“This is Indian cinema, you don’t go for logic!” an assistant explains in this documentary which offers newcomers to the genre a fascinating insight into the inner workings of Bollywood.

British filmmaker Liz Mermin’s film purports to be about the troubled life of A-list leading man, Sanjay Dutt. In April 1993, Dutt was arrested for the illegal possession of firearms, directly linked to the earlier Mumbai bombings which destroyed key landmarks and killed almost three hundred people.

As the case dragged on, Dutt was granted bail intermittingly: he went on to work on at least fifty films. When the case appeared to reach yet another possible conclusion last year, Mermin and her crew were at hand in Mumbai to follow the effect of Dutt’s court appearances on his film in progress, Shootout at Lokhandwala.

Dutt’s lack of availability seriously disrupted filming: a four month shoot had to be completed in one month. The irony is that Dutt was playing a trigger-happy real life cop who had gunned down, with 1,400 rounds of ammunition, five criminals hiding out in a middle-class apartment block.

Limited access to Dutt makes this more of an insider’s view of the Bollywood conveyor belt at work than a character study of a flawed superstar. This works to the documentary’s benefit, often to hilarious effect.

Shootout’s gung-ho director, Apoorva Lakhia’s approach to filmmaking involves yelling “Cut” “Super!” “Mindblowing!” or all three, after each take, which he frequently okays. The heavily tattooed and chain-smoking filmmaker is clearly delusional. He behaves as if he is the Indian Tarantino, and lacks empathy for his inventive hardworking crew.

When the film is released, Lakhia refuses to believe its Adults Only certificate due to its violence; he finds gore “romantic”. He is dismissive of the poor reviews and eventual box-office collections, declaring that “it’s a f***ing blockbuster!” An onscreen caption which stated that Lakhia’s next venture is ‘Mission Istanbul’, a bio-pic of Osama Bin Laden, evoked serious audience laughter.

Mermin’s film also reveals the disparity between rich and poor in gaining access to equitable justice, the public’s endorsement of the police’s shoot-to-kill policy and most worryingly, the nexus between the Indian mafia, the bombings, police corruption and Bollywood budgets.

In the end, Dutt is given a six year sentence and a minor fine. After spending twenty one days in prison, he is let out on bail. He is currently free to shoot – films.

Director: Liz Mermin, 96 mins, nc, partly subtitled

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