Does ‘Shootout at Wadala’ glorify Bollywood’s underworld affair?

Those that have read the book that inspired the film, ‘Shootout at Wadala’ would’ve taken note of the historical timeline of events that marked the reign of terror across six decades of mafioso law in Mumbai city.

While Hussain Zaidi’s ‘From Dongri to Dubai’ paints a gritty picture of the underworld that ruled the city with an iron fist, the book also aptly intertwines the often-volatile marriage between this dark Mumbai menace with the glamour lights of the city’s other notorious money spinning industry, namely Bollywood.

A sad example of this tumultuous relationship has been hogging headlines this past month, with actor Sanjay Dutt being sentenced to an additional three and a half years of jail time for his role in the 1993 Mumbai bombings, which saw him acquire illegal weapons from men convicted for the attacks in which 257 people were killed.

With ‘SAW’ releasing globally this weekend, the film’s slick promos and fashionable marketing shines the spotlight once again on this notorious backdoor partnership, which has in the past, dealt many a strong and sometimes fatal blow on those who have flown too close to the sun.

However, lead actor Anil Kapoor is quick to point that despite common perception, “‘SAW’ does not glorify the underworld in any way; in fact, it simply highlights one chapter of the city’s underbelly, which saw the first ever encounter killing of a mafioso, in this case Manya Surve, by the police authorities.”

Kapoor, who plays police officer ACP Ishaque Bagwan is the main protagonist in this crime caper, who hunts down the dreaded Surve (played by John Abraham) and rids the city of him.

Abraham, who flexes his muscles and six-pack in the film, said: “The book has been inspired by real life events, but what you see on screen is ultimately director Sanjay Gupta’s vision. It is not our job or business to glorify gangsters. I have simply personified it the way it was described to me.”

When quizzed about his buff appearance for the film, Abraham: “Manya was a very big, strong man; people would get scared to get too close to him because he would grab and crush them.”

Playing his on-screen best friend is Tusshar Kapoor, who, in his own words, “played an integral part in Manya’s life, but while his friend gets a chapter in the book, my Sheikh Muneer is even less than that.

“I had to use my own imagination to play my character, with a lot of understanding with what Sanjay wanted. But every film requires its own kind of homework. But what we are giving you in ‘SAW’ is a part documentary, part drama, with the Indian kitsch that is needed in a Bollywood film. That is the only extent of our glorification,” he added.

However, one could argue otherwise with the film marketing itself on the shoulders of three item songs, with actress Priyanka Chopra, former adult film star Sunny Leone and Sophie Choudhary grooving to separate tracks – this at a time when India is reeling from a fresh wave of protests following a series of gang rapes in New Delhi that has pointed a finger at Bollywood and its objectification of women.

Choudhary said: “These are two separate matters entirely. We are making a film at the end of the day, which is an out and out entertainer. To say item songs are suggestive and equate to rape is ludicrous.”
 

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