Shanghai Review

Shanghai

A clash between an increasingly invertebrate homo sapien and a libido infested lumpenised power structure told with the inspiration of Vassilis Vassilikos Z makes for a spine chilling comment detailed with documentary credibility, Hitchcock’s intrigue and a Govind Nihlani intensity. Watch it to vitalise the dying patriot in u, if not the enquiring citizen. The parallel between the truth and the farce running in the narrative is not just absorbing but grammatically triumphant in the context of the style. A camera that probes rather than just exhibits a compulsively hypocritical social order with an ever widening gap between the truth and the public posture adds the punch albeit short of the Costa Gavras masterpiece.
The social tattoos that hurt the nation’s fabric are faulted from no pulpit but are placed before you stripped of all niceties and this arguably is the greatest USP of the filmmaker. To wield the megaphone is a critical function when the film maker is willing to take on contemporary issues. When he stays away from the pulpit and yet is intellectually honest, you know that you are dealing with a trustworthy product – which is not very often in the context of our cinema.
Ensconced in an unparalleled narcissism the political wing of the country is surely in its lowest ebb. The visage of economic development as an alibi for personal gain perceived and pursued as an anti majoritarian tool is exposed, wonderfully.
The film deals with how people in high places are willing to kill for political gain. Political muscle flexing is converted into a thriller with real time implications. A leader opposing the launch of an economic programme is killed. The man Prof Ahmadi (Prosonjeet Chaterjee) – with suggestive warts is a victim of an accident. Is it an accident or a high level design? That is the route the script travels. Caught in the journey are the key players: a high ranking officer Krishnan (Abhay Deol) called in to conduct “an enquiry”, but a victim to powers that seek to doctor the truth; a fighting spirited non Indian Shalini Sahai (Kalki Koelchin) who seeks to expose the dagger hidden in the coat and prove that the accident was a self serving design; a photographer Jogi (Emraan Hasmi) who by accident is caught in the cobweb; political bigwigs including the Chief Minister (Supriya Pathak), a political fixer (Farooq Shaikh) who uses his power and proximity to advantage, and the killer driver ( Anant Jogi). Shown in true colour in the context of the times we live in is the strength of the script, narration, and the wealth of the film. Confused at times, tardy in pace and inconsistent in degree of examination, may be the shortcomings in the film.
In contrast, the grip and the willingness to reflect the real if gory without any window dressing, with raw honesty (read appeal) is what makes the film not just worth watching but compellingly effective and warranting a place of pride. Miss the film at your own peril. It marks a watershed in our cinema, for honesty not just at the level of the script, but includes, the work of the camera, the translation by the prime players and the unabashed willingness of a young director to take on the primary ailment of a country of which we proudly say: Bharat mata ki Jai but in reality reduce it to a mere slogan.
Take a bow, our cinema is moving towards not just an intellectual space but doing so with a rare degree of honesty. A classic you will miss at your peril. This is a new if savouring experience and a definite statement of the class that Dibakar Banerjee had hitherto promised.

L. Ravichander