Shool


Shool is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed by Eeshwar Nivas. Written and produced by Ram Gopal Varma, it portrays the politician-criminal nexus and the criminalization of politics in Bihar and its effect on the life of an honest police officer. It stars Manoj Bajpayee as Inspector Samar Pratap Singh and Sayaji Shinde as the borderline psychopath criminal-politician Bachhu Yadav, a character loosely based on politician turned criminal, Mohammad Shahabuddin. The soundtrack consisting of "Main Aayi Hoon U.P. Bihar Lootne" featuring Shilpa Shetty became a chartbuster." The rights to this film are owned by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.
Parts of the film were shot in Motihari, Bihar. The climax of the film was entirely shot at the state Legislative Assembly in Hyderabad. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, and was screened at the International Film Festival of India, and the Toronto International Film Festival. "India Today" cited the film as the "Best Cop Movie" of the decade.

Plot

The film opens with a late night telephone call from Patna asking to speak to Bachchu Yadav, an MLA of the ruling political party in Bihar. His lackeys trace their boss to a prostitute's abode, where he receives the telephone and is informed that his party has selected another MLA for the ticket this time. He wastes no time, reaches the newly selected MLA candidate's home and pressures him to give up his nomination in lieu of money. When intimidation fails, his's thugs stab the MLA-candidate under his supervision.
Meanwhile, Inspector Samar Pratap Singh arrives in Motihari, Bihar, where he has been transferred as an inspector, with his wife Manjari and daughter. At the railway station he gets into a confrontation with a coolie. The two have a tiff on the payment of Rs. 30/- to be paid to the coolie for his services, which Singh refuses to pay, as he thinks he is being overcharged. As the situation goes to the verge of fisticuffs, a local police hawaldaar intervenes. Not knowing that Singh, too, is a police officer, the hawaldaar tries to manhandle Singh. Infuriated, Singh takes the matter to the police station to which he is posted. As Singh writes a complaint against the hawaldaar for harassing an innocent local, a sub-inspector, Hussain, intervenes. Hussain asks Singh to forgive the hawaldaar, to which Singh does not relent. Singh later learns that the Motihari police station runs according to Yadav's whims. Singh is an idealist who respects the constitution and the law, and expects that everyone else should do the same. But no one follows the law in Motihari, especially the policemen who receive hafta from Yadav to do his bidding.
One day, the D.S.P. asks Singh to break up a fight between two rival gangs and arrest the people who attacked some of Yadav's men. Singh investigates and finds out that Yadav's men are the real culprits. Among them are Sudhir Vinod and Lallan Singh, so Singh arrests them instead. When the D.S.P. orders Singh to release them, he refuses, saying that he has already registered the case. This is the first time Singh's superior learns of his real character and expresses concern over his future. Sub-inspector Hussain, who shamelessly admits to subjection to Yadav, declares that Singh won't last long in his current job if he continues in his ways. Singh sadly learns the limit of his official prowess, when the court releases Yadav's men.
Yadav demonstrates his limited education when he speaks in the Bihar Legislative Assembly against the construction of a hydro-electric dam on the river Ganges, as it would be "stealing" electricity from the water to the disadvantage of the farmers; he misquotes the famous political slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan".
Singh finds himself alone in his fight and against the odds of a corrupt and rotten system. One day, while buying vegetables in the local market, he sees three young men sitting on a wall teasing passing girls by singing lewd Bhojpuri songs; when he confronts them they react defiantly to Singh. However, on learning that he is the S.H.O., the two become defensive and tell him meekly that they are students of M.S. College, but the third declares proudly that he is younger brother of an influential politician Pranav Thakur, hoping that Singh will be impressed, but Singh retorts with a slap and forces him to apologise to the girls.
On his way home, Yadav decides to give an interview to a female journalist who boldly asks him if he is a murderer. Yadav, understandably, gets annoyed and tries to confuse and intimidate her, and upon failing to do so, simply asks her to get out of his car.
Yadav gets irritated by Singh's methods, particularity because he arrested his men. He decides to annoy him and organises his own marriage anniversary. Singh reaches the scene and asks to see the permission papers that are required in India for operating loudspeakers late into the night. When no such official papers are produced, Singh seizes the music system and disrupts the party. Yadav confronts him and asks to be forgiven. The inebriated D.S.P. who is also present at the party tries to cool Singh's tempers by telling him such rules are inconsequential in small villages. Singh refuses to yield, which angers the D.S.P. who gives Singh a direct order to let the matter go. Singh stands firm, and states that he will let the situation go only if given written orders. The following morning, the act of defiance by Singh causes a heated debate between Singh and the D.S.P., who, with the help of the corrupt sub-inspector Hussain, frames Singh for a physical attack on his senior. Tiwari tries to help Singh but in vain. Singh gets suspended from his post.
Yadav and his men decide to land the final blow on Singh and finish him once and for all. One day, when Singh takes his daughter to a sweet-shop, Yadav's goons begin passing disgustingly indecent comments towards Singh's daughter, which causes Singh to lose his temper, who single-handedly beats them. One of the henchman attacks Singh with a heavy wooden club, but instead bludgeons Singh's daughter on her head, killing her.
When the badly injured Laljee goes to Yadav and tells him that Singh has beaten them badly, Yadav, who cares next to nothing even about his most loyal men, finds it a golden opportunity to accuse Singh. He immediately takes a shotgun from the wall and hits Laljee on the head forcefully enough to kill him, and then orders his henchmen to register a complaint that Laljee actually died because of the beating by Singh. The police waste no time and arrest Singh while he is still grieving over his daughter's dead body. Singh's parents come to help him, and his father pleads with Yadav to get him released. Yadav uses this situation to his advantage and gets Singh released by asking one of his henchmen to testify. When Singh realises that Yadav was behind his release, he insults Yadav.
A few days later, Singh's parents leave, and he has a big fight with Manjari, who holds his idealism to blame for the quagmire they find themselves amidst, including their daughter's death. She asks him why he won't kill Yadav if he's as brave as he pretends to be. Singh tells her he's afraid for her sake, and leaves in a huff. Manjari tries to commit suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills. Singh's only true friend in town, the honest sub-inspector Tiwari, informs Singh about Manjari's suicide attempt and both rush to the hospital. Singh manages to speak a few sentences of comfort with her, where she absolves him of his guilt and asks him to avenge her and their daughter, before she dies.
Singh, having lost the woman he loved; feels he has lost everything and has nothing to live for anymore. He goes home, readies himself and wears his police uniform, visits the police station and snatches his service weapon in spite of sub-inspector Hussain's warning. Singh kills Hussain and makes way to Patna where the state legislature is in session, enters the well of the house, defying heavy security. Singh finds Yadav and drags him by his collar to the Speaker's dais. After an emotional appeal to members of parliament on the leadership crisis and criminalisation of politics, he shoots Yadav in the head, declares his patriotism and yells "Jai Hind" twice.

Cast

Awards

;National Film Awards 1999
;Filmfare Awards
Screen Awards