After two realistic and hard-hitting exposés of the elite in 'Page 3' and 'Corporate', Madhur Bhandarkar now steps on the mean streets of Mumbai to tell a story of poor and downtrodden people in 'Traffic Signal'.
The movie narrates a tale of several characters making a living out of odd jobs at Mumbai's traffic signals. Beggars, prostitutes, flower sellers, venders, local goons and mafia are some of the characters.
Kunal Khemu as Silsila
Silsila was just newly born when his parents' home was demolished in a municipality drive. To fend for the family, his mother began begging at Kelkar Marg signal. The little infant in her lap aroused sympathy from givers and soon Silsila became an inalienable part of the life on traffic signal.
As a grown up man, Silsila becomes the manager of the Kelkar Marg Signal. He collects a share of revenue from people making money at the signal and passes it on to his superior who further passes it on to local mafia.
Neetu Chandra as Rani
Rani and her little sister Chutki came to Mumbai with a dream. However, they ended up selling clothes and other wares at the traffic signal. Her first meeting with Silsila leads to a squabble. But soon she begins to love the man as he has a mellow heart beneath his tough exterior.
Ranvir Shorey as Dominic D'souza
Dominic could have been in a much better stage in life had he not taken some wrong turns along its path. He used to be a brilliant sportsperson in his school and college. He also had a mind for studies. That is why he was given a scholarship in software engineering. But Ranvir's potential could not be realized because he fell in the trap of alcohol and drugs.
Konkona Sen Sharma as Noorie
Noorie was duped by a man who paid her parents a hefty sum of money with a promise to get her a job in the city. A whole new nightmarish world opened to Noorie when she came to city. She became prey to beastly men who wanted to satisfy their lust. Soon Noorie was sucked into a world she never imagined. Overtime, she becomes indifferent to all men, except one : Dominic.
Story
People traveling on city roads wait impatiently at the traffic signals to get to their destinations. But those few minutes are crucial to the livelihood of many people on the signal. These people are part of an organized industry in which a part of revenue is taken from everyone's earnings and passed on to local goons who further pass it on to their bosses in the mafia. There is also a nexus between politicians and mafia.
Silsila is the manager of Kelkar Marg signal. He is a man of golden heart and treats all people on the signal and the basti where he lives as his family. But a twist of fate gets him sucked into a big mess. He becomes responsible for displacement of many people whom he so dearly loves.
He is too powerless to take on the big fish in the industry. Yet he knows that he has to do something to get everyone's life back to normal. How he does it is what the movie is about.
Movie Review : An Okay Film (1/10) Madhur Bhandarkar has a penchant for stories that expose different aspects of modern society. And he imbues his movies with an ele...
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