Khan's ATS now focuses on eliminating Maya and Bhua, and begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game where neither side shows any overt aggression but tries to disable the adversary by tactical maneuver. Around this time, Maya's ambitions, fuelled by his mother's ( Amrita Singh) insistence, grow to the point where he wishes to assert his independence from Dubai and take over Bombay himself. Things heat up when Khan recognizes, through his network of spies and informers, that Maya is responsible for several criminal and possibly terrorist activities. At this point, Maya and Bhua are at the top of Bombay's underworld, reporting directly to the big boss in Dubai. Maya recruits Bhua (referring to Dilip Buwa, played by Tusshar Kapoor) after successfully hatching a plot to eliminate Bhua's old gang led by Ashok Joshi. Maya is the second-in-command of the "big boss" in Dubai (a clear reference to Dawood Ibrahim though the film does not mention his name) and runs his criminal activities in Bombay.
The film segues into the life of Maya (referring to Bombay gangster Mahindra Dolas though the film never mentions Dolas specifically played by Vivek Oberoi). Khan, the encounter with Khalistani extremists was more dangerous and tough than the Lokhandwala Complex shootout.) True to Khan's words, he successfully " encounters" (it indicates summarily gunning down criminals extrajudicial killings is the term accepted internationally) the terrorists who shot PSI Mhatre. Khan asks Meeta ( Diya Mirza) to cover the incident so as to deter future terrorists. He obtains clearance from police commissioner Krishnamurthy (played by the real A. Khan is deeply frustrated when the Bombay police, mired in internal bureaucracy and corruption, fail to act. The film flashes back to show Sub-Inspector Mhatre ( Abhishek Bachchan), a very brave officer and disciple of Khan, pursuing and subsequently getting shot down by a group of Sikh terrorists. They engaged in violence, extortion, and other subversive tactics to grow their operations. Khan explains that following Operation Blue Star in 1984, several Sikh terrorists fled to Bombay and began establishing a base in the city.
The film flashes back to show Khan selecting his men and putting them through intensive physical and mental training to be "fast, efficient and deadly." Dhingra is hardly impressed: he points out that if Khan "shoots to kill," he is no different from the gangsters he seeks to destroy.ĭhingra asks why Khan felt he had to do this. He borrowed the concept from the LAPD SWAT team to help combat crime. Khan explains that he hand-picked 27 of Bombay police's best-enlisted men and officers. The main film timeline is the extended interview of the three officers by Dhingra as the officers answer Dhingra's questions, the film flashes back to show the incidents.ĭhingra asks about the Encounter Squad. Khan, played by Sanjay Dutt), Inspector Kaviraj Patil ( Sunil Shetty) and Constable Javed Sheikh ( Arbaaz Khan). The film moves to the office of former chief justice turned private prosecutor Dhingra ( Amitabh Bachchan), who interviews the three leading members of the Bombay Encounter Squad: Additional Commissioner of Police Shamsher S. TVN reporter Meeta Matu ( Dia Mirza) reports that some 3000 rounds of ammunition were discharged by a large police squad at a previously peaceful residential area. The film opens with shots of brooms and dustpans cleaning dried blood, and cartridge casings in and around the Swati building at the Lokhandwala Complex. The leading protagonists in the film have slightly different names than their real-life counterparts, and the film caption is "based on true rumours." Dreaded gangster Maya Dolas was hiding in the complex.
A." Khan, head of the ATS, attacked the Lokhandwala Complex on 16 November 1991, with a force of around 400 armed policemen.