Bollywood has seen many gangster themed movies in the past. Right from Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Don’ (1978) to Shah Rukh Khan’s version of ‘Don’ (2006) and ‘Don 2’ (2011), this genre has worked wonders with the audience.
The real reason behind this genre working is because of the reality factor associated with it. We all know how Mumbai (then Bombay) was controlled by the underworld and the mafia around the ’70s. From smuggling of illegal items to the illegal business of alcohol and weapons, everything used to happen under the tables in Mumbai in the ’70s and ’80s. It was an open secret for everyone and it made the law and order situation look completely helpless.
These underworld related stories have inspired movies like ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai’ (2010), ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ (2007) and ‘Shootout at Wadala’ (2013) and they all were hits at the box office. While the former is based on the 1991 encounters of Maya Dolas gang at a society in Lokhandwala, Mumbai, the latter is based on the encounter of the later underworld fugitive, Manya Surve outside Wadala College, Mumbai, in 1982.
Sanjay Gupta has earlier directed ‘Shootout at Wadala’ (2013) with John Abraham and the movie was well received by the audience, courtesy of Manya Surve’s on-screen heroics. And now the pair is all set to unite again for another gangster based film which is slated for a 2020 release. Sanjay has also roped in Emraan Hashmi to be a part of the film. Although their roles aren’t well defined yet, what has been heard is that one will be playing a cop and the other one, the fugitive. The lead actress of the film is yet to be finalized.
Given the background of the cast and especially in this particular genre, the movie has all the makings of a typical, gangster oriented, potboiler masala movie.
