‘Mumbai Police’, a saga on friendship, salutes the force

Indian cinema often portrays policemen in a bad light, but that is not the case in Mumbai Police, said the director Rosshan Andrews, talking about his fifth film which releases in the UAE later this month.

“Steering away from clichés, this is a story about the friendship shared between three police officers. It dwells on their personal journey,” continued Andrews.

Playing ACP Anthony Moses of Ernakulam is Prithviraj. Moses is investigating a case and has closed in on the culprit, but on the way to nab him his Jeep crashes and Moses partially loses his memory.

Six days later, he cannot recollect anything about the case, nor can he identify the criminal.

“Prithviraj portrays two different personalities in his character, one prior to the accident and the second post-accident,” revealed Andrews.

He describes the actor as being akin to clay – one who can be moulded into any role. “I am happy to have got this opportunity to work with him,” he said.

Jayasurya plays Aryan D’Silva from Mattancheri, a playboy. Aryan yields to his family’s wish and joins the police force as ACP. He may take life easy, but when it comes to friendship, nothing counts more in Aryan’s life.

The third police officer in this story is Police Commissioner Farhan, a dedicated officer played by Rahman. Moses, Aryan and Farhan share a close bond. “We take them for granted and fail to appreciate their work,” said Andrews,“but we do not hesitate to point fingers at them for their failings”.

Andrews assisted filmmakers Kamal, Shaji Kailash and Sandhya Mohan before going solo with Udayananu Tharam.

Radio FM in Kerala has carried a campaign asking listeners to salute police officers. A leading hospital in Kochi responded by providing masks and umbrellas to the entire Kerala police force.

Mumbai Police also exhorts policemen to remain true to their oath.

The female leads are played by Aparna Nair, Hima Davis, Shwetha Menon and Deepa Rahul.

Dubai resident and businessman, Nisad Haneef, who has produced the film, says, “This is my first film. I was not aware of the workings of the industry, but had confidence in Rosshan’s script.”

According to the director, the film generated 2.7 crores (Dh27 million) up to May 12 in Kerala.

“This is an unexpected success and I am looking forward to working on Rosshan’s next film,” revealed Haneef.

Mumbai Police is scripted by duo Bobby-Sanjay. Gopi Sundar has composed the background score. R Diwaker is the cinematographer.

The latest buzz is that Ketan Shah Productions has bagged the Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Telegu re-make rights of Mumbai Police.