I saw "Z" nearly 8 months back after i came to know that Shanghai was based on it. the expectations from the movie were high coming as it does from the director of bona fide Hindi classics such as "khosla ka ghosla" and "love sex aur Dhokha". And Dibakar Banerjee does not disappoint. the movie is about the investigation of the murder of a social activist who is lobbying against the incumbent party about the acquisition of land. Emraan Hashmi and Abhay Deol are both brilliant in their respective roles. Kalki stares at the camera throughout the movie and this expression doesn't change much. Prasenjit Chatterjee as the slain activist is pitch perfect. The real pleasure is in seeing the exchanges between Farooq Sheikh and Abhay Deol (between the chief secretary and the collector) and the lowlifes that Emraan Hashmi in his role of a video recorder encounters. the pace of the movie is slow and it tests your patience at times. but the payoff at the end is good. Recommended.
Review of Shanghai
