Shanghai - You have been Shanghaied !!!!!

Shanghai

Evolution is a fact of life....and Shanghai is an evolution in darwanian terms..Would love to watch some more movies like these... No patronising, no moral lectures...says it just the way it is.... A brilliant strategic Chess game , where the moves have already been decided before the game has started..!!!

The movie is set in Bharatpur or some mofussil town, where the ruling party wants to set up an IBP- India Business Park. Now, as with all development, some one has to pay the price, and obviously, It has to be the poor tribals who have to be displaced from their land (how obvious).

The characters are well etched.. Abhay Deol as the Collector - A tamilian..reserved, quiet and crafty, Kalki as the idealistic crusader, whose dad is an army general accused in a land scam, Emraan- as Jogi,  the sleazy photographer's assistant, always on the look out for new business,  

Farookh sheikh as the flexible and compliant Principal Secretary, Supriya Pathak as the Cold Blooded CM and a host of characters to complete the plot...

Enter the dragon...Dr Ahemadi (Prasenjit Banerjee) ..in a la Medha Patkar mode.. kurta and all, who comes to tell the poor tribals to fight for their right. He is Kalki's teacher and more. Kalki is forewarned to tell Ahemadi not to come as his life is under threat, but that is brished off by ahemadi. However, the threat was real and Ahemadi is mowed down by a truck in front of all his supporters and detractors.

The spider's web starts to un ravel with the CM ordering an enquiry and makes Abhay Deol the headmaster. The cover up game starts with the police and the deeper our collector goes, the dirtier it gets. The criminals display no fear of the law , which is frightening as it holds out no hope for the common man, Emraan is uncharateristically cast, with a past and a debatable future. Kalki is the only weak link. The ending is ironic and cynical... no answers..just reality and thats the way it is...

Summing up, a smart political thriller vishwanthan anand would be proud of the moves played by all the characters. To be savoured and enjoyed. 

Extremely well directed, written, acted ...... Shanghai is a masterful  dark tale narrated by a Masterful story teller, Dibakar (maybe he shall not be called "Debacle" Banerjee any more..:)

Rating  -  ****1/2