Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Arbaaz Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Tusshar Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Dia Mirza, Aarti Chabaria, Amrita Singh
Director: Apoorva Lakhia
Producer: Sanjay Gupta, Sanjay Dutt, Ekta Kapoor
Music Composer: Anand Raaj Anand, Mika Singh, Biddu
Lyricist: Dev Kohli, Dr. Palash Sen, Mika Singh, Sanjay Gupta
Screenplay: Suresh Nair, Apoorva Lakhia
Dialogues: Virag Mishra
Firstly, it is hard to believe that a film maker is inspired to make a story on a real life incident 16 years after it took place. Usually, writers conceive the story based on real life incidents soon after it is triggered. Shootout At Lokhandwala easily qualifies as a commendable attempt at presenting an encounter which shook the whole of Lokhandwala area in 1991.
Director Apporva Lakhia makes a courageous attempt at making a hard hitting film like Shootout At Lokhandwala with an ensemble cast starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Viveik Oberoi and Tusshar Kapoor among others.
Shootout At Lokhandwala is a dark film with a huge quotient of action in it. One needs a big heart to absorb the the blood soaked bodies. Though it contains the masala flavour, it is not a feel good cinema The film is not bound to go well with the family audience who will be put off by the heavy duty of bloodshed in the film.
The story of SOAL has been conceived after long conversations with people who witnessed the real incident which took place in the early 90s. Thereby, the tagline is ‘based on true rumours’.
The thriller is based on a real life police encounter between the Mumbai Police and underworld don Dawood’s henchmen lead by gangster Maya Dolas, played by Viveik Oberoi. Abhishek Bachchan is doing a special appearance. He plays the role of the cop Abhishek Mhatre, who triggers off the whole incident. Amitabh Bachchan plays the role of top cop Dhingra. Interestingly, the film doesn’t have Amitabh and Abhishek sharing the screen space.
Amrita Singh plays the role of an aggressive widow and mother of Maya Dolas. She uses a lot of abusive language to depict the fire in her character. The film basically shows the various emotions and mental states that the people involved in the 6 hours long encounter underwent.
Sanjay Dutt leads the film with Suniel Shetty and Arbaaz Khan to eliminate the Khalistani extremists Maya Dolas and his gang, who in the early 90s rebelled against the underworld don Dawood.
Apoorva Lakhia treats the subject exactly the way it had to be, though some of the finest actors of the film industry are wasted in terms of performance scope. The film is well crafted and will interest the viewers in parts. The climax is rocking and holds you on the edge of your seat.
Musically, the songs are added to catch up with some entertainment but this happens to hold back the film in a negative way. The editing picks up in the climax which is crisp and thrilling. Action is realistic and cinematography is steady.
Performance wise, there are many names waiting to be listed. Sanjay Dutt aka Sanju Baba is effective, Suniel Shetty is proficient, Amitabh Bachchan is lost, Abhishek Bachchan’s role is hyped as he is just doing a small appearance, Arbaaz is natural, Tusshar leaves an impact, Viveik repeats his ‘Company’ act, looked repetitive; Rohit Roy is ‘bakwaas’, Shabbir Ahluwalia gets little scope to perform, Aditya Lakhia looses on footage. Female brigade led by Dia Mirza is fine, Aarti Chabria leaves her mark, Amrita Singh delivers a standout performance, Neha Dhupia was not needed and Rakhi Sawant is a hammy surprise.
Overall, Shootout At Lokhandwala will manage to pull the cinegoers to the theatres, thanks to its powerful storyline and star cast.
Radiosargam Movie Rating: 7/10
Hanumant Bhansali
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[...] Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam Rating: Thumbs up …Apoorva Lakhia treats the subject exactly the way it had to be, though some of the finest actors of the film industry are wasted in terms of performance scope. The film is well crafted and will interest the viewers in parts. The climax is rocking and holds you on the edge of your seat…. See full review [...]