Simply A Masterpiece

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Admirable film.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This should easily be one of the best Indian movies of 2012 and I even dare to say, one of the best on recent pasts. This movie just makes you stick to your seats and the brilliant screenplay is very well portrayed by some amazing camera work and brilliant acting.Emraan Hasmi as Jogi Pamar is at his best ever. Right from the start of the movie, his character gets in to your minds and all the credit goes to Emraan himself. He has never acted so beautifully, in his career until now. Kalki does 100% justice to her character as well, and the way she brings out her emotions are too good for an actress who is new to this profession.Acting of Abhay Deol is out-of-the-world and he has proved yet again, why he is considered as one of the best actors/talent Indian cinema has seen in its recent times. In climax, when he delivers a dialog "Koi kal nahin, aur mein drink bhi nahin peetha", just clinches on to you and even on front of my TV screen wanted to get up from my seat and applaud him. And it is too good to see someone like Farooque Sheikh come back and deliver so well.Overall, this is just brilliant movie and a must watch for every Indian.

I am happy after watching this movie not because the movie has a optimistic feel to it (its actually the exact opposite,as it should be) but on seeing how dibakar has used a story that is so real and holds true to a country like India where the present political system is so corrupt and the power hungry mongers will go to any extent to achieve money and power without thinking about the implication that it might cost. Now coming back to the movie,the location used looks like a true Indian city or a town. People who are fed up of seeing lavish houses in most of the Indian movies or only foreign locations and fell guilty as more than 90% of the people don't have that luxury will be content. Acting wise i am happy with all except Kalki Koechlin,some how she seems too plastic in her acting but i think she did her best. So looking at the way Indian politicians and its citizens our behaving India has a bleak future but if such movies are made which have an overall good story,acting,locations and such and puts forward realism than hypocrisy as in many other Indian films,Indian cinema has a bright future. So hats off to the whole team involved especially Dibakar Banerjee for his efforts in making a movie such as this. Good work Keep it up.

In the beginning of this movie, the cover page of a book written by a character of this movie (Dr. Ahmedi) is shown and the title of the book reads as - Kiski Pragati ? Kiska Desh ? (Whose progress ? Whose nation ?). And that's what this movie is all about. So many development projects have come and are coming being termed as the ladder to the progress of the nation. But the question is - what do we mean by nation ? Hence, the related second question is - whose progress is it going to be ? If this nation does not belong to the poor and the underdog, then whom do these things purport to bring prosperity to ? Aren't most of these so-called development projects conspiracies to deprive the commonfolks of whatever little possessed by them and pour further wealth into the already brimming coffers of those occupying key positions in the government and the administration of this 'great' country ? Quite naturally, there are several activists also visible who oppose such projects. Definitely all such activists are not having genuine intentions behind their opposition. The opposition of some of them may be motivated and they may be having their own axes to grind. However, it's the duty of the victims (or would-be victims) to identify their genuine well-wishers among them and lobby behind them. And such people do take a risk of their own life as well. The powerful ones having vested interest in such projects will definitely like to eliminate the opposing ones. Shanghai tells the story of one such elimination only.A social activist - Dr. Ahmedi (Prosenjit Chatterjee) is opposing a development project - IBP which is likely to dislodge the lower class people of the concerned town - Bhaarat Nagar. When he is going ahead with his mission in the company of his ex-student and admirer - Shalini (Kalki Koechlin), a truck tramples him. The truck driver is caught but the conspiracy behind this so-called mishap is deep whose strings lead to some very powerful and high profile people in the government. An enquiry commission is set up to look into this mishap due to which Dr. Ahmedi is fighting for his life in the hospital now. This single member commission is headed by an IAS officer Krishnan (Abhay Deol) who comes to know of some evidences linked to this apparently a mishap but actually an attempted murder, through a videographer - Joginder (Emraan Haashmi). Some more murders take place which are of expendable people involved in or knowing about the murder conspiracy chalked out at a very high level. However Krishnan with, his wit and conviction, is though not able to reveal the truth before the world or stop the project from materializing but at least able to prevent the conspirators from enjoying the fruit of their conspiracy.The revelation shown in the climax is not reliable because the apex level politicians never allow themselves to be caught in some tape / CD. There are many layers between them and the real executors of their plans which never allow them to directly come into picture in such a way that some concrete evidence is left for anybody else to see / hear. Besides, the way Krishnan blackmails the lieutenant of the chief minister - Kaul (Farooq Sheikh) to toe his line and also involves the coalition partner in his mission, is too simplified to be true. And his denying to go abroad on promotion is also too far-fetched as well as the other things that appear on the screen in written form when the movie has ended. This slipperiness of the director has not allowed the movie to become an outstanding movie.The Bollywood filmmakers have made Emraan Haashmi typed for the roles with a definite flavour. In a different role, he has got an opportunity to show his mettle and he has done it with finesse. Kalki Koechlin is a good actress but she has also been typecast to play a certain type of roles only. Shanghai is another example of her typecasting. The supporting cast has done exceedingly well including Supriya Pathak and Farooq Sheikh who have come together after three decades (last time, they had come together in Baazaar - 1982). Farooq Sheikh has done something like his Jee Mantri Ji act (a TV serial that had come many years back, portraying Farooq as a minister). Prosenjit has impressed in the low-footage role of Dr. Ahmedi which is the base of the complete story. The show-stealer is Abhay Deol whose underplay is simply outstanding. He is a highly talented, yet low profile actor who can never act bad. Despite being a script-based movie without any undue weightage for any character, Abhay draws attention as the well-educated and sincere bureaucrat.Shanghai is a high-tension drama sans entertainment (though some humour has been inserted through Farooq Sheikh's facial expressions in the climax scene). It hits hard instead of entertaining the viewer. Hence, little wonder, it has flopped on the box office. It bares the ugly, true face of 'progressing' India on the screen. Will you be interested in seeing it when you have already seen enough of it off the screen ?

To those who may be wondering why this film is tilted 'Shanghai', jog back your memory to times when politicians promised to transform Mumbai into Shanghai. Set in a fictional Bharat-nagar which is effectively a metaphor for any large Indian city, the movie is a take on how common lives get affected due to the politician-builder nexus with all ills brushed under the carpet in the name of modernization. 'International Business Park' is a mega redevelopment project that seeks to displace slums in Bharat-nagar blessed by the Chief Minister (Supriya Pathak). When a leftist Dr Ahmedi (Prasenjit Chatterjee) stands up for slum dwellers, he is quickly eliminated in a planned murder attempt which is made to look like an accident. When Mrs Ahmedi (Tillotama Shome) demands a probe, a Bureaucrat TA Krishnan (Abhay Deol) is appointed to look into it. Trouble brews when he digs deeper than what is expected from him. Shalini (Kalki Koechlin) and a videographer Jogi Parmar (Emraan Hashmi) play key roles with Pitobash delivering a great performance at Jaggu. The film is an adaptation of the novel "Z" by Greek writer-diplomat Vassilis Vassilikos. In fact, the book formed the base for a 1969 French film also titled 'Z' which inter alia bagged two Oscars. Apparently, the film is set in a right-wing military run country and it is about a leftist who gets killed while he plans to speak at an anti-military, nuclear disarmament rally. The developer-angle is more relevant for India though! In fact, after a spate of comedies, it is nice to see Bollywood showing interest in strong themes or current issues. From the maker of near- realistic flicks like 'Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye' and 'Khosla ka Ghosla' director Dibakar Banjerjee's choice of subject is commendable. Also, it was a good choice not to resort to item numbers to sell the film. Instead, he has preferred to focus on its characters and some dramatic tension. The characters in Shanghai are realistic. You can't really slot them into the stereotypes such as the altruistic good guys or the abominable bad guys. Instead, they are all regular people with their own agendas with circumstances bring out the best or worst in them. It could be politicians in power, self serving bureaucrats, a student supporting a professor she has an affair with, aimless street goons, etc. There are just a few drawbacks that deny the film from becoming awesome. Emraan Hashmi's character could have done with a little more meat. The motivations of the leftist, especially one who travels in a private jet could have been better explained. Abhay Deol's Tamil accent is inconsistent and the 'Madrasi' reference is racist. The storyline itself could have done with some suspense rather than focus purely on drama. Probably the ending could have been better; but hey, it's closer to reality. Specifically, there is one bit that beats me; the celebratory mood at Bharat-nagar slums. If they were celebrating the development, then what was the need for the leftist's intervention? Or, what were they celebrating with fireworks?Overall, 'Shanghai' is a decent watchable film. Nonetheless, don't expect it to have something that would blow you off your feet. It has some good acting and it deserves some credit for coming up with characters with shades of grey.