For me, Shootout At Lokhandwala is the most awaited flick of the year. I am waiting this movie since 10 months! I even created a community on Orkut on Shootout At Lokhandwala, and that too in December 2006! Finally, the D-day-May 25 came! Shootout At Lokhandwala released and I went for the first day first show of it! And fortunately, Shootout At Lokhandwala meets all the expectations!!!
The story of the movie: November 16, 1991. Shamsher Khan (Sanjay Dutt), a top cop in Mumbai Police gets information that the dreaded gangster Maya Dolas (Vivek Oberoi) and his gang are in Swati Building, Flat No. 32B, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri. Khan takes around 300 policemen to the site and orders all the policemen including Khan’s trusted aides Kaviraj Patil (Suniel Shetty) and Javed Shaikh (Arbaaz Khan) to do an encounter of these gangsters. But the gangsters-Maya, Buwa (Tushaar Kapoor), RC (Shabbir Ahluwalia), Fatoo (Rohit Roy) and Doubling (Aditya Lakhia) fought with the police bravely. Eventually after 6 hours, the police succeeded in assassinating all 5 of them.
Shootout At Lokhandwala moves at rapid speed and the viewer does not get bored even for a moment. The sequences in the first half, i.e. even before the shootout drama began, were highly interesting and engrossed the viewers.
To ensure that a wider audience accepts the movie, the movie has been made a little dramatic and also like a typical action Bollywood flick. However, this helps the movie in keeping the viewers engrossed.
The moment the shootout drama starts in the second half, the movie reaches to an all time high. From there right till the climax, the movie keeps everyone hooked on to the screen. The director has executed the movie in such a way that we hate the gangsters when the kill people innocently in the beginning, but we sympathize with them when they were helpless in their Lokhandwala flat when the shootout begins. That’s the best thing of the movie.
Every actor’s entry is fantastic, especially of those who played the role of gangsters. Vivek Oberoi’s entry is outstanding and the movie becomes highly interesting after his entry!
The beginning scene itself says what the film is going to be like. Bloodshed on the road, a sweeper cleaning a part of road with broken glass, a dog smelling the dried blood on the road, bullet shells lying everywhere-all this speaks what the movie is going to be about.
There were several actors in the movie but the best and the most outstanding performance of the movie is none other that VIVEK OBEROI!! After Company and Saathiya, this is Vivek’s one of the most memorable performance of his career. He performs exactly in the same way as his character demanded. His character was fearless person and he does not fear even in the darkest situations. And Vivek did complete justice to his role. There are high chances of Vivek getting the award for Best Villain. I hope he gets the award, as he deserves it!!
Sanjay Dutt was the next best performer after Vivek. Sanjay Dutt looks great in his new look and he too does complete justice to his role by getting completely into the skin of the character. Great work, Sanju!! Suniel Shetty was also excellent and his conversations with Arbaaz were funny! Arbaaz Khan was natural throughout and the scene where he goes from one building to another on a narrow plank is praiseworthy.
Tushaar Kapoor’s performance was surprising! He does a very good job by playing the role of a criminal. He also has a very brief role throughout the movie (Of course, when her great sis Ekta Kapoor is the producer, he is surely going to get a bigger role!!) Rohit Roy was great and gets better in the second half. Shabbir Ahluwalia looks every inch like a gangster and his performance was great. Aditya Lakhia was good but he does not get much scope.
Amitabh Bachchan as Ex-chief justice Dingra was superb, though he doesn’t have a bigger role. Abhishek Bachchan as Inspector Abhishek Mhatre was fantastic, but he had a very very small role. A A Khan (the inspector who had carried out the Shootout in 1991) was good. Akhilendra Mishra was okay.
The females include Amrita Singh, Dia Mirza, Aarti Chhabaria, Neha Dhupia and Rakhi Sawant. Amrita Singh as Aai was completely natural and does a very good job. Dia Mirza looks beautiful and does a superb job as a reporter. Aarti Chhabaria as Tarannum, Tushaar’s love interest, also does a nice job. Neha Dhupia was okay. Rakhi Sawant was there in a scene and her performance was nothing much to talk.
There were 4 songs in the movie-‘Unke Nashe Mein’, ‘Mere Yaar’, ‘Aye Ganpat’, and ‘Aakhri Alvida’. The director should have edited one of the two songs- ‘Unke Nashe Mein’ and ‘Mere Yaar’ as both songs were picturized in a bar and both almost looked the same. ‘Aye Ganpat’ was a great song and was kept at the right moment. ‘Aakhri Alvida’ is played when the credits roll in the ending.
Virag Mishra’s dialogues were sharp and perfect. Gururaj S Nois’ cinematography was perfect and brilliant. Action was excellent and it is what which made the movie look true. Apoorva Lakhia and Suresh Nair’s screenplay keeps everyone hooked on to the screen. Excellent!
Apoorva Lakhia’s direction is perfect and does a mind-blowing job. He executed the movie very nicely and stylishly and saw to it that it becomes interesting and doesn’t get boring. Good job, Apoorva!
Some of the best scenes in the movie:
The first scene in the movie
The scene where Sanjay Dutt eliminates Baldev Singh
Vivek’s entry (jabardast!!)
Tushaar’s entry
The scene where Tushaar and his fellow gang members enter builder’s office.
The entire shootout drama
The entry of Aai
The intermission point
The courtroom scene
10.The scene where the dead bodies of gangsters are taken away (shocking scene)
On the whole, Shootout At Lokhandwala is an excellent movie. It has almost no flaws. Performance, direction, action-everything is up to the mark. It keeps everyone engrossed and is highly interesting. It is one of the best movies of the year and it should be definitely not to be missed. So go, book your tickets and watch this flick!!
My rating- ½
(PLZZ RATE MY REVIEW AND ADD A COMMENT)