How the depiction of Mumbai police has changed in Bollywood

Picture this The film scene is set sometime in the 60s A highoctane faceoff between the hero and the villain is in progress The police van arrives with its siren screaming after the hero has fought it out all by himself and managed to save the victims one of whom is unarguably the heroineCut to 2015 the film will probably have a different endingFor decades Mumbai police and the police in general have been showcased as lacklustre potbellied corrupt men in khaki who always miss the mark Entering a police station was considered a harrowing experience for all However with filmmakers forgoing stereotypes and concentrating on the cops limitations and thus showing them in a somewhat positive light the cops image has undergone a sea changeIt was probably Amitabh Bachchans portrayal of Vijay the angry proactive cop in Zanjeer 1973 that set the trend of an ideal cop who doesnt mind fighting the goons while maintaining his morals at the same time Actors such as Rani Mukerji in Mardaani Aamir Khan in Sarfarosh and Talaash Akshay Kumar in Khakee Nana Patekar in Ab Tak Chappan Anupam Kher in A Wednesday Kay Kay Menon in Black Friday among others portrayed the Mumbai police in the most realistic way possibleRani Mukerjis Mardaani dealt with the subject of child traffickingIn addition to the above films such as Ardh Satya 1983 have also successfully portrayed a section of police officials who are tired of the system and are eager to do something about the situation All in all it can be said that films have played a significant role in highlighting the humane aspect of copsA positive changeIt isnt that all cops today are shown in a positive light but exploring every aspect of the presentday bureaucratic system has helped make a positive impact Says DCP Dhananjay Kulkarni The realistic portrayal of Mumbai police in Bollywood has helped us in our daytoday activities to a large extentKay Kay Menon in a still from Black FridayEarlier people were reluctant to come forward and discuss their problems as they thought of us as corrupt and brutal However that notion is slowly changing Now the citizens realise that they can make a huge difference by cooperating with the police I wouldnt say that Bollywood is entirely responsible for the change but yes it has been a catalyst for change he addsFilmmaker Sanjay Gupta who has made films such as Shootout at Lokhandwala and Shootout at Wadala says that the police force has a tough job at hand and stereotyping them is incorrect As far as my films are concerned a lot of research went into them and I hope they have managed to make a positive impact on the audience as faras the image of the cops is concerned since filmmakers are known to make caricaturesThe flip sideThere is no denying that Bollywood has immense reach However this very fact has become the bone of contention for a segment of the police department that feels that films such as Ajay Devgnstarrer Singham and Salman Khans Dabangg are portraying the unreal and are only increasing the expectations of the peopleA still from A Wednesday in which Anupam Kher essayed the role of a police commissionerDeven Bharti Joint Commissioner of Police Law and Order says The protagonists of these films are only completing extra judicial work Can you imagine policemen in real life going and beating people on the road just because they want to Try coming to our office one day and decide Policing is a serious job and a lot of planning goes into it unlike what you see on screen All that is pure shamIf the filmmakers begin showing what is real no one will be entertained and their film will not earn money at the boxoffice The only film in my opinion that came close to portraying reality was Om Puris Ardh Satya 1983 he addsDirector Pradeep Sarkar who made Mardaani begs to differ Its incorrect to say that films glamourise cops work Its all the demand of the script Ajay Devgns character in a film like Singham is no less than that of a superhero Hence the makers need to add that overthetop element to itCan you imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator not pulling off those unbelievable stunts Would you still go and watch it In a film like Mardaani there is no scope for glamourisation because we are dealing with a subject of child trafficking So its all in the script