Shanghai (2012 film)

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Shanghai
Official poster for Shanghai 2012
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Dibakar Banerjee
Produced by Ajay Bijli, Dibakar Banerjee, Sanjeev K Bijli, Priya Sreedharan
Written by Urmi Juvekar, Dibakar Banerjee, Rutvik Oza
Starring Abhay Deol
Emraan Hashmi
Kalki Koechlin
Prosenjit Chatterjee
Music by Vishal-Shekhar
Cinematography Nikos Andritsakis
Editing by Namrata Rao
Studio studio green
Distributed by PVR Pictures
Release date(s)
  • 8 June 2012 (2012-06-08)
Running time 120 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget INR2 crore (US$370,000)
Box office INR1500 crore (US$270 million)

Shanghai is a 2012 Hindi political thriller film directed by Dibakar Banerjee, starring Abhay Deol, Emraan Hashmi, Kalki Koechlin, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and based on the French film Z and a novel by the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos. On 6 June 2012, the high court refused stay on the release of the film. It received critical acclaim upon its release on 8 June 2012 with 1200 prints.

Contents

Synopsis [edit]

The bustling Indian city of Bharat Nagar has an upcoming infrastructure project, backed by the ruling political party, that promises to turn the city into India's grandest metropolis, its very own 'Shanghai'. Meanwhile, four individuals find themselves tied up into a gruesome game of crime and politics. A shocking and disturbing road accident leaves a socialist professor/political activist Dr. Ahmedi (Prosenjit Chatterjee) in critical condition. Ahmedi's adherent Shalini (Kalki Koechlin) believes it to be a premeditated murder. A videographer/pornographer Joginder Parmar (Emraan Hashmi) claims to have documented proof on the mishap that will bring the government down. High-ranking bureaucrat T.A Krishnan (Abhay Deol) is brought in by the government for damage control and investigation. As days go by, those involved discover a hidden secret in the government sector.

Cast [edit]

Production [edit]

Filming started in May 2011 in Latur, Maharashtra. The first look was released on 5 April 2012. Shanghai premiered on 7 June 2012 at the IIFA awards in Singapore. The film was released in Bengali in a few locations.

Reception [edit]

Critical reception [edit]

Upon its release Shanghai received positive reviews from all top critics of India. Jeevi of idlebrain.com gave 4 out of 5 stars and said "Shanghai is an intense political thriller. Plus points of the film are realistic set-up, gripping screenplay, strong story telling coupled with right casting and performances."[1] Madhureeta Mukherjee of ToI gave it 3.5 out 5 stars and said "Whether Shanghai is off-beat or mainstream is debatable, but if you thrive on rustic realistic cinema, however heavy-duty - this (Shanghai) is your pick".[2] Janhavi Patel of FilmiTadka gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote in her review "Shanghai is brilliant, to say the least. This is a movie that commands your attention and is an honest film that hits you hard. Watch it for sure!"[3]

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the movie with 3 out of 5 stars: "On the whole, SHANGHAI is undeniably one of the most politically astute films ever made. It keeps you involved and concerned right from its inception to the harrowing culmination. This is not your usual Bollywood masala film, but a serious motion picture that has a voice, that makes you think, that makes a stunning impact. A must watch!".[4] Mathures Paul of the The Statesman gave three and a half out of five stars and wrote "Dibakar Banerjee succeeds in cranking up the tension effortlessly..."[5] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 saying "'Shanghai' is consistently watchable... It’s a good film from one of Hindi cinema’s most exciting filmmakers, just not great."[6]

Controversy [edit]

The song "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" (Victory for Mother India) had irked a group called Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena, whose president Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga tweeted: “We are giving open warning to Shanghai Directer to remove Bharat Mata Ki Jai song from the movie. Otherwise movie will be banned... We strongly condemn the lines Bharat Mata ki jai Sone ki Chidiya, Dengu, Maleria gud hai, Gobar hai Bharat Mata Ki jai (sic).”[7] The lines roughly translate to "The golden sparrow, (as well as) Dengue and malaria, We have the good as well as the shitty, hail Mother India."[8]

Box office [edit]

India [edit]

Shanghai had a poor first day as it collected around 9-10.25 crore nett on its first day. The film has just managed average collections at some high end multiplexes of metros during the first weekend, but the box office sales increased the subsequent week.[9] Shanghai showed growth on Saturday of around 25%-30% as it collected in the 4-4.25 crore nett region, but it needed much bigger growth as the starting level was so low. Shanghai collected around 7.25-7.50 crore nett in two days which is not good.[10] It fell flat on Sunday as collections could not grow as they did on Saturday; it grossed around 12 crore nett over the weekend. The approximate breakdown on the weekend are 3.25 crore nett on Friday, 4.25 crore nett on Saturday and 4.50 crore nett on Sunday.[11] Shanghai had a low Monday as it collected around 1.75 crore nett. The drop from Friday is less than 50% but collections are too low for a film released on nearly 1000 screens.[12]

Overseas [edit]

Shanghai was dull overseas grossing around $325,000. The film did not release in UK.[13]

Special screening [edit]

After a gap of 20 years, this was the first Hindi, rather Indian film to be screened in Baghdad. It was critically acclaimed there, exceeding gross expectations.

Awards [edit]

Soundtrack [edit]
"Bharat Mata Ki Jai"
A 29 second sample of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
Untitled
Soundtrack album by Vishal-Shekhar
Label T-Series
Producer Vishal-Shekhar
Vishal-Shekhar chronology
Kahaani (2012) Shanghai (2012) Student Of The Year

The album is composed by Vishal-Shekhar. It received positive responses. Musicperk.com rated it 8/10 quoting "That makes a Hat-Trick for V-S. Must Buy." The review by Music Aloud said "After that brilliant start to 2012, Vishal Shekhar continue their good form, spinning off another winner" and rated it 8/10.[15] Lyrics are penned by Dibakar Banerjee, Neelesh Misra, Kumaar, Vishal Dadlani and Anvita Dutt.

Track listing
No. Title Singer(s) Length
1. "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"   Keerthi Sagathia, Vishal Dadlani, Mandar Apte, Chintamani Sohoni, R N Iyer, Bhupesh 4:06
2. "Imported Kamariya"   Richa Sharma, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani 3:58
3. "Duaa"   Nandini Srikar, Arijit Singh, Shekhar Ravjiani 4:20
4. "Khudaaya"   Shekhar Ravjiani, DJ Kiran, Raja Hasan 2:57
5. "Morcha"   Raja Hasan, Vishal Dadlani 3:32
6. "Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Remix)"   Vishal Dadlani, DJ Kiran, Keerti Sagathia 3:15
7. "Khudaaya (Remix)"   Shekhar Ravjiani, DJ Kiran 3:26
8. "Mantra: Vishnu Sahasranamam (The Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu)"   Srivatsa Krishna 4:55

Satellite rights [edit]

The satellite rights of Shanghai have been sold for INR 8 crore and the music rights for Rs 2.75 crore. Also, 20% of theatrical rights have been sold for INR 4 crore.[16]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Jeevi, idlebrain. "Shanghai". 
  2. ^ Mukherjee, Madhureeta. "Shanghai". Times of India. Retrieved 9 June 2012. 
  3. ^ Patel, Janhavi. "Shanghai Movie Review". FilmiTadka. Retrieved 9 June 2012. 
  4. ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Shanghai". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 9 June 2012. 
  5. ^ Paul, Mathures. "A sinister scrutiny of political power". The Statesman. Retrieved 10 June 2012. 
  6. ^ Masand: 'Shanghai' is consistently watchable
  7. ^ Shanghai's Bharat Mata Ki Jai courts trouble, Hindustan Times, 4 May 2012.
  8. ^ Bharat Mata ki Jai (Shanghai): Lyrics, Meaning, Translation., Bharat Mata ki Jai (Shanghai): Lyrics, Meaning, Translation.
  9. ^ "Shanghai Has Poor First Day". 9th june 2012. 
  10. ^ "Shanghai Shows Growth On Saturday". 10th june 2012. 
  11. ^ "Shanghai Falls Flat On Sunday". 10 june 2012. 
  12. ^ "Shanghai Has Low Monday". 12 June 2012. 
  13. ^ "Shanghai Dull Rowdy Rathore At $2.75 Million". 13 June 2012. 
  14. ^ http://www.indiantelevision.com/aac/y2k13/aac44.php
  15. ^ Shanghai Music Review: Music Aloud.
  16. ^ Shanghai surprises Bollywood trade gurus

External links [edit]

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