Based on the Greek novel `Z`, Shanghai is a political thriller that focuses on the sordid underbelly of Indian politics, following the narratives of several participants who either knowingly or unwittingly get embroiled in the proceedings. There`s Dr Ahemadi (Prasenjit Chatterjee), who fights against the resettlement of the hapless residents of Bharat Nagar, Shalini (Kalki Koechlin), his lover and student and Jogi (Emraan Hashmi), a small-time videographer who unknowingly gets in over his head. When the good Doctor gets bumped off by some higher ups in the political chain, it falls on TA Krishnan (Abhay Deol) to investigate.
Despite its length, Shanghai moves along at a snappy pace, thanks to the screenplay of Bannerjee and co-writer Urmi Juvekar. The sheer number of characters is overwhelming at first, but the disparate viewpoints come together well enough in the film`s second half. The acting is generally effective, the script evidently laden with irony despite being lost in translationâ€