Finally I managed to watch controversial director Anuraag Kashyap’s Black Friday, which was supposed to release few years back but couldn’t, and I can now understand why. The film traces back to the Bombay bomb blasts of ’93 and their causes and consequences, all explained in a very detailed way in the film.
Scene 1 : A person being tortured by Mumbai police. He informs them that blasts are going to occur in the city. The inspector laughs away, not taking him seriously.
Scene 2 : A bearded guy planning out a few operations, something really BIG, in a muslim locality in Bombay.
Scene 3: Bombay stock exchange. Its just a normal day. The business activities are going on as usual, some vendors are selling vada pao outside. And then, the blast occurs.
It jolts you, it just not seems another fake blast on screen which you have been witnessing time n again in hundreds of Bollywood movies, this seems real. Its shocking, coz the aftermaths make your blood crawl. People are lying amongst a pool of blood, cant move their limbs, expecting help from citizens, but cant cry out. they are just not in a condition to do so.
And it doesn’t end there. The city witnesses a couple of more blasts. And more!
Welcome to the world of Anuraag Kashyap films. Yes, finally!
We all have known him as a controversial director till date. But now after watching this masterstroke, I can call him an expert director and a screenplay writer.
Black Friday isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some may actually find the narration confusing. The story unfolds in chapters, keeps switching from past to present to future without warnings, and contains graphic violence, abusive language and some shocking incidents - this contains torturing of even innocent people who had nothing to do with the conspiracies, the planning of the blasts, people involved, people targetted, Bomb training in Pakistan, the criminal-police confrontations etc
It concentrates on a small part of the muslim community, who were misled in the name of religion, by Tiger Memom for his own selfish reasons, and taking advantage of their anger n frustrations. Though the film doesn’t target any Hindus as such and revolves around the wrongdoings of a few Islamic followers (thereby making it seem offensive to some), this film has been handled, scripted, narrated and directed so brilliantly that it should wake up the real conscience inside everyone, whether he’s a follower of Islam or Hinduism.
This is evident in a scene just before the intermission, when the enraged Muslim Baadshah Khan is involved in a confrontation with the Hindu police inspector:
Baadshah: "Hum sab yeh blasts karne mein kaamyaab huey, kyunki Allah hamare saath tha".
Inspector: "Nahi, is baar Allah hamare saath tha, kyunki agar woh tumhare saath hota, to tum pakade nahi jaate. Tum log yahan par nahi hote. Woh log tumhe ch banate hain, aur tum ch bante ho, dharam ke naam par ch ho tum log".
Every scene in the film speaks volumes, reflects the passion and intensity gone in everey single expression of the actors, every single gesture, every single moment. Yet I would list some of the notable scenes in the film:
1) The sequence involving the very first bomb blast at the Bombay Stock exchange, and the immediate consequences. sends a shiver down your spine.
2) The interrogation of the police with the very first person arrested.
3) Baadshah Khan’s fight for his passport in the hotel room
4) Baadshah Khan’s roaming around from Rampur to Jaipur to Kolkata to Rampur again, and finally getting arrested. I simply loved the background music while he was struggling to get in touch with Tiger Memom.
5) The confrontation scene between the inspector and Baadshah Khan right before the intermission.
6) The training of the group in Pakistan
7) The self awakening of Baadshah Khan towards the end of the film, when he decides to become a witness.
The film also had a lot of scope to go overboard, given its script . But therein lies its greatness. Instead of that, Anuraag kinda gets laid back, and instead of giving a conclusion, ends the film making the audience form their own judgements and opinions as to what they make out from all which they have watched. The last scene of the film traces back to its beginning, and shows all the blasts which occured in the city, one by one..
Why did this happen? Did it benefit anyone? Why killings in the name of religion? Why do we believe in the "khoon ka badla khoon" attitude? And why should innocents suffer? Why are people so easily misled?
These answers or questions were not provided in its climax or in any part of the film despite hinting towards them, but thats what I really asked as I left the theatre.
it doesnt preach or shout from the rooftops why people shouldn’t kill in the name of religion. It rather focusses on the plans made, those cowards’ justifications for the blasts, but ultimately, what happened.. Killings of innocents, torturing of these misled people - while the master planner, the man behind all this, and the biggest coward Tiger Memom, was enjoying in Dubai!!
This one is a masterpiece! and Bollywood has set high standards for itself with Black Friday, and so has Anuraag Kashyap. Looking forward to his next release, that is, IF it gets released.
My rating: 4.5/5