Department is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Rana Daggubati in lead roles. Released on 18 May 2012, the film received negative reviews from critics.
Contents
Plot
Inspector Mahadev Bhosale (Dutt) is tasked by his superiors to form a hit squad called the "Department" to tackle the growing threat of organized crime in Mumbai. He recruits Shiv Narayan (Daggubati), a suspended police officer who had been penalized for an encounter killing. Together, Mahadev and Shiv, along with other members of the team, target crime syndicate leader Sawatya (Raaz) and his gang. Despite numerous urgings from his second-in-command D.K. (Singh) and D.K.'s girlfriend Naseer (Shalini), Sawatya refuses to retaliate against the police action.
Sarjerao Gaikwad (Bachchan) is a former gangster-turned-politician. Shiv and Sarjerao develop a close relationship when the latter saves Shiv’s life at a public rally. However, Mahadev warns Shiv that Sarjerao is manipulating him for his own political gains. As events unfold, it is revealed that Mahadev himself is working for Mohammad Ghouri, an underworld don, and is systematically eliminating Sawatya’s gang at Ghouri’s request. Shiv, unwilling to be part of Mahadev’s corrupt world, chooses to walk away. Despite Mahadev’s agreement to let him go, tensions rise when Shiv confronts a faction formed by D.K. under Mahadev’s protection, leading to a rift between the mentor and his apprentice.
Cast
Amitabh Bachchan as Sarjerao Gaikwad, a gangster-turned-politician
Sanjay Dutt as Inspector Mahadev Bhosle, the DSP of an encounter squad
Rana Daggubati as Inspector Shivnarayan, an encounter specialist
Vijay Raaz as Sawatya, a crime boss
Abhimanyu Singh as DK, Sawatya's right-hand man
Deepak Tijori as Inspector Danaji, an honest member of the department
Lakshmi Manchu as Satya Bhosle, Mahadev's wife
Anjana Sukhani as Bharati, Shivnarayan's wife
Madhu Shalini as Naseer, DK's gun-loving girlfriend
Neeraj Vora in a dual role as Lalchand and Valchand
Nathalia Kaur as item number "Dan Dan"
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is composed by Bappa Lahiri along with Dharam-Sandeep and Vikram Magi.
Reception
Srijana Mitra Das of The Times of India rated the film 2/5 stars and wrote, "Losing the plot and three strong stars, Department shoots itself in the foot".