Movie Review: ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’
Tipped to be the film of the London��Indian Film Festival for this year, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ was much anticipated by the audience in London. Actor Jaideep Ahlawat is counting on the film for proving his talent to future directors of his film. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Ahlawat said: ���Gangs Of Wasseypur��is going to be one of those rare cult movies in Indian cinema in the next five to ten years. This has been the most talked about film in the last two months. Everyone was waiting for this movie with bated breath. It’s a complete film. It’s got everything that Indian cinema has – commercial elements with songs and humour and rich art and craft.� Despite the film being very dark, actress Reema Sen remembers the film for its lighter moments.�� The newly married actress was away for the promotion of the film but told NDTV, ���There was this scene in the film where I had to slap Manoj and I accidentally hit him. Later, he laughed and told me, ‘God bless your husband!’ It was really nice to work with actors like him and Tigmanshu Dhulia.� The film has certainly created a lasting impression on its actors and impressed critics at the Annual Cannes Film Festival.
Director Anurag Kashyap sets the world of Wasseypur in a small coal-mining village where Shahid Khan (Jaideep Ahlawat) is exiled to after being caught imitating infamous bandit Sultana Daku. Whilst trying to earn an honest income in the mines, Khan�۪s wife dies in childbirth leaving behind a son. The devoted husband is unable to see his wife in her last moments as there is a rule that prevents the workers from leaving the mines. Later, Khan is hired by the mine�۪s owner Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) who later kills him. Shahid�۪s friend Farhan (Piyush Mishra) takes the son Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpai) to safety who swears he will avenge his father�۪s death and not grow his hair until he does so. ��Years later, Sardar heads to Ramadhir�۪s turf to challenge his authority. Despite being married to Najma (Richa Chaddha), he ends up falling for Durga (Reema Sen). Ramadhir tries to end his reign as well and how Sardar�۪s son takes over his quest creates the rest of the story.
The two things this film does do perfectly are the cast and cinematography. Bajpai is at his best as the vengeful and ruthless Sardar Khan and delivers every piece of dialogue with great passion. ��Richa Chaddha is truly awe inspiring as the feisty wife and mother and matches Bajpai�۪s talent as she fights her husband�۪s corner. Tigmanshu�۪s dialogue with his stupid son creates the lighter moments in the film and he does excel playing the mafia lord Ramadhir. The cinematography for this film has to be mentioned as it really is very well shot. From the first scene where the film opens to the credits from drama serial ��Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi�۪ to Shahid Khan�۪s wife�۪s death at childbirth, each scene has been given a truly gritty yet honest feel to them. The director hasn�۪t shied away from portraying village life as raw as possible with many scenes shot on handheld cameras; you can even count exactly how many times someone gets stabbed or shot throughout the film.
The storyline of the film is good but you can�۪t help but feel that the scriptwriters are trying to introduce too many mini stories into a rather small town film. The film does have many memorable moments but the length of the film makes it seem convoluted and dragged out. Throughout the film, there are so many new characters being introduced that you do start to lose track of the storyline and the quest for vengeance. ��The music of the film does not take centre-stage in this film but then again, that was not the intention.
‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ is definitely one of those films you have to see to understand the storyline and appreciate its setting. Though the portrayal of violence is very raw and graphic at times, the film tries to bring out these aspects of the storyline to the audience to suck them into this vengeful climate. This film will be remembered for Bajpai and Jaideep Ahlawat�۪s performance as they really are groundbreaking.��It is a��great film but should have focused on the key characters to make it a bigger success than it has been overseas.
BizAsia Showbiz Rating: 3/5
