Rakesh Maria’s Biopic To Be Bollywood’s First Songless Cop Movie
Rohit Shetty steps away from his signature masala style, to deliver a realistic portrayal of Mumbai’s celebrated police chief
By : subhash k. jha
Update: 2026-01-17 17:46 GMT
Bollywood cinema just can’t do without songs. Even in Zanjeer (1973), the khaki-clad cop played by Amitabh Bachchan had no songs, while those around him did.
Now, in the untitled biopic on Mumbai’s celebrated former police commissioner Rakesh Maria, director Rohit Shetty is taking this a step further—there will be no songs at all. This is a first for him, who is moving away from his trademark larger-than-life storytelling.
A source close to the project reveals, “There are no cars blowing up, no men in uniform flying across the skyline.John Abraham plays Rakesh Maria close to the ground. There’s no filmy stuff this time.”