Shanghai Review : A simple tale that stays afloat solely on brilliant acting and crisp screenplay

I totally respect Dibakar as an artist and a realist who has made couple of great movies. Therefore, I went in to see the movie with huge expectations but I guess I didn't like it very much. From LSD, I could sense that Dibakar's filmmaking is drifting towards an entirely different style which Bollywood has not seen so far. I guess it was a right thing to with LSD as it surely creates an impact on the social issues we are facing today.

However, Shanghai is a thriller which runs in one of the most abused genre in Bollywood i.e. politics. But for me, Shanghai seems a political drama that fails to create any thrill. It remains very much predictable throughout the 120 minute runtime. It relies on a raw, documentary style of filmmaking( but there is surely a step back from what LSD was). Shanghai moves at its own constant slow speed throughout and does not even tries to arouse the curiosity of audience. Redundant street setting with fireworks, music and was also at point boring.

I liked the music by Vishal and Shekhar. Bharat mata has become one  of my favourites and Imported Kamaria isn’t bad either. But Where is background Score? I totally missed that and that is why I call it more of a documentary-like. I love how Anurag Kashyap plays with background score and I also loved how Oye Lucky Lucky Oye was made.

I would say it is not for all, not really a commercial cinema. Even then Shanghai remains watchable because of superb acting by the cast. Anyone in the film shies away from dialogues but when it happens you know that Dibakar has done a fabulous job with screenplay.

Overall, Shanghai tries to meddle with documentary style of filmmaking without raising any social issue, while commercially it is unexciting slow mover which is saved by great dialogues and scintillating acting.