''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' is a 2007 Indian

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

-language

action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed and co-written by

Apoorva Lakhia Apoorva Lakhia is an Indian film director. Early life Lakhia was born and brought up in Ahmedabad, India. He was educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar. He dropped out of a filmmaking course in New York University to assist Mira Nair on ''Th ...

and co-written and co-produced by

Sanjay Gupta Sanjay Gupta (born October 23, 1969) is an American neurosurgeon, medical reporter, and writer. He serves as associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, associate professor of neurosurgery at t ...

, with

Ekta Kapoor Ekta Kapoor (born 7 June 1975) is an Indian television producer, film producer and director who works in Hindi cinema and soap opera. She is the joint managing director and creative head of Balaji Telefilms Limited, which was founded in 1994. ...

serving as producer and Suresh Nair serving as writer. Based on the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and the Bombay Police, it stars

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 100 films, ranging from romance to comedy genres, though u ...

Sunil Shetty Suniel Shetty (born Sunil V. Shetty; 11 August 1961) is an Indian actor, film producer, television personality and entrepreneur who is predominantly active in Hindi films he has also worked in tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and kannada films. In a ca ...

Vivek Oberoi Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Hindi cinema, in addition to working in few Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil films. Early life Vivek Oberoi was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, to a Punjab ...

Tusshar Kapoor Tushar Ravi Kapoor (born 20 November 1976), popular as Tusshar Kapoor, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi films. Early and personal life Tusshar Kapoor is the son of Indian actors Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor. His sister Ek ...

Arbaaz Khan Arbaaz Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 4 August 1967) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Bollywood, Hindi cinema, in addition to Telugu language, Telugu and Malayalam, Malayalam cinema. Since making his debut in 1996, h ...

Shabbir Ahluwalia Shabir Ahluwalia (born 10 August 1979) is an Indian actor and host. He is known for portraying Abhishek Prem Mehra in '' Kumkum Bhagya''. Apart from this, Ahluwalia has acted in '' Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'' (2002), ''Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqe ...

Rohit Roy Rohit Bose Roy (born 5 April 1969) is an Indian television and film actor. He is known for his role in Hindi television serials such as ''Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand'' and ''Swabhimaan''. Besides working in television series, Roy has also act ...

Amrita Singh Amrita Singh (born 9 February 1958) is an Indian actress. Through her films such as ''Betaab'' and '' Mard'', she gained popularity and became a well-known and popular actress in the 1980s. She took a break from acting in the early 1990s for a ...

and

Dia Mirza Dia Mirza Rekhi (born Dia Handrich; 9 December 1981) is an Indian model, actress, producer, and social worker who predominantly works in Hindi films. Mirza won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000 after being crowned Femina Mis ...

in pivotal roles.

Overview

Aftab Ahmed "A. A." Khan, head of the ATS, attacked the

Lokhandwala Complex 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 com ...

on 16 November 1991, with a force of around 400 armed policemen. Dreaded gangster

Maya Dolas Maya Dolas (born Mahindra Dolas; 15 October 1966 — 16 November 1991) 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 the ...

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."

Plot

The film opens with shots of brooms and dustpans cleaning dried blood, and cartridge casings in and around the Swati building at the

. TVN reporter Meeta Matu (

) 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 (

), who interviews the three leading members of the Bombay Encounter Squad:

Additional Commissioner of Police A Deputy Inspector General of Police (abbreviated as DIG) is a high-ranking official position in Police in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. India Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) is a rank ...

Shamsher S. Khan (referring to A. A. Khan, played by

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

Kaviraj Patil (

) and Constable Javed Sheikh (

). 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 Bombay police's best-enlisted men and officers. He borrowed the concept from the

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

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 Operation Blue Star was the codename of a military operation which was carried out by Indian security forces between 1 and 10 June 1984 in order to remove Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of ...

in 1984, several

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

terrorists fled to Bombay 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 Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai Bach ...

), 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 Bombay 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 Dia Mirza Rekhi (born Dia Handrich; 9 December 1981) is an Indian model, actress, producer, and social worker who predominantly works in Hindi films. Mirza won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000 after being crowned Femina Miss ...

) to cover the incident so as to deter future terrorists. True to Khan's words, he successfully "

encounters Encounter or Encounters may refer to: Film *''Encounter'', a 1997 Indian film by Nimmala Shankar *Encounter (2013 film), ''Encounter'' (2013 film), a Bengali film *Encounter (2018 film), ''Encounter'' (2018 film), an American sci-fi film *Encounte ...

" (it indicates summarily gunning down criminals;

extrajudicial killing An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whether ...

s 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 Bombay gangster Mahindra Dolas though the film never mentions Dolas specifically; played by

). Maya is the second-in-command of the "big boss" in Dubai (a clear reference to

Dawood Ibrahim Dawood Ibrahim (; born 26 December 1955) is an Indian mafia gangster, drug kingpin, and wanted terrorist from Dongri, Mumbai. He reportedly heads the Indian organised crime syndicate D-Company, which he founded in Mumbai in the 1970s. Ibrahim i ...

though the film does not mention his name) and runs his criminal activities in Bombay. Maya recruits Bhua (referring to

Dilip Buwa Dilip Buwa (born Dilip Kohok; 1966 — 16 November 1991) was a notorious 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 ...

, played by

) 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 Bombay'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 (

) insistence, grow to the point where he wishes to assert his independence from Dubai and take over Bombay 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 gangsterd 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 4 million 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 Bombay. The film also explores the personal lives of the protagonists. Khan's wife Rohini, (played by

Neha Dhupia Neha Dhupia (born 27 August 1980) is an Indian actress and model who works predominantly in Hindi, and some Punjabi, Telugu and Malayalam films. She has won the Femina Miss India 2002 pageant and was among the top 10 finalists in Miss Universe ...

) is unable to bear the constant neglect of his family life. She files for divorce. Patil's divorce is nearly upon him, too. In the enemy camp, Buwa has shacked up with a bar dancer Tanu (

Aarti Chhabria Aarti Chabria (born 21 November 1982) is an Indian actress and a former model who appears in Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi and Kannada films. Career Actress Aarti Chabria started her career as a model in advertisements at the age of three years. H ...

), and is unable to spend any quality time with her. Fellow criminals Fatim a.k.a. Fatoo (

); who's estranged from his parents and RC (

); the character is plagued by ghost-like visions of an innocent family he gunned down) have similar troubles. The only one who's out of any personal trouble is a gang member named Doubling (

Aditya Lakhia Aditya Lakhia is an Indian character actor. He did his schooling from Mayo College, Ajmer. He began his acting career in 1988 playing small roles and worked as an assistant director in ''Akele Hum Akele Tum''. The character of Kachra in the movie ...

). 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. 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

as Defence Lawyer Dhingra *

as Additional Commissioner of Police Shamsher S. Khan (based on

Aftab Ahmed Khan Aftab Ahmed Khan (27 February 1940 — 21 January 2022) 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 ...

) *

Suniel Shetty Suniel Shetty (born Sunil V. Shetty; 11 August 1961) is an Indian actor, film producer, television personality and entrepreneur who is predominantly active in Hindi films he has also worked in tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and kannada films. In a ca ...

as Inspector Kaviraj "Kavi" Patil *

as Bhua (based on

) *

as Rohini Khan, Shamsher's wife. *

as RC *

as Doubling *

Ravi Gossain Ravi Gossain is an Indian actor and works for movies and TV serials. He has worked in serials like '' Amanat'' as Nigoda and ''Sarhadein'' as Sohail and on Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television c ...

as Aslam Kasai *

as Fatim a.k.a. "Fattoo" *

Akhilendra Mishra Akhilendra Mishra is an Indian film and television character actor best known for his role as ''Kroor Singh'' in the 1990s Doordarshan fantasy television series '' Chandrakanta''. His other notable works include the character of ''Mirchi'' Se ...

as JCP Tripathi *

as Head Constable Jawed Sheikh *

as News Reporter Meeta Mattoo *

as Sub-Inspector Mhatre (cameo appearance) *

Aarti Chabria Aarti Chabria (born 21 November 1982) is an Indian actress and a former model who appears in Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi and Kannada films. Career Actress Aarti Chabria started her career as a model in advertisements at the age of three years. H ...

as Tarrannum a.k.a. "Tannu", bar dancer friend to Maya's gang and Bhua's love interest. *

as "Aai", Maya's mother (based on Ratna Prabha Dolas) *

Shri Vallabh Vyas Shri Vallabh Vyas was an Indian film and television actor. He was known for films including '' Sarfarosh'' (1999), ''Lagaan'' (2001), '' Abhay'' (2001), '' Aan: Men at Work'' (2004), '' Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero'' (2005), ' ...

as Wadhwani, builder and dealer of "Dawood Ibrahim the big boss" (based on Gopal Rajwani) *

as Commissioner S. Krishnamurthy *

Rakhi Sawant Rakhi Sawant (born Neeru Bheda; 25 November 1978) is an Indian dancer, model, actress and television talk show host, who has appeared in many Hindi and a few Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Telugu and Tamil films and was a contestant on the first ...

(special appearance as an unnamed actress)

Production

Many scenes were shot on actual locations at the

in Mumbai. There was a chase sequence with

and

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. Sikh groups complained about the wrongful portrayal of Sikhs as extremists. This led to Sikh groups wanting the film banned and "bitterly" opposing the film.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' was released during April 2007 by T-Series.

Awards and nomination

53rd Filmfare Awards The 53rd Filmfare Awards organized by Filmfare, honored the best Bollywood films of 2007. It took place on 16 February 2008 at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai. ''Chak De! India'', ''Guru'' and ''Om Shanti Om'' led the ceremony with 10 nominations ...

* Nomination:

Best Villain Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

– Vivek Oberoi

9th IIFA Awards

* Won:

– Vivek Oberoi *Won: Best Action –

Javed Sheikh Jawed Sheikh (also spelled Javaid and Javed; born 8 October 1954) is a Pakistani actor, film director and producer who works in Lollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for working in the Hindi films ''Om Shanti Om'', '' My Name Is Anthony Gon ...

and Ejaz

2008 Star Screen Awards

* Nomination: Star Screen Award for Best Villain – Vivek Oberoi

2008 Zee Cine Awards

* Nomination:

Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role The Zee Cine Award Best Actor in a Negative Role is chosen by a jury organized by Zee Entertainment Enterprises, and the winner is announced at the ceremony. It awards the actor or actress in the role of an antagonist. Kajol was the first woman ...

– Vivek Oberoi

Stardust Awards

* Nomination: Stardust Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role – Vivek Oberoi * Won: Stardust Standout Performance of the Year - Vivek Oberoi * Nomination: Stardust Award for Best Music Director – Mika Singh * Nomination: Stardust Award for Best Playback Singer – Mika Singh

AXN Action Awards

* Won: Best Action film – White Feather Films * Won: Best Action Actor –

* Won: Best Action Actor in a Negative Role –

* Won: Best Action Sequence – Javed Sheikh and Ejaz

Sequel

Director

Sanjay Gupta (Director) Sanjay Gupta is an Indian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter working primarily in Bollywood industry. Gupta is mostly known for his films such as Aatish, ''Kaante'', ''Kaabil, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Shootout at Wadala, Jazbaa'' and '' Zind ...

confirmed a sequel of the film. In early 2012, it was announced that the sequel ''

Shootout at Wadala ''Shootout at Wadala'' is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language biographical-gangster-crime film written and directed by Sanjay Gupta. It is a prequel to the 2007 film ''Shootout at Lokhandwala''. It is loosely based on the book '' Dongri to Dubai: Six ...

'' would star

John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations. After modelling for advertisements and companies ...

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...

Kangana Ranaut Kangna Amardeep Ranaut (; born 23 March 1987) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works in Hindi films. Known for her work in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and five Filmfar ...

Manoj Bajpayee Manoj Bajpayee (born 23 April 1969), also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. Regarded as one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, he i ...

and

Sonu Sood Sonu Sood (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian actor, film producer, model, humanitarian, and philanthropist who works predominantly in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. In 2009, he received the Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Award for Best Vill ...

. Abraham is featured as the lead protagonist gangster

Manya Surve Manohar Arjun Surve (8 August 1944 – 11 January 1982), popularly known as Manya Surve, was an Indian Underworld Don in Bombay. He was one of the educated gangsters who graduated from college and very well known for challenging and d ...

; Ranaut appears as his supportive girlfriend Vidhya Joshi, and Sood appears as

References

External links

* {{Balaji Telefilms 2007 films 2000s crime action films 2000s Hindi-language films Films set in Mumbai Indian crime action films Films about organised crime in India Indian films based on actual events Films set in 1991 Films scored by Anand Raj Anand Films scored by Strings Films scored by Biddu Films scored by Mika Singh Films scored by Euphoria D-Company Fictional portrayals of the Maharashtra Police Indian gangster films Balaji Motion Pictures films Action films based on actual events Indian historical action films Films directed by Apoorva Lakhia