Starring: Kalki Koechlin, Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Farooq Sheikh, Pitobash Tripathy, Supriya Pathak
Direction: Dibaker Bannerjee
When somebody hears the name of the film, Shanghai, he wonders what connection this Indian film can have with Shanghai. But looking behind the intellectual films he had made (Khosla ka ghosla, Oye lucky lucky Oye and LSD), there should be some strong connection, which becomes clear when we watch the movie. The reference is to a plan of chief minister of Maharashtra and political parties to make Mumbai like Shanghai. Replace slums with skyscrapers and incredible infrastructure.
On the face it looks the best development project. What can be wrong with it? People from slum who has occupied the space illegally should be thrown out and the city should be modernized. But is this the real story or the only truth. Dibaker tries to unravel the ugly face behind the obvious face, where greedy corporations team up with the highest rank of politicians to dislocate the residents of “Bharat nagar” an imaginary society in an imaginary city. The dislocation is forceful and without proper compensation, done by grabbing land on false premise of “larger interest of society”. But is it for benefit of society? Will it be used for some public park or hospital or school, or some public housing project? No, instead it will be used for corporate offices, flats for super-rich, swanky malls and so on. The recent evacuation of Sion-koliwada makes an interesting coincidence with films plot especially with ending.
Declaring at start of the film that it is based on novel “Z” from Vassilis Vassilikos (a Greek writer), one may expect some disconnect of a foreign story with Indian political situation, but the adaptation is so beautifully done with real plots and sub-plots from India.
The “progressive” chief minister of state has the motto etched in the name of project itself; IBP expanding as “India bane pardes”, which gives the clue “Mumbai bane Shanghai”. Dr. Ahamedi (Prosenjit Chatterjee) who is the main critic of this project, who has written the book which questions whose progress is it, is coming to india to interact with Bharat Nagar locality in person. To make them aware of their rights and fight against injustice. His accomplish and lover Shalini (Kalki Koechlin) passes the warning of possible attack on Dr. Ahmadi to other well-wishers, but no warning can stop the fearless crusader. As feared by shalini, Ahmedi is murdered by mowing him down under a truck.
Now while he is fighting for his life in hospital, the shrewd politicians and government machinery tries to show the murder as accident. There is a Ahmedi’s wife’s character also, who appears in hospital. She has big connections in Delhi and she declares on TV that police is trying to show this murder as accident.. Govt. is forced to make an enquiry commission whom they thought they can control easily. They end up choosing an honest, intelligent and Conscientious one man commission Krishnan (Abhay Deol) who is an IAS officer for enquiry. At the starting it seems that he will never get any strong evidence against anybody and the case will be closed as an accident. But videographer Joginder (Emraan Hashmi) has some recording which can change the path of case. The evidence is passed to Krishnan and despite all odds against him; he turns the politics of state upside down. But could he actually change the fate of residents of Bharat nagar or he could just replace IBP with someone else. These are the disturbing thoughts director leaves behind.
There is one obvious layer of movie which is visible to any viewer but there are many sub layers which needs to be observed carefully and needs reference from Indian political incidences. Like high level politician of state declaring the murder and deliberate uncontrolled goondaism of their party followers as “public’s reaction to action of Dr. Ahmedi” which parallels to infamous quote of a Gujarat’s chief-minister referring to newton’s third law of “equal and opposite reaction” for riots. It also subtly refers to “India shining” campaign. The camera work is different and the objects spread around in the frames enhances to the suggestive symbolism of situation shown. The shots and locations and very real and that makes the horror of corrupt prevailing situation more scary.
Editing is tight and you are on edge of the seat most of the times. Sound also captures the mood of ongoing scenes beautifully. One item song and the other song “Bharat mata ki jay” adds to the story and doesn’t looks out the place. All the actors have done justice to their character. Emraan’s talent is exploited to a much deeper level. His body language, style of dialogue delivery, and dialogues paints his character well. Like his main profession is porno-film making but still he doesn’t takes advantage of shalini or he stops her to sit on bed where his films are shot. Farook sheikh plays the role of senior of kishnan, who wants to be in good books of chief minister and pressurizes Krishnan to do the same.
The director also indirectly compares the so called morality of this porno film maker to politicians and their followers who humiliates each and every voice of dissent, like the unsaid rule, either you with us or against us. In the sub-layers he shows the helplessness of upright officers like in Gujarat’s situations, where the whole state machinery is painting the picture of happy state when actually a big chunk of people’s happiness is sacrificed for a few powerful people’s happiness.
The song bharat mata ki jay is again a hidden message, a metaphor, showing who is actually bharat mata and bharat. Aren’t the common people who lives in bharat nagar also constitute bharat. Comparing against that, the “nationalistic” and “progress supporters goons of party in power” who are singing bharat mata ki jay in streets are patriots. There is hint of “sanghs and sainiks” who becomes moral police in today’s India to beat “immoral” and “anti-national” people, destroying public and personal property and teach lesson to a anyone who dares against their ideology.
Film’s like shanghai stand apart from the mindless factory production of Bollywood and on the same time gathers a good crowd in theatres also. Times are surly changing and it feels good to see a houseful for meaningful cinema like this.