Shabri is the story of how a simple woman from a Mumbai slum ends up threatening the biggest corridors of power in the matka gambling underworld of the city. It is a story of survival, dignity, determination and human triumph in the face of impossible odds.
Shabri (Eesha Koppikar) works in a flour mill to support her alcoholic father, a mother and a younger brother Bandya who is mixing with the local good-for-nothings. The neighborhood is teeming with young jobless desperate boys whose heroes are the local matka gambling den operators. Bandya looks up to Murad who runs a matka den.
Murad (Raj Arjun) has a soft corner for both Shabri and Bandya. Murad who has himself being sucked into the black hole of survival that the neighborhood breeds, does not want Bandya to meet the same fate. He wishes him to study, get a degree and wriggle out of the cursed place. He helps Bandya with money time and again and inspires him of a world beyond.
Shabri’s life takes a turn when the dreaded Police Inspector Khare rounds off the innocent Bandya alongwith other unruly boys from the neighborhood. Bandya succumbs to police torture and the impassioned Shabri ends up violating the law.
Murad, Shabri’s only hope discovers how hopelessly incapable he is of helping her in her dire need. His desperation lands him in further trouble as he ends up killing his immediate boss Kisnya, the brother of city Matka don Rajdharbhau (Pradeep Rawat).
Murad, with help from his partner Vilas, flees the city with Shabri. But Rajdharbhau closes in on the two.
Hounded by cops as well as the matka kingpins, the vengeful Shabri has only one mission in life now, to get even with Rajdharbhau the man who took away all that she ever had.
Eesha Koppikar delivers a striking performance has worked hard and makes you sit up and take note of her performance as a vengeful, fiery slum girl. Her make-up was so convincing that security and producers wouldn’t let her enter the set, as they didn’t recognize her.
Raj Arjun is a talented actor, while its Pradeep Rawat again who striked terror every time he appears on screen.
Award winning director Lalit Marathe has created many engrossing moments, particularly in the first half. But as the film progresses into the second half, as is usual with our bollywood directors, the narrative drags and the story seems to lead nowhere.
Cast of Shabri:
Eesha Koppikhar – Shabri
Manish Wadhwan – Vilas
Pradeep Rawat – Rajdhar Babu
Raj Arjun – Murad
Zakir Hussain – Inspector Qazi
Datta Sonawane – Inspector Khare
Neeraj Kumar – Kisnya
Kishore Nandlaskar – Shabri’s Father
Ragesh Asthana
Credits & Crew of Shabri:
Banner – Factory, Ramgopal Productions, Reliance Entertainment
Producer – Ram Gopal Varma
Executive Producer – Anku Pande
Director – Lalit Marathe
Story, Screenplay, Dialogue – Lalit Marathe
Background Music – Raju Singh
Cinematography – Amit Roy
Action – Parvez Khan
Editor – Avinash Waizade
Shabri – movie review