected well. Abhishek plays a blink-and-miss role which leaves no formidable impact on the viewer. Dia Mirza suits the character of a news-reporter to the T. Amrita singh plays the role of the disdained gangster's mother with ease. The others do their part quite well.
Technical Values:
Apoorva Lakhia does well to direct a story based on real incidents. The screenplay by Suresh Nair and Apoorva again is tight and flows along with the movie. Dialogues by Virag Mishra are some times too horrid and one wonders, how the censor passed them without calling for a review. The cinematography department is handled aptly and is reminiscent with Sanjay Gupta's past venture, Kaante. Production values are top-rate and the authenticity is maintained amazingly well.
Bottom Line:
The first half of the movie is visually stunning and the performances leave the viewer stuck to the edge of the seat. The second half is basically about the shoot out and the sequences seem some times nerve-chilling. But, overall as neither the director nor the screenplay writers had a chance to improvise, the movie may not go well with audience of all sections. One feels that the gangsters crying in the penultimate scenes was too filmy and doesn't depict "reality". Overall, a movie worth watching if you are strong hearted and willing to watch gun shots and profane language. If not, kindly avoid it. The summer vacations in India and overseas will do a good to the movie and the sustenance of the movie depends on how well the general public take it.
Verdict:
Overall rating :3.25/5
P.S: No surprise if Viviek Oberoi becomes the front-runner for the award for his negative histrionics.