SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA, review by Sarita Tanwar in MIDDAY

Sharp shooter
Rating: ***
WHAT’S IT ABOUT: The Mumbai underworld is not longer Ram Gopal Varma’s domain. Apoorva Lakhia’s edge-of-the-seat bloodbath Shootout At Lokhandwala analyses every aspect of the cops-n-gangsters syndrome in a racy, semi-commercial and completely engrossing manner.

The story, based in the early 90s, focusses around the rebellious Maya Dolas (Oberoi) who was Dawood Ibrahim’s lead man in Mumbai. An extortion expert, Maya and his gang (Tusshar Kapoor, Rohit Roy, Shabbir Ahluwalia and Aditya Lakhia) become a terror team in the city.

Until cop A A Khan (Dutt) decides to go after them. Along with his close aides (Sunil Shetty and Arbaaz Khan) and the entire Anti Terrorist Squad, Khan eventually gunned them down in the most gruesome manner — all in an operation that lasted over six hours.

WHAT’S HOT: It must’ve been tough to adapt an entire film around a single incident but Lakhia weaves it cleverly by establishing the nuances of each of his characters, without hampering the screenplay.

The last 40 minutes of the film are rivetting. Apoorva captures the vulnerability of the gang and the cold-bloodedness of the cops.

Even when he tells the story from Khan’s perspective, Apoorva doesn’t flinch when it comes to exposing that the ‘elimination’ orders for Dolas actually came from the Dubai don.

The sequence where Maya and his pals personally threaten the ATS members and their families is handled with remarkable maturity.

Sanjay Dutt lives his character and plays the cold and calculative Khan to perfection. Shootout marks a huge comeback for Vivek Oberoi, who seems comfortable in a role similar to his debut film Company.

Oberoi’s stark performance immortalises Maya Dolas, the man who actually threatened Dawood Ibrahim. Tushar Kapoor, Sunil Shetty and Arbaaz Khan are convincing.

Amitabh Bachchan as Dutt’s lawyer has limited scope but his getting taalis in the court will get him all the accolades. Amrita Singh shines as Maya’s mother.

WHAT’S NOT: The few jerks that the film faces are in the first half where Lakhia tries to offer a backgrounder on the incident.

The Sikh terrorists angle could’ve been explained better and Abhishek Bachchan’s guest appearance seems rather forced. Also the two dance bar songs somewhat dampen the proceedings.

WHAT to do: Shootout transports you back to the time when Mumbai was ruled by the mob.

Lakhia’s film is a perfect tribute to those days of uncertainty. Awfully disturbing but recommended for every Mumbaikar.