In Prakash Jha’s Gangaajal, its lead Ajay Devgn takes a stand against police excesses, goading the audience into an ethical dialogue on mob mentality and vigilante justice. It’s been 15 years since the film released, but given the country’s turbulent socio-political climate, there might not be a more appropriate time to revisit it.

Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai could easily have been adapted into a political potboiler with countless twists, item songs, and stereotypical portrayals of the bureaucracy. But, Banerjee refuses to go down the OTT route. Shanghai is an exercise in restraint. In a way, it can be looked as a balm for the hyper-nationalistic age we live in.