The Thrill of Encounters in Bollywood: A Cinematic Reflection

The recent encounter of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case, has become the talk of the town, with supporters and critics expressing their views. However, this article isn’t about the police action or the criminal case itself—that’s for the judiciary to decide.

What this encounter does remind me of is Bollywood’s long-standing obsession with encounters, and how the Indian audience perceives them. Films based on real-life encounters offer a mix of thrill, drama, and a reflection of society’s complex relationship with crime and justice.

Encounters in Bollywood films have always been more than just police actions. They are spectacles, filled with tension, and moral dilemmas. The connections between the underworld and Bollywood have often been whispered about but rarely discussed openly, adding a layer of intrigue to films dealing with gangster encounters. This “unsaid truth” has become part of the allure that surrounds these movies. In Bollywood, the encounter drama is portrayed in two major ways. One, where the gangster tries to escape from the police—either after being cornered, or when the police receive a tip-off.

When the gangster refuses to surrender and tries to flee, the police, after warning him, fire, often aiming for the leg. If he still attempts to run, he is killed. The second type involves a gangster attacking the police, sometimes even while in custody, grabbing their weapons and trying to make a run for it—leading to his death. These scenarios have played out numerous times in Bollywood, embedding themselves in the audience’s memory.

Take the iconic 1975 film Deewar, where Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) meets his tragic end in an encounter. In the film’s climax, Inspector Ravi (Shashi Kapoor) confronts his brother Vijay, asking him to surrender. When Vijay refuses and tries to escape, Ravi shoots him, ending the movie with an emotional scene where Vijay dies after meeting his mother. Another similar encounter can be seen in Shakti (1982), where Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) runs after killing JK Verma (Amrish Puri).

Despite being asked to surrender by his father, Inspector Ashwini Kumar (Dilip Kumar), Vijay is shot dead when he refuses. These encounters were personal, driven by family conflicts that spiraled due to the protagonist’s underworld connections.

Bollywood has produced numerous films that focus on police and gangster confrontations, often claiming to be inspired by real-life incidents. The 2002 film Encounter: The Killing was one of the first to fully explore the genre. Directed by Ajay Phansekar and starring Naseeruddin Shah, the film is a gripping take on police encounters and the impact of crime on families. The plot revolves around a police officer who kills a young boy in an encounter, only to later search for the boy’s parents, who never claimed the body. The movie poignantly highlights the hypocrisy of middle-class parents, disconnected from their children’s lives until tragedy strikes. Then there’s the 2004 film Ab Tak Chhappan, directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Ram Gopal Varma. The story of Inspector Sadhu Agashe, portrayed by Nana Patekar, is loosely based on the life of Mumbai police officer Daya Nayak, famous for his role in the Mumbai EncounterSquad.

The film, known for its realistic portrayal of police procedures and moral ambiguity, became a classic, with Nana Patekar’s performance earning critical acclaim. It’s a film that refuses to sugarcoat the harsh realities of life as a police officer tasked with eliminating gangsters.

The audience’s appetite for encounter-based films was further fueled by the 2007 film Shootout at Lokhandwala, based on the infamous 1991 gunfight between Mumbai Police and gangster Maya Dolas. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, and Vivek Oberoi, this film took dramatic liberties but stayed rooted in real events. The film’s tagline, “based on true rumours,” perfectly encapsulates Bollywood’s relationship with encounters—a mix of fact and fiction, driven by the desire to entertain while reflecting societal issues.

A few years later, the 2013 film Shootout at Wadala hit the screens, bringing to life the story of gangster Manya Surve, played by John Abraham. The film was praised for its gritty realism and intense action sequences, once again putting the spotlight on the phenomenon of police encounters. While films like Singham and Simmba have more recently presented a more polished, commercial version of police encounters, it is movies like Ab Tak Chhappan, Shootout at Lokhandwala, and Shootout at Wadala that remain etched in the audience’s memory for their hard-hitting portrayal of crime and justice.

In a country where encounters—both real and reel—fascinate the public, Bollywood continues to be at the center of this complex narrative. Whether glamorizing the gritty world of gangsters or raising questions about the morality of encounters, the industry keeps its finger on the pulse of a society that finds itself grappling with these very real issues.

(The writer is a communication professional. Views personal)