Three dreaded criminals, named Pankaj, Rajkumar, and Chotu, hatched a conspiracy to escape from Haridwar District Jail on October 11. Pankaj and Rajkumar succeeded, but Chotu failed when his ladder fell. Let’s explore how they may have taken inspiration from one of the scenes in director Anees Bazmee’s Hindi film No Problem.

 

Audiences can certainly relate to scenes or characters from realistic films. However, we can hardly see such aspects in comedy films as these are made to entertain. Some turn into box office success stories, while others become cult classics without much appreciation on the ticket windows. 

The Hindi comedy film No Problem (2010), featuring Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal, and Anil Kapoor in the lead, did not achieve box office success. However, the film still manages to tickle the funny bone. Interestingly, one of the scenes from the film appears to have jumped off the screen and into real life.

 

From Reel to Real? 

 

You would certainly like to know more about the scene and, of course, how it is related to the Haridwar prison escape news.

 

In the said scene, Anil Kapoor arrests Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, and Paresh Rawal for their involvement in a murder they did not commit. To prove their innocence, the three of them plan to escape from jail. They ask their film producer-director friend to set up a song shoot inside the jail and use the inmates as actors. He agrees, and the three escape while filming the song, ‘We Are Innocent.’

According to the police, Pankaj, Rajkumar, and Chotu hatched a conspiracy to get roles as vanars (part of the vanar sena) in the Ramlila to be performed in the jail. As part of the play, they were expected to use ladders to climb a wall and rescue Sita Mata. They used a piece of cloth to tie two ladders together, then both used it to scale the wall and escape. Unfortunately, the ladder broke when it was Chotu’s turn, leaving him inside the jail. Initially, no one noticed, as they thought it was part of the scene. Later, footage from CCTV cameras helped police in understanding the situation. 

 

Formation of a Special Team to Trace and Nab Culprits

 

Ramkumar Chauhan is facing charges of kidnapping and ransom, while Pankaj is serving a life sentence. You would certainly like to know Pankaj and Chotu’s surnames. Well, they do not use their last names in any paperwork. 

What about cops who neglected their duty? Well, in total, six jail officials, including Superintendent-in-Charge/Jailer Pyare Lal Arya and Deputy Jailer Kunwar Pal Singh, have been suspended for negligence. Most importantly, an FIR with relevant sections has been registered. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Doval to find and apprehend the escaped prisoners. Further, even the state Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has taken cognizance of the incident and ordered an investigation. 

Police might eventually succeed in arresting both. However, this incident will definitely be added to the list of film scenes that have become reality. Jail authorities at Haridwar District Jail were too busy to notice what had actually happened. This is exactly what the scene in the film No Problem depicts: Anil Kapoor and the other cops remain busy dancing. They realize their inmates have escaped after quite some time.

 

How many prisoners manage to escape every year in India? As per data from the NCRB, 257 prisoners managed to escape in 2022. The number includes those in police custody, judicial custody, and those who escaped from within prison premises.  

Marathi version for this column was first published in Prabhat Daily (Pune) 

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