Traffic Signal

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Article Updated 03 February, 2007 02:39:30 AM IST

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Traffic SignalMorose!

Traffic Signal’
Credits
Producer/s:	Percept Picture Company & Madhur Bhandarkar
Director:	Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast:	Kunal Khemu, Neetu Chandra, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranveer Shorey, Raja Pandit and Upyendra Limaye
Music:	Shamir Tandon
Lyrics:	Sameer

‘Traffic Signal’ is a peek into an ugly world that’s best avoided. If this is realistic cinema then we’d rather watch commercial escapist cinema. The plot of the film revolves around a traffic signal where a flourishing 'industry' exists. Those running this empire include gangsters and politicians. The characters are ugly and shabby to look at and speak the pedestrian language.

The story:
Silsila (Kunal Khemu), a young orphan, is the manager of a traffic signal. It’s his workplace and home. All those working at the signal are like family to him but he’s quite a toughie where business is concerned. His mentor, Jaffar, is the collector of his region. Both Jaffar and Silsila work for the local don, Haji (Sudhir Mishra). Circumstances make Silsila an accomplice in murder resulting in the destruction of his world and its people.

The film has an ensemble cast that makes it slightly entertaining in parts. There’s a kid, Tsunami, from Tamil Nadu, who’s lost his parents in the Tsunami. There's a socialite who likes toy boys but this track doesn’t jell with the rest of the film. There's a girl from Gujarat (Neetu Chandra), who sells traditional outfits. There's a hooker (Konkona Sen Sharma) with a soft corner for a drug addict (Ranvir Sheorey). There's a gay who is part of the flesh trade.

The first half of the film only introduces all the characters. The twist in the tale comes in the second half when an engineer (Manoj Joshi) is shot dead by goons. Although a morose sort of film, a couple of tracks are good; the kid who is on a mission to make his skin fair, the Ranveer-Konkona track, including Ranveer's death, Manoj Joshi’s killing, the beggar and the rich Gujarati businessman.

Performances are good especially that of Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranveer Sheorey. Also the two little boys are good. The makeup and costumes give an authentic look to the film! The music is okay but the film hardly justifies the use of great songs. The film is a slice of life but honestly speaking its commercial prospects seem bad.