[Michael-jeckson2]

Shanghai is a film being directed by Dibakr Banerjee, a critically acclaimed director. His earlier films “Khosla Ka Ghoosla”, “Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!” have been both loved by the audience and crtics alike. As reported the movie is based on a Hindi adaptation of a political thriller which was originally written by a novelist of Greek origin. The name of the writer is Vassilis Vassilikos.

The story deals with the murder of a very active politician, and the story is based upon that. Needless to say that the film falls in the thriller category which is supposed to keep you glued to your seats till the last minute.



Dibakar Banerjee also promises that both the leads, Abhay Deol and Emraan Hashmi will be seen in completely new avatars in this movie. Dibakar says that Emraan is known for his dark, suave image with the tagline of the serial kisser. However, according to the director, this film will showcase him in a completely different light altogether. He is put in a dark, small Indian town where there are no pubs, bars, scantily clad women, but only dust coupled with its dirty, cheap, vulgar political regime.

Abhay Deol is also in a character that he has never done before by him. This time he is standing for this dark, cruel, political establishment, instead of fighting against it. According to Dibakar Banerjee, the audience will be left thinking as to what is going on his mind every time he gives them one of those cold stares through his glasses.



The President of PVR Pictures Kamala Gianchandani seems very hopeful about the film too. Even he resonated that having such tremendously talented actors perform such real life characters, so much out of their conventional comfort zone will be a treat to watch.

Even Kalki Koechin who is the female lead in Shanghai has donned a new avatar for this performance of hers. So far, Kalki has always been noticed in subdued roles. Or even if not subdued nothing very rebellious! But in this film she has presented herself nothing short of a rebel. In the film Kalki plays the role of a girl called Shalini, who returns to her small town after completing her university education, and gradually becomes a part of the local politics.

The role of Shalini is that of a very intelligent, passionate and virtuos girl. She believes in calling a spade a spade, and is absolutely unpretentious. Shalini is also very angry with the working of the political system of the place.

The shooting of this film was done in Latur, Maharashtra, and film is going to be released very soon. Hopefully this interesting combination of Dibakar Banerjee, Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol, Kalki Koechin would have something good in store for the audience.

[ådrrraj]

STORY IN SHORT:

A small town of India is poised to become the next Shanghai. Billions of dollars are used into an upcoming International Business Park but on the day of its launch a drunken truck driver mows down a prominent social activist. A lone girl believes it to be a murder, supported by a porn film maker who claims to have the proof that will bring the government down. A high ranking bureaucrat is brought in to investigate the accident.



TRAILER:

The trailer looks like a full packed baggage of emotions, drama and crime. Emraan’s character is filthy, yet adorable. Kalki Koechlin, too, looks appealing. Abhay Deol fits perfectly in the skin of a character which is actually much older than him. Finally! Fans of Emraan Hashmi will see him doing something different than just kissing on screen. Isn’t it? If we go by the trailer, then the movie seems to have a good scope.

Bharat Mata Ki:

This song is a satire on our present situation of the country. Local steps give the song a raw and real appeal. Beats are energetic. The song is on the higher note from the beginning and not even once loses its track. Sung by Keerti Sagathia and Vishal Dadlani, it definitely stays in your mind after you listen to it once. In a way, the song celebrates all the bad things in the country and brings forth the reality of the country. Lyrics are given by Dibakar Banerjee which appears to be well worked upon. The song will stay here for a long time.



Imported Kamariya:

Well, it seems foreign beauties have found a good career option in Bollywood. They are seen in almost every second film, doing an item number or a song of sorts. The song has funny lyrics and is well sung by Richa Pathak. It’s not great, but we can say that it’s a good track. The music and beats are appealing. Good or bad, after all, it’s the audience who have to bear the trend of item songs in every film now. Hope the songs improve in their quality!

Duaa:

Starts on a good note. The lyrics make you sit back and listen to the song. Soothing music compliments the song. The song talks about the unheard prayers by God. It will surely trigger your emotional side. 'Jo Bheji Thi Duaa......’ the line says it all. And if you happen to be sad, then this song may become your inner voice too! Singers Nandini Shrikar, Arijit Singh and Shekhar Rajviani seem to be singing with full dedication and sincerity. Great lyrics by Kumaar.

Khudaaya:

sung by Shekhar Rajviani and Raja is a song that basically is an appeal to god by a lover to find him a sweetheart. The song gradually grows on you. It will stay here for sometime. May connect well with those who are still single

Morcha:

It has Mumbaiyya feeling to it. The beats are energetic and lyrics make you listen to the song again and again. It’s an inspirational, social yet interesting song. We may soon see the song used by social activist.

Mantra Vishnu Sahasranamam:

This is totally devotional song. The song may connect well with religious people. Sung by Krishna Srivastav, the song basically talks about the thousand names of Lord Vishnu.

If we go by the variety, the album has a lot to offer. It has a mix of different songs. Imported kamariya... is on the faster side while Duaa and Khudayaa are on the calmer and soothing side.



If you are looking for an out-of-the-box movie, I think your wait is over; SHANGHAI seems promising enough to be different.

BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS: Well it seems that nobody can stop this movie from scoring high. It passes in all the departments. Be it action lovers, emotion, drama lovers, music lovers or just the plain patriotic people, the movie has something to offer to everyone. The songs which are already a hit, not only are of good taste, but also have great variety in them.



Today, the audience are starving for such variety of songs and have an appetite for different and unusual songs. Thus the songs of Shanghai are one of the strongest points of the movie which can attract audience to the theatres. And once the audience are in there, Emraan Hashmi who can handle them, after all his films are successful only because of his loyal audience. Right?

Well, it seems that the makers of Shanghai have hardly anything to worry about!

[autoloanexpert]

Shanghai is the new and latest release bollywood movie and I watched this full movie with my friend in the cinema of Mumbai..

[cestsennY]

Its a good movie but cant say must watch. Again 3* will be enough

[flower-buy]

A tiny, twisted fellow with an odd set of stained teeth lies around holding a hockey stick, contemplating the English word for mutton with friends one afternoon. He’s handed over a bucket of black paint. Suddenly, surrounded by a supporting mob, this jobless bloke leads a march down the street. We’re not sure if the person he’s attacking is a bookstore owner or a local academic. He smears black paint over that person’s face, in slow motion, bringing to life the common metaphor, “Mooh kaala karna”. This is a recurring image of mob violence in India. We’ve seen news clips of university professors going through this quite often. You wonder what kind of people indulge in this.


Well, this scruffy boy Bhaggu (Pitobash, delivering an absolutely cracking performance) does. You don’t know what kind of a world he inhabits. That’s precisely what the film wants to go backstage and explore. It’s the film’s first scene. The intention is made clear. What follows is a picture that strikingly captures the chaos and curfews of middle India (deftly handled by cinematographer Nikos Andritsakis), exposing the rule of mob where democracy is merely centred on state-craft and elections, as against statesmanship or equality.


We see this goofy goon Bhaggu again. This time the henchman is hired to bump off a prominent professor, who’s visiting his small-town. His target, Dr Ahmadi (Prasenjit), is a slightly unexplained figure – part academic, part local activist, he seems a cross between Amartya Sen, Arundhati Roy and Medha Patkar. He wants to stall an international business park being set up in this town. He can see how a ‘special economic zone’ will be exploitative towards locals. They will be moved out of their homes, some may be rehabilitated further away, few may find jobs, but they will get relegated as second class citizens servicing a new economy. Dr Ahmadi's opinion bears mass appeal. This can’t be good for the government sponsored project. He dies in a road accident that everyone is convinced was pre-planned murder. The chief minister is in a spot. She institutes an inquiry, plants her chosen bureaucrat to investigate the case.


Hence emerges a pious Tamilian Brahmin IAS officer Krishnan (Abhay Deol, brave choice for a leading man). The wily principal secretary (Farouque Sheikh, bang-on) is his boss. The local SSP, an IPS officer, could be involved in this murder. Or maybe the entire state machinery is, who knows. This becomes then the first Indian mainstream film (perhaps since Dev Bengal’s English, August) to dig into the protocols and plotting that greases the wheels of Indian civil services. The film details it right down to the badminton court at the club, which is bureaucratic India’s equivalent of the corporate golf course. We complain about the system quite often. Well, this is the system. Civil servants over time become minor mimics of political masters they salute to. That Krishnan could be a neutral investigator, you know, will become a problem. But he’s no saint. No one can be.


There are startling evidences before him. Dr Ahmadi’s activist girlfriend (Kalki) conducts a parallel probe of her own. A seedy porn filmmaker (Emraan Hashmi, in his finest performance yet) was present at the site few minutes before the accident or murder took place. His partner who had vital clues has been killed. Both Kalki and Hashmi’s characters are now on the run. Krishnan’s lodge is attacked. This is a gritty drama, just as amusing as it is disturbing.


Between artistry and analysis, Dibakar Bannerjee, one of the most exciting filmmakers around, chooses to entertain first. He doesn’t shy away from slipping in an “item number” either. This is what separates his deeply observant, highly visual cinema (Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, LSD, or this one), from socially conscious art-house movement of the ‘80s. This film, like ‘80s parallel films, is co-produced by NFDC. It will probably connect with crowds far more.


Yet, in its breathless pace, the film sadly fails to shine any light on several facets of democracy that would play key roles in a high-profile case such as this – opposition parties, for one, higher judiciary, for another. Even the dead activist’s wife (Tillotama Shome) who becomes a face for the alert media is strongly introduced but quietly forgotten.


An investigative drama where culprits are already known isn’t a novel idea. Alan Parker’s Mississippi Burning (1988) was only recently rehashed and destroyed by Priyadarshan’s Bollywood remake Aakrosh (2010). This film is inspired by Vassilis Vassilikos’ book Z, based on a true incident from 1960s Greece. It was made into Costa Gavras’ well-received film of the same name. Reviewing that film, top critic Roger Ebert had said, even for Americans, this could be a movie about (locally popular subjects) like My Lai massacre, killing of Fred Hampton, Bay of Pigs... It’s not that Greek after all.


Bannerjee smartly finds in the book the central conflict of rising India: displacement of poor locals versus development for richer millions. Neither side can be ignored. India, at present, houses the world’s largest number of people displaced for development projects. Not all of it could’ve been fair. The CM in this film could well be Modi or Mayawati, though she (Supriya Pathak) decidedly looks like Vijayraje Scindia. Shanghai could well be called Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh.... This is that universal story of modern India, interestingly told, enticingly captured. It must be watched, and relished, for sure.