Plot

Traffic Signal is a Madhur Bhandarkar movie that reveals the truth behind the multimillion dollar begging Industry in India.

Silsila is the "manager" of one traffic signal, that is he collects the "hafta" (protection tax) from each signal squatter plying his trade. There's Tsunami, a little scavenger boy, there's Rani - a Gujrati girl selling ethnic clothes on the sidewalk, and there's Dominic - a drug addict and the prostitute who feels for him. Then there's Silsila himself, who's an orphan, and reports to Jaffer bhai the local goon. Jaffer bhai in turn reports to Haji the leader of the local mafia. And the hafta, from each traffic signal and territory Haji controls, seeps upward to the politicians. Life is routine, until Silsila and Jaffer bhai get caught up in a chain of events which threatens the very source of their livelihood - the traffic signal itself, and Silsila must either remain mute with fear or protest . . .—Amodini's Movie Reviews (http://hindimoviereviews.blogspot.com)

A Bollywood movie titled Silsila was released during the year 1981. This was the very day that a son was born to a patron, who decided to name him Silsila. This child would end up on the streets of Bombay straight into the arms of a destitute woman named Maushi, who is also mother to a woman named Sushma. Silsila would grow up on this street, and eventually would become a collector of 'haftas' or weekly bribes, from local businesses as well as beggars, pimps, flower-sellers, eunuchs, et Al. Silsila operates from a traffic signal which is located at Sitaram Kelkar Marg near Mahim Railway Station. It is here beggars beg and petty merchants sell their wares to cars that come to a stop at the signal. Amongst Silsila's clientèle are Noorie - a prostitute; Dominic D'Souza - a drug addict and con-man; Gullu - a transvestite prostitute; Manya - a crippled beggar; Paaya - a child who works in a meat shop; Chinta Swami - a rag collector, whose parents, though dead, are still considered missing in the Tsunami disaster; Damber - who sells newspapers and hope to be fair-skinned someday. Silsila's latest client are Rani and her sister Chutki, who had taken a loan, bought several Gujarati-style clothes and jewelery. Silsila meets with all his client every week, and gets the collections, which he then passes on to Jaffar Patni, who in turn passes them on to Baba Sheikh - who in turn uses the Hawala method to transfer these funds to Dubai-based gangsters. Rasiklal is a builder, who quickly wants to sell his flats, but is unable to do so until and unless a flyover is built in his area. He meets with M.L.A. Dubey, and together they attempt to convince Municipal Chief Engineer, Sailesh Jha, but in vain. Then Dubey calls upon Baba Sheikh to get in touch with his Dubai bosses, so that they kill Sailesh, ensure that the files are assigned to a more corrupt Chief Engineer, who will then authorize the flyover. The plan takes effect, and with the help of Silsila and other street-smart beggars, Sailesh is killed. Little do Silsila and the others know that their traffic signal will soon be uprooted to make way for the new flyover, and all of them will be in a state of despair and destitution.—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

This film is about the lives and travails of people living around a fictitious traffic signal in Mumbai. Anybody who drives in Mumbai has experienced the 2-odd minute wait at a traffic signal.

The traffic signal includes a microcosm of people who derive their daily livelihoods from it. There are beggars (kids and adults), prostitutes, tricksters, eunuchs, and others who sell clothes, flowers and trinkets. They speak quickly, act fast and operate somewhat honorably (with each other) to eke a meager living out of the harsh Mumbai Street life. They owe allegiance and Hafta (weekly "protection" fee) to the signal manager, Silsila (Kunal Khemu).

Silsila grew up at the signal. He ran various trades there before he became the manager. He is an ideal manager: sensitive and caring of his workers yet ruthless when it comes to delivery. Silsila reports into a mid-level don, Jaffar (D. Santosh), who in turn reports to the big boss Haji Bhaijaan (Sudhir Mishra).

Silsila manages everything, from sauce (that looks like blood for his beggars) to bribing car drivers to slow down when they approach the signal. He and his men even seed the car drivers to pay a beggar so that the car owner is shamed into giving a much bigger amount for their ego. The drivers also get a commission. Silsila wants to get into the collection business on credit cards, but the eunuchs on his signal want to stick to the signal. Mangaya (Upendra Limaye) is Silsila's 2nd in command. Samari (Gopal K Singh) is an educated person, who comes to the signal daily and roams around in his underwear as a crazy person and begs for alms.

For Silsila, every car that stops at the signal is a customer. Nothing is beyond bounds, money for coffin of a dead father, pregnant woman, orphan girl. every emotion is exploited and creamed. Silsila wants a promotion, but Jaffar won't let him meet Haji. Haji meanwhile is dealing with MLA Dubey, who wants Haji to accommodate Bangladeshi immigrants at his traffic signals. These immigrants are the MLAs vote bank. Dubey knows that begging is a Rs 180 Crores industry today.

Dominic (Ranvir Shorey) is an unemployed graduate who scams people at the signal to fund his drug addiction. Noorie (Konkona Sen Sharma) is a hooker who works at the signal. Dominic loves Noorie, but she can't sense it. He eventually dies from a drug overdose. Life is well at the signal. A gentle girl, Rani (Neetu Chandra), arrives at the signal to sell ethnic clothes. Silsila initially clashes with Rani as she doesn't know about paying protection money. Later, Samari befriends Rani and explains the concept to her to keep the authorities away. Rani agrees to pay and slowly they fall in love.

A signal boy Chinna Swamy Vedagiri calls the Tsumani relief center in Chennai on a weekly basis to find if his parents have been found yet. He is a rag picker and spends his meager income on this. In Chennai the officer secretly admits to his friends that Chinna's parents are dead, but the corrupt admins took the relief money for each dead person and instead put Chinna's parents on the missing list.

Unbeknownst to Silsila, Haji Bhaijaan is part of a larger nexus of evil that comprises politicians and the larger Mafia. MLA Dubey is in touch with a builder Rasiklal, who is not able to sell flats in his residential colony as there are too many traffic signals to get there and the municipality always keeps the road dug up. Rasiklal wants Dubey to build a flyover to his colony to solve the issue. Dubey meets Chief Engineer Sailesh Jha (Manoj Joshi) to sanction a new flyover, but Sailesh refuses to play ball. Dubey wants Rasiklal to ask the Mumbai mafia to eliminate Sailesh. eventually the matter lands with Haji.

Haji must play a dangerous game where he is forced to invoke the unwitting pawn, Silsila, to start a series of events that could ultimately destroy the traffic signal. Haji summons Jaffar and tells him to kidnap Sailesh. Haji knows that if the flyover is built, the traffic signal will be finished. Jaffer & Silsila are unaware of the larger consequences as he carries out his orders without question. Silsila stops Sailesh's car at the signal, but Haji's men shoot Sailesh instead of abducting him. Now Silsila realizes that Sailesh was a good man and was the last hope for his traffic signal. Jaffar says he is helpless. Soon, construction starts and the illegal shanties & the traffic signal are removed. Silsila is angry that Haji lied to him & Jafar. TO save his traffic signal, Silsila gives evidence in court and admits his role in the killing of Sailesh. Rasiklal, Dubey, Jaffar and Haji are arrested. Silsila is jailed and goes happily, knowing that his traffic signal is safe.