An encounter cop (Angad Bedi) turns out to be a super cop as he gets on an exercise to cleanse up the city of Mumbai. His mentor? A gangster himself, Sikandar Kher. This one is a lethal combination. Does a cop keep gaining the benefits of being associated with a criminal himself? Does the code of brotherhood stay on forever? What do the rival gangs have to say about this association? And will the top cops (Sameer Dharmadhikari) indeed bite the bullet despite giving a go ahead on the whole mocha operandi to begin with.
It’s an exciting world created on this Ekta Kapoor show that spans across 12 episodes which stays within a crisp 20-25 minutes duration indeed. This also means that the proceedings stay on to be snazzy, further aided by the direction of Akshay Choubey who is mentored by Apoorva Lakhia, one of the writers here and the man behind the first Shootout film, Shootout at Lokhandwala.
On the lines of ‘Ganpat’, there is a theme track here as well and so are the item numbers, something which were the mainstay of the second Shootout film, Shootout at Wadala. While the masala elements are indeed integral to MumBhai which has Sandeep Dhar as the main female lead who, of late, has been concentrating on playing a tough woman instead of Ms. Good Two Shoes (as seen in the first season of Abhay as well), there are ample dramatic elements in there which make sure that you move through the episodes in a rapid fashion.
There is dialoguebaazi (something that the makers make no bones about), high decibel drama, action sequences, encounters, bro-code elements and snazzy visuals right through MumBhai which does quite well in one department – it doesn’t bore. Of course, it does lend a sense of déjà vu as there are usual tropes in there as well which are usually associated with gangster affairs. So there is flowery language, the swag and the predictability in the narrative. However, you do not mind as that comes with the territory of the genre, something like how you would indeed expect romantic songs in a love story.
It is good to see actors coming across as men who could actually wield a gun and get away with it. Angad Bedi has been making some nice choices, what with being a lawyer (The Verdict), cricketer (Inside Edge) and now an encounter cop (MumBhai). His love for all things flashy, courtesy he rose from dirt to dazzle), comes across as rather convincing. Sikandar Kher too is enjoying the time of his life. From being a recluse in Aarya to being a flamboyant gangster in MumBhai, he gets the act right. Sameer Dharmadhikari is suitable as the top cop with a mission while Sandeepa Dhar is good again as a woman who won’t take things lying down.
For Ekta Kapoor, MumBhai could well turn out to be a franchise in the world of web series where she could churn out another set of fan star affairs as well which are set in different cities. The collaboration between ALT Balaji and ZEE5 works yet again and brings on good enough dhamaka this Diwali.
Watch it, if you are a fan of cops-gangster drama affairs and the love the world of crime created by Ram Gopal Varma of yore.