Traffic (2016)

Traffic
DirectorRajesh Pillai
Genreanthology film
CountryIndia
Budget₹9 crore
Box office₹11.7 crore

Plot

Actor Dev Kapoor awaits the release of his upcoming film. Traffic constable Ramdas Godbole resumes his duty after having been suspended for taking a bribe in order to help his sister. Rehan Ali, a trainee journalist, gets ready for the first day of his job with an interview with Dev Kapoor.

At a crowded traffic junction in Mumbai, Rehan and his friend Rajeev collide with another vehicle, fatally injuring Rehan. In another car at the junction are cardiologist Dr. Abel Fernandes and his friend, Hemaan.

Rehan is rushed to the hospital and is declared brain dead, being kept alive on a ventilator. Meanwhile in Pune, Dev Kapoor's daughter Ria's heart condition worsens, and she is in urgent need of a heart. Rehan's heart is still functioning and is offered to Ria for transplantation. However, Rehan's parents refuse, but at the insistence of Rajeev and Rehan's girlfriend, Aditi, who tell them that it is too save a life. They reluctantly agree. Despite the heart being available, they are faced with the problem of transporting the heart from Mumbai to Pune, as no chartered flights or helicopters are available as a result of the poor weather conditions and time concerns; therefore, the heart would have to be transported by road.

City Police Commissioner Gurbir Singh is asked to carry out the mission but refuses due to the high risk and complexity involved. He eventually agrees to take responsibility for the mission on the persistence of Dr. Simon D'Souza. No officer is willing to drive the vehicle until Godbole, wanting to regain the respect he had lost because of the scandal, volunteers to carry out the mission. Accompanying him on the mission are Dr. Abel and Rajeev.

The mission goes smoothly for sometime before Abel holds Rajeev at knifepoint and threatens Godbole that he would kill Rajeev if he didn't comply, forcing Godbole to deviate from the highway into a forest. Rajeev retaliates, causing a fight. Abel phones his sister and confesses that he had run his wife over with his car after discovering that she was cheating on him with his best friend, Hemaan, and that she may have died, so he wishes to save himself from the clutches of the police. Dev Kapoor phones him and persuades him that he can save him, but Abel isn't convinced. Out of frustration, Dev's wife Maya explains the mental traumatic condition she has endured as a result of her daughter's heart condition and tells him that no problem can be bigger than this one. A convinced Abel advises Godbole and Rajeev to leave without him; however, Godbole chooses to have Abel with him despite having been urged by Gurbir to have him arrested.

They divert into a road 8 km ahead of the scheduled route, making up for the time lost in the forest. Ria's condition, however, deteriorates, causing Godbole to take an alternative route by driving into a communally sensitive area named Bilal Colony, where police are restricted from entering because of its strong minority. Dev phones corporator Aslam Bhai, who volunteers to clear the roads for the vehicle to pass through. Rajeev, who knows the area quite well, exits the car to ensure that the roads are clear. Dr. Abel also leaves the car to push two cars out of the way that are blocking the route. Godbole drives at a high speed, reaching the hospital in time and covering the mission in almost two hours.

Abel learns from his sister that his wife is alive and has no complaints against him regarding the incident, freeing him. Rehan's parents invite Aditi to their home as a symbol of acceptance. Ria opens her eyes, bringing joy to her family. Gurbir feels satisfied and phones Dr. Simon Souza to thank him. On the way back home, Godbole witnesses a group of men arguing on the side of the road and signals them to stop, ending the film on a happy note.

Cast

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