Anil makes his rapping debut

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The VIP parking lot of one of the biggest malls in the NCR became the venue for a staged ‘shootout’ scene. Thousands of people apart from the media gathered to witness the spectacle. As a car burst into flames, leading to a mock riot, cop Anil Kapoor arrived in a jeep and set things in place.

The crew and cast of Shootout at Wadala enacted this scene in five cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad — as they released the first look of the film.
Dressed suavely in a grey suit and black aviators, Anil Kapoor said, “I think today we have created history. For the first time, five cities of the country have witnessed simultaneous the first look of the film and stunts performed by the cast. John Abraham in Mumbai, Sonu Sood in Hyderabad, Manoj Bajpayee in Lucknow and Tusshar Kapoor in Ahmedabad performed the ‘shootout’ stunt.”
The film has been in news for retaining the real names of gangsters like Dawood Ibrahim and Manya Surve. On being asked whether such authenticity would spiral into a major controversy, producer Ekta Kapoor puts forth, “The film is based on Husain Zaidi’s book Dongri to Mumbai that has used the names of Dawood and Manya. If that book is available in the market and has not created any controversies, then why will our film create any,” said Ekta.
With this film, Anil Kapoor returns to action after a long gap, so how does he manage to kick some butt at his age. “Yes, I return to action after a very long time and I thoroughly enjoyed shooting the action sequences. To fight opposite fitness icons like John Abraham and Sonu Sood, one needs to get into a certain fitness mode and stay fit. These young actors rub off their energy and keep me fit,” said Anil, who plays a cop in the film. “I have also rapped for the first time in my life for the film. It was a fun experience,” he added.
Talking about the concept of films reaching the 100 crore club, Ekta said, “I would like to start a 200 crore club and pray all my films reach that mark. A film should be entertaining and reach out to its audience. These marks and clubs are just a number for me. They hardly influence my decisions.”
Action sequences have come a long way in Bollywood. Yet, if compared to Hollywood, they have a long way ahead. What does Anil think about action sequences in cinema? “I think our action directors are doing pretty well with the kind of budget they are allotted. If our industry could spend as much as Hollywood on action, we would be at par with them,” adds Anil.
In a scenario, when the entire nation is talking about how violent and regressive, we have become as a society, wouldn’t a film on gangster wars glorify violence and have negative impact? “Just tell me one thing we have televised versions of Mahabharata and Ramayana, which teaches positive values. Numerous films are made with social messages. Why can’t people get influenced by them? Is it only that violence and action influences them?” asks Ekta.