Aftab Ahmed "A. A." Khan, head of the ATS, attacked the Lokhandwala Complex on 16 November 1991, with a force of around 400 armed policemen. Dreaded gangster Maya Dolas was hiding in the complex. The leading protagonists in the film have slightly different names than their real-life counterparts, and the film caption is "based on true rumours."
The film opens with shots of brooms and dustpans cleaning dried blood, and cartridge casings in and around the Swati building at the Lokhandwala Complex.[3] TVN reporter Meeta Matu (Dia Mirza) reports that some 3000 rounds of ammunition were discharged by a large police squad at a previously peaceful residential area.
The film moves to the office of former chief justice turned private prosecutor Dhingra (Amitabh Bachchan), who interviews the three leading members of the Mumbai Encounter Squad: Additional Commissioner of Police Shamsher S. Khan (referring to A. A. Khan, played by Sanjay Dutt), Inspector Kaviraj Patil (Sunil Shetty) and Constable Javed Sheikh (Arbaaz Khan). The main film timeline is the extended interview of the three officers by Dhingra; as the officers answer Dhingra's questions, the film flashes back to show the incidents.
Dhingra asks about the Encounter Squad. Khan explains that he hand-picked 27 of Mumbai police's best-enlisted men and officers. He borrowed the concept from the LAPDSWAT team to help combat crime. The film flashes back to show Khan selecting his men and putting them through intensive physical and mental training to be "fast, efficient and deadly." Dhingra is hardly impressed: he points out that if Khan "shoots to kill," he is no different from the gangsters he seeks to destroy.
Dhingra asks why Khan felt he had to do this. Khan explains that following Operation Blue Star in 1984, several Sikh terrorists fled to Mumbai and began establishing a base in the city. They engaged in violence, extortion, and other subversive tactics to grow their operations. The film flashes back to show Sub-Inspector Mhatre (Abhishek Bachchan), a very brave officer and disciple of Khan, pursuing and subsequently getting shot down by a group of Sikh terrorists. Khan is deeply frustrated when the Mumbai police, mired in internal bureaucracy and corruption, fail to act. He obtains clearance from police commissioner Krishnamurthy (played by the real A. A. Khan) and sets out after the militants. Khan asks Meeta (Diya Mirza) to cover the incident so as to deter future terrorists. True to Khan's words, he successfully "encounters" (it indicates summarily gunning down criminals; extrajudicial killings is the term accepted internationally) the terrorists who shot PSI Mhatre. (As per A. A. Khan, the encounter with Khalistani extremists was more dangerous and tough than the Lokhandwala Complex shootout.)
The film segues into the life of Maya (referring to Mumbai gangster Mahindra Dolas though the film never mentions Dolas specifically; played by Vivek Oberoi). Maya is the second-in-command of the "big boss" in Dubai (a clear reference to Dawood Ibrahim though the film does not mention his name) and runs his criminal activities in Mumbai. Maya recruits Bhua (referring to Dilip Buwa, played by Tusshar Kapoor) after successfully hatching a plot to eliminate Bhua's old gang led by Ashok Joshi. At this point, Maya and Bhua are at the top of Mumbai's underworld, reporting directly to the big boss in Dubai.
Things heat up when Khan recognizes, through his network of spies and informers, that Maya is responsible for several criminal and possibly terrorist activities. Around this time, Maya's ambitions, fuelled by his mother's (Amrita Singh) insistence, grow to the point where he wishes to assert his independence from Dubai and take over Mumbai himself.
Khan's ATS now focuses on eliminating Maya and Bhua, and begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game where neither side shows any overt aggression but tries to disable the adversary by tactical maneuver. With the help of information provided by the informers, Kaviraj and Javed together kill Aslam Kasai who happens to be Maya's gang member. In order to force the gangsters out of their hiding, Khan launches "visits" to the criminals' families to try to "persuade" them to counsel the criminals to surrender. In turn, Maya and his men return the "visit" by approaching the cops in social situations. Maya visits Khan at a restaurant where Khan is having dinner with his family. Maya quietly tells Khan that this is between his men and them and he should leave the families out of it. Khan retorts by saying that he did this to give him an opportunity to come clean but then it appears that any resolution hangs off the barrel of a gun.
Maya's rage intensifies when he gets thrown out by prominent city builder Wadhwani (based on real-life builder and politician Gopal Rajwani, owner of the building that the movie was set in). Maya had demanded 4million protection money; Wadhwani claimed to deal directly with Dubai. Maya kidnaps Wadhwani's sniveling, overweight kid. When Wadhwani complains, the big boss asks Maya to cut it out and return the child immediately. Maya quietly informs the boss that he has upped his demands and that he wants to reign supreme in Mumbai.
The film also explores the personal lives of the protagonists. Khan's wife Rohini, (played by Neha Dhupia) is unable to bear the constant neglect of his family life. She files for divorce but Khan is able to convince her otherwise. Patil's divorce is nearly upon him, too. In the enemy camp, Buwa has shacked up with a bar dancer Tanu (Aarti Chhabria), and is unable to spend any quality time with her. Fellow criminals Fatim a.k.a. Fatoo (Rohit Roy); who's estranged from his parents and RC (Shabbir Ahluwalia); the character is plagued by ghost-like visions of an innocent family he gunned down) have similar troubles. The only members who are out of any personal trouble are gang leader Maya and a gang member named Doubling (Aditya Lakhia).
It all comes to a head in November 1991. The five criminals, including Maya and Buwa, secure themselves while holding Wadhwani's kid, in a flat at Swati building in Lokhandwala. Khan is tipped off of the location by an informant. (In Dhingra's questioning, Khan allegedly also received a call from the big boss in Dubai. Khan vehemently denies this.) Khan assembles a large squad of cops and lays siege to the location. He announces over the bullhorn that residents are advised to stay indoors and bolt their windows. Wadhwani's kid gets killed first when Patil mistakes him to be in Maya's gang.
A long and devastating gun battle begins. The criminals launch rocket-propelled grenades from their flat and try to escape. But they are overwhelmed by police fire, and all five criminals are eventually slain. The battle lays waste to the building: Film shots show the staircases, hallways, and several civilian flats completely pulverized by gunfire. Reporter Meeta Matu covers the action live.
Up to this point, Dhingra has been negative and denigrating of Khan and his efforts with the ATS. He cites press reports and civilian complaints that condemn Khan (and the ATS) of unilateral and unwarranted excessive force in a residential locality. Charges are brought against Khan and the ATS. But when Dhingra rises to defend them as their appointed counsel, he, in a surprising twist, presents an unconventional argument as a defence.
The film ends with Khan and the ATS being acquitted.
Cast
Amitabh Bachchan as Dhingra, a former chief justice turned private prosecutor
Many scenes were shot on actual locations at the Lokhandwala Complex in Mumbai. There was a chase sequence with Sunil Shetty and Arbaaz Khan playing cops, and Ravi Gosain (Aslam Kesai) through Lokhandwala. It would have been difficult to shoot this sequence with the public around. Hidden cameras were used at five places, and the two actors ran 200 meters at the real location to can the scene.
Controversy
The film sparked much controversy regarding the fictionalised portrayal of the incident.[4][5] Sikh groups complained about the wrongful portrayal of Sikhs as extremists.[6] This led to Sikh groups wanting the film banned and "bitterly" opposing the film.[7][8]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for Shootout at Lokhandwala was released during April 2007 by T-Series.[9]
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards started in 1954, awards for the best supporting actor category started only the following year 1955. As of 2023, Anil Kapoor leads the list, with four wins. Vivek Oberoi currently also holds the record of being the youngest recipient of the award, whereas Anil Kapoor holds the record for being the eldest, while Abhishek Bachchan holds the record for winning the award thrice consecutively.
Tushar Ravi Kapoor, popular as Tusshar Kapoor, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi films.
Amrita Singh is an Indian actress who mainly works in Hindi films. Singh made her acting debut with Betaab (1983). Singh established herself as a popular and leading actress of the 1980s and early 1990s. She has received several accloades including a Filmfare Award and an Indian Telly Award.
Sanjay Gupta is an Indian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter working primarily in Bollywood industry. Gupta is mostly known for his remakes of American action-thriller and crime films, including films such as Aatish, Kaante, Kaabil, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Shootout at Wadala, Jazbaa and Zinda. and Karam and Mumbai Saga. He has frequently cast Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham in his movies.
Lokhandwala Complex, also known as Lokhandwala, is a large upmarket and affluent residential and commercial neighbourhood in Andheri West suburb in Mumbai, India. It is approximately 5 km from Andheri station. The name Lokhandwala comes from the name of the developer with the construction firm being Lokhandwala Constructions Pvt. Ltd. It was the primary developer of the suburb of Versova, which was previously basically a marshland. It is the starting point of Line 6 of the city's metro system.
Apoorva Lakhia is an Indian film director.
Divya Palat is a Producer and Director for theatre plays like A Personal War- Stories of the Mumbai Terror Attacks and was a Hindi actress who has done films, such as Masti with Vivek Oberoi, Dhund with Apurva Agnihotri, Kuch Naa Kaho with Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan, Krishna Cottage with Sohail Khan and Dil Bechara Pyaar Ka Mara with actress Mallika Kapoor. She also acted in an Indian television series named Captain Vyom.
Aftab Ahmed Khan was an Indian police officer (IPS)-turned-politician from Mumbai, noted for his encounter killings of gangsters from the Mumbai organized crime syndicates. He is also known as the founder of Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) in 1990.
Maya Dolas was an Indian underworld gangster who used to work for the D-Company don, Dawood Ibrahim. He was killed in an encounter at the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout by the then Additional Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Aftab Ahmed Khan, at the age of 25.
Dilip Buwa was an Indian gangster who used to work for the D-Company, an international crime syndicate of the Mumbai underworld led by Dawood Ibrahim. He was one of the men who were killed in 1991 by an encounter during the Lokhandwala Complex shootout. Buwa was killed by then Additional Police Commissioner of Mumbai, A. A. Khan.
Detection Unit consisted of several high-profile officers of Mumbai Police. The squad primarily dealt with members of the Mumbai underworld and other criminal gangs.
Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language drama film starring Abhishek Bachchan, Lara Dutta and Chunky Pandey. The film is directed by Apoorva Lakhia. The film touched on the subject of the influence of television on village life.
The 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout was a gunbattle that occurred on 16 November 1991 at the Lokhandwala Complex, Mumbai, between seven gangsters led by Maya Dolas and members of the Mumbai Police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) led by the then Additional Commissioner of Police, A. A. Khan. The four-hour-long shootout was termed as India's "first daylight encounter" and was videographed and conducted in full view of the public. It ended in the deaths of all seven gangsters, including Maya Dolas, Dilip Buwa and Anil Pawar.
The Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Following its inception in 2004, no one was awarded in 2005 and 2007.
The Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a negative role, that is in the role of an antagonist. While the official awards ceremony started in 2004, this category was first introduced four years later.
Shootout at Wadala is a 2013 Indian action-crime film written and directed by Sanjay Gupta. The film stars John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Tusshar Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Sonu Sood. It is a prequel to the 2007 film Shootout at Lokhandwala. In the film, Manya, a diligent student, lands in prison for killing a gangster who attacked his brother, Bhargav, who eventually dies. Soon, Manya escapes jail and forms his own gang to seek revenge.
Yaaron Ki Baraat is an Indian Hindi talk television series which premiered on 8 October 2016 on Zee TV. The last episode was telecast on 11 December 2016.
The 2nd Global Indian Film Awards (2006) were presented in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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