Shootout at Lokhandwala

Shootout at Lokhandwala
File:Shoot-Out-At-Lokhandwala-Poster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Apoorva Lakhia
Produced by	Balaji Telefilms Sanjay Gupta
Screenplay by	Sanjay Gupta Suresh Nair Apoorva Lakhia
Story by	Sanjay Gupta Suresh Nair Apoorva Lakhia
Starring	Amitabh Bachchan Sanjay Dutt Suniel Shetty Vivek Oberoi Tushar Kapoor Arbaaz Khan Rohit Roy Abhishek Bachchan Aditya Lakhia Shabbir Ahluwalia
Music by	Strings Anand Raj Anand Mika Singh Biddu Euphoria
Cinematography	Gururaj R. Jois
Edited by	Bunty Nagi
Distributed by	White Feather Films Balaji Motion Pictures
Release date	25 May 2007
Running time	121 mins
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹18 crores
Box office	₹46.04 crores

Shootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language action gangster crime film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based on the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Bombay Police.

Overview

A.A. Khan, head of the ATS, attacked the Lokhandwala Complex on 16 November 1991, with a force of around 400 armed policemen. Dreaded gangster Maya Dolas was hiding in the complex. The leading protagonists in the film have slightly different names than their real-life counterparts, and the film caption is "based on true rumors." The film was released on 25 May 2007.

Plot

The film opens with shots of brooms and dustpans cleaning dried blood, and cartridge casings in and around the Swati building at the Lokhandwala Complex. TVN reporter Meeta Matu (Dia Mirza) reports that some 3000 rounds of ammunition were discharged by a large police squad at a previously peaceful residential area.

The film moves to the offices of former chief justice turned private prosecutor Dhingra (Amitabh Bachchan) where he interviews the three leading members of the Bombay Encounter Squad: Additional Commissioner of Police Shamsher S. Khan (Addl.CP S.S. Khan) (referring to A. A. Khan, played by Sanjay Dutt), Inspector Kaviraj Patil (Sunil Shetty) and Police constable Javed Sheikh (Arbaaz Khan). The main film timeline is the extended interview of the three officers by Dhingra; as the officers answer Dhingra's questions, the film flashes back to show the incidents.

Dhingra asks about the Encounter Squad. Khan explains that he hand-picked 27 of Bombay police's best-enlisted men and officers. He borrowed the concept from the LAPD SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team to help combat crime. The film flashes back to show Khan selecting his men and putting them through intensive physical and mental training to be "fast, efficient and deadly." Dhingra is hardly impressed: He points out that if Khan "shoots to kill," he is no different from the gangsters he seeks to destroy.

Dhingra asks why Khan felt he had to do this. Khan explains that following Operation Blue Star in 1984, several Sikh terrorists fled to Bombay and began establishing a base in the city. They engaged in violence, extortion, and other subversive tactics to grow their operations. The film flashes back to show Sub Inspector Mhatre (Abhishek Bachchan), a very brave officer and disciple of Khan, pursuing and subsequently getting shot down by a group of Sikh terrorists. Khan is deeply frustrated when the Bombay police, mired in internal bureaucracy and corruption, fail to act. He obtains clearance from the police commissioner Krishnamurthy (played by the real A. A. Khan) and sets out after the militants. Khan asks Meeta Matu (Diya Mirza) to cover the incident so as to deter future terrorists. True to Khan's words, he successfully "encounters" (it indicates summarily gunning down criminals; extrajudicial killings is the term accepted internationally) the terrorists who shot PSI Mhatre. As per Aftab Ahmed Khan the encounter with Khalistani Extremist was more dangerous and tough than Shootout at Lokhandwala.

The film segues into the life of Maya (referring to Bombay gangster Mahindra Dolas though the film never mentions Dolas specifically; played by Vivek Oberoi). Maya is the second-in-command of the "big boss" in Dubai (a clear reference to Dawood Ibrahim though the film does not mention his name) and runs Dawood's criminal activities in Bombay. Maya recruits Bhua (referring to Dilip Buwa, played by Tusshar Kapoor) after successfully hatching a plot to eliminate Bhua's old gang led by Ashok Joshi. At this point, Maya and Bhua are at the top of Bombay's underworld, reporting directly to the big boss in Dubai.

Things heat up when Khan recognizes, through his network of spies and informers, that Maya is responsible for several criminal and possibly terrorist activities. Around this time, Maya's ambitions, fuelled by his Aai's (Amrita Singh) insistence, grow to the point where he wishes to assert his independence from Dubai and take over Bombay himself.

Khan's ATS now focuses on eliminating Maya and Bhua, and begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game where neither side shows any overt aggression but tries to disable the adversary by tactical maneuver. Khan launches "visits" to the criminals' families to try to "persuade" them to counsel the criminals to surrender. In turn, Maya and his men return the "visit" by approaching the cops in social situations. Maya visits Khan at a restaurant where Khan is having dinner with his family. Maya quietly tells Khan: "This is between your men and mine. Leave the families out of it." Khan retorts: "I did this to give you an opportunity to come clean. But now it appears that any resolution hangs off the barrel of a gun."

Maya's rage intensifies when he gets thrown out by prominent city builder Wadhwani (based on the real-life builder and politician Gopal Rajwani, owner of the building that the movie was set in). Maya had demanded 4  million protection money; Wadhwani claimed to deal directly with Dubai. Maya kidnaps Wadhwani's sniveling, overweight kid. When Wadhwani complains, the big boss asks Maya to cut it out and return the child immediately. Maya quietly informs the boss that he has upped his demands and that he wants to reign supreme in Bombay.

The film also explores the personal lives of the protagonists. Khan's wife Rohini, played by (Neha Dhupia) is unable to bear the constant neglect of his family life. She files for divorce. Patil's divorce is nearly upon him, too. In the enemy camp, Buwa has shacked up with a bar dancer Tanu (Aarti Chhabria), and is unable to spend any quality time with her. Fellow criminals Phatu (estranged from his parents) and RC (Shabbir Ahluwalia) (plagued by ghost-like visions of an innocent family he gunned down) have similar troubles.

It all comes to a head in November 1991. The five criminals, including Maya and Buwa, secure themselves while holding Wadhwani's kid, in a flat at Swati building in Lokhandwala. Khan is tipped off of the location by an informant. (In Dhingra's questioning, Khan allegedly also received a call from the big boss in Dubai. Khan vehemently denies this.) Khan assembles a large squad of cops and lays siege to the location. He announces over the bullhorn that residents are advised to stay indoors and bolt their windows.

A long and devastating gun battle begins. The criminals launch rocket-propelled grenades from their flat and try to escape. But they are overwhelmed by police fire, and all five criminals are eventually slain. The battle lays waste to the building: Film shots show the staircases, hallways, and several civilian flats completely pulverized by gunfire. Reporter Meeta Matu covers the action live.

Up to this point, Dhingra has been negative and denigrating of Khan and his efforts with the ATS. He cites press reports and civilian complaints that condemn Khan (and the ATS) of unilateral and unwarranted excessive force in a residential locality. Charges are brought against Khan and the ATS. But when Dhingra rises to defend them as their appointed counsel, he, in a surprising twist, presents an unconventional argument as a defence.

The film ends with Khan and the ATS being acquitted.

Cast

• Amitabh Bachchan as Defence Lawyer Dhingra
• Sanjay Dutt as Shamsher Khan, Additional Commissioner of Police. The character is based on Aftab Ahmed Khan.
• Sunil Shetty as Inspector Kaviraj "Kavi" Patil
• Vivek Oberoi as Mahindra "Maya" Dolas aka Mayabhai
• Tusshar Kapoor as Dilip Buwa
• Arbaaz Khan as Javed Shaikh, a head constable of police
• Rohit Roy as Fatim "Fattoo"
• Neha Dhupia as Rohini, Shamsher Khan's wife
• Shabbir Ahluwalia as RC
• Aditya Lakhia as Doubling
• Ravi Gossain as Aslam Kasai
• Akhilendra Mishra as JCP Tripathi
• Dia Mirza as Meeta Mattoo, news reporter
• Abhishek Bachchan as Inspector Abhishek Mhatre (Cameo appearance)
• Aarti Chabria as Tarrannum "Tannu", bar dancer friend to Maya Dolas's gang and Dilip Buwa's love interest
• Amrita Singh as "Aai", Maya Dolas's mother, Ratnaprabha Dolas
• Shri Vallabh Vyas as Wadhwani, builder, and associate of Dawood Ibrahim. The character is based on Gopal Rajwani.
• Aftab Ahmed Khan as Commissioner S. Krishnamurthy
• Rakhi Sawant (special appearance as an unnamed actress)

Production

Many scenes were shot on actual locations at the Lokhandwala Complex in Mumbai. There was a chase sequence with Sunil Shetty and Arbaaz Khan playing cops, and Ravi Gosain (Aslam Kesai) through Lokhandwala. It would have been difficult to shoot this sequence with the public around. Hidden cameras were used at five places, and the two actors ran 200 meters at the real location to can the scene.

Controversy

The film sparked much controversy regarding the fictionalised portrayal of the incident. Sikh groups complained about the wrongful portrayal of Sikhs as extremists. This led to Sikh groups wanting the film banned and "bitterly" opposing the film.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Shootout at Lokhandwala was released during April 2007 by T-Series.

#	Title	Singer(s)	Lyricist	Composer	Duration
1	"Mere Yaar"	Sunidhi Chauhan, Anand Raj Anand	Dev Kohli	Anand Raj Anand	05:01
2	"Aakhri Alvidaa"	Strings	Anwar Maqsood	Strings	04:39
3	"Ganpat"	Mika Singh	Mika Singh	Mika Singh	04:29
4	"Unke Nashe Mein"	Sukhwinder Singh, Anand Raj Anand, Mika Singh	Sanjay Gupta (Director)	Anand Raj Anand	04:49
5	"Live By The Gun"	Biddu	Biddu	Biddu	04:22
6	"Sone De Maan"	Dr.Palash Sen	Dr. Palash Sen	Euphoria	04:45
7	"Ganpat (Rap)"	Mika Singh	Mika Singh, Virag Mishra	Mika Singh	05:47
8	"Aakhri Alvidaa (Club Mix)"	Strings	Anwar Maqsood	Strings	06:24
9	"Unke Nashe Mein (Club Mix)"	Sukhwinder Singh, Anand Raj Anand, Mika Singh	Sanjay Gupta (Director)	Anand Raj Anand	05:25

Awards and nomination

Filmfare Awards

• Nomination: Filmfare Best Villain Award – Vivek Oberoi

Star Screen Awards

• Nomination: Star Screen Award for Best Villain – Vivek Oberoi

Zee Cine Awards

• Nomination: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role – Vivek Oberoi

Stardust Awards

• Nomination: Stardust Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role – Vivek Oberoi
• Won: Stardust Standout performance of the Year
• Nomination: Stardust Award for Best Music Director – Mika Singh (Mauja Mauja/Gupta)
• Nomination: Stardust Award for Best Playback Singer – Mika Singh

IIFA Awards

• Won: IIFA Best Action Award – Javed Sheikh and Ejaz
• Won: IIFA Best Villain Award – Vivek Oberoi

AXN Action Awards

• Won: Best Action film – White Feather Films
• Won: Best Action Actor – Sanjay Dutt
• Won: Best Action Actor in a Negative Role – Vivek Oberoi
• Won: Best Action Sequence – Javed Sheikh and Ejaz

Sequel

Main article: Shootout at Wadala

Director Sanjay Gupta (Director) confirmed a sequel of the film. In early 2012, it was announced that the sequel Shootout at Wadala would star John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Tusshar Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and Sonu Sood. Abraham is featured as the lead protagonist gangster Manya Surve; Ranaut appears as his supportive girlfriend Vidhya Joshi, and Sood appears as Dawood Ibrahim.

See also

• Maya Dolas
• Dawood Ibrahim
• Aftab Ahmed Khan

External links

• Shootout at Lokhandwala on IMDb