Murals featuring popular villains paint a Mumbai police station as a people-friendly place
Celluloid’s most famous lawbreakers are now hand-in-glove with the police, if the colourful murals on the walls of a Mumbai police station are anything to go by.
In a bid to counter the fear and dread that a visit to a police station evokes in the minds of citizens, the Saki Naka police station in Mumbai’s Andheri (East) approached the Chal Rang De team, which had recently transformed the Asalpha slums in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area into a picture postcard-worthy settlement comparable to the likes of Italy’s Positano. The brief was simple: use the brush to erase stereotypes that the police struggle with.
This Monday, more than 60 volunteers and artists descended on the Saki Naka police station. By the time they were done, the precinct had a whole new facade. The late Amrish Puri can be seen in his ‘Mr. India’ avatar, lamenting, “Mogambo nakhush hua,” evidently unhappy after being caught. Another baddie, Ajit (better remembered as ‘Lion’) has some words of wisdom, “Saara sheher law and order ko maanta hai” (the whole city believes in law and order). Other villains such as Ranjit add to the comical connect of the space. The entrance to the police station, however, conveys a sober message: ‘Stay Safe.’
“People are generally afraid to come to the police station. We wanted to remove this fear by trying out something different. The blank walls of the station looked eerie. By painting them in yellow, blue and green, we aim to present ourselves as more approachable and friendly,” said senior police inspector Avinash Dharmadhikari.
Shrujan Shah, a volunteer with Chal Rang De, said that the Bollywood theme will make it easier for the public to grasp the message. “People have seen these characters a lot. We are using their famous dialogues to make the message more interesting,” he said.
The ‘Stay Safe’ mural, which showcases a pattern of lines, is meant to represent the police’s network. “All these lines start from one circle, and they are all connected to the main stem, communicating the idea that the network is the reason why the public is safe,” Mr. Shah said.
WhatsApp invitation
On the Chal Rang De team’s successful makeover of the Asalpha village in Ghatkopar, Mr. Shah said: “Chal Rang De is a campaign under the FruitBowl digital agency. For the Asalpha slums project, around 600 to 700 volunteers worked over four days. Here at the police station, we were 70 people, since it was on a smaller scale. The people who worked with us on the Asalpha project were also invited to this event through our WhatsApp group.”
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