A lot is made out of the so called 100 Crore club (littered with items and gags and little else) but cinema is also Art (a compromised Art form but it can be Art nevertheless). Cinema is also about story telling, sketching-n-developing memorable characters, crafty technique and then the ability to weave it all together ensuring that the end product holds the audience attention from start to finish. Gangs Of Wasseypur part 2 grips your attention from start to finish though the blood-n-gore leaves you numb as you exit the theatre.
A movie is special when the Moments from the film continue to play on in your mind, hours after coming out of a movie hall. Gangs of Wasseypur part 2 succeeds in doing so. Faizal Khan (Nawazuddin, smashing) pleads Mohsina’s (Huma Qureshi, confident and pretty) ’permission’ for having sex with him. Faizal tells his traiter friend Fazlu, "Hum to samjhe the ki hum Sanjeev Kumar ke vahan Bachchan paida hue hain, lekin hum to Shashi Kapoor nikle, Bachchan to koi aur tha" and then he cuts Fazlu’s head off with blood spurting out in a rush. After coming out from the jail Faizal is horny and grips Mohsina, "Jail mein tumhaare baare mein soch soch kar haath thak gaye". Mohsina sings ’Nervsao nahin moora, frustiyao nahin moora, thoda fightuya karo ji moora’ to a dejected Faizal Khan languishing in jail. It emanates from their filmy romance where heroine is meant to motivate the hero by singing songs of positivity and hope. Nagma Khatoon (Richa Chadda, simply fascinating) chides Faizal to rise up from his obsession with drugs and take revenge from the enemies. Definite (Zeishan Qadri, surprise package) is on a mission to bump off the dreaded Sultan. As he communicates with his comrades on mobile phone, a hilarious comic situation ensues where one guy is talking to two accomplices simultaniously on two different mobiles and his pyjama drops down. Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia, what a find as an actor) takes a dig at Hindi movies in an extremely funny, tongue-in-cheek manner. Yashpal Sharma is the orchestra singer for all occasions, be it death or celebration. He sings the popular Hindi film songs that gel with the mood of the situation. And yes he surely fancies his Bollywood chances as he counts the beats during interludes ensuring that he practises perfection required at the highest level. There are many more scenes that stay with you.
Writers Akhilesh Jaiswal, Anurag Kashyap, Sachin K Ladia and Zeeshan Qadri deserve full marks for putting together a very interesting story. Yes, you’ve seen many gangster stories but this one has a unique edge. Wasiq Khan’s production design is true to life. Minutest of details are taken care of. Rajeev Ravi’s camerawork is brilliant. It captures the ’reality’ of the small town superbly with the right doses of darkness and dinginess. Sneha Khanwalkar’s music is special. ’Checha Ledar’ has been used superbly. ’Moora’ carries a very unprepared feel to it that makes it sound very real and believable. G V Prakash’s background score elevates the mood of all the situations. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra deserves full marks for putting together a stellar ensemble cast. Perpendicular, the fat police inspector with a silly laughter, Sultan, Jameel Khan.... Long list of incredible performers.
The much hyped introduction scene where Sultan raids Faizal Khan’s home with bombs and machine guns seems far fetched. When the hooligans were having such heightened ammunition, why didn’t they barge into the house to ensure that everyone is bumped off. No one from Faizal’s family gets killed in such a gruesome attack. The usage of expletives definitely goes with the context of the film but there’s an excessive usage of cuss words that gets repulsive beyond a point. The bloody gun battles that litter the entire course of the film weighs you down. Also, the manner in which the murders are committed with least remorse and the brutality of the crime doesn’t make for an easy watch.
Director Anurag Kashyap’s ’Gangs Of Wasseypur part 2’ is a brilliant film that finds its director at the top of his game. He is charged up and handles the complexities of a difficult context (it involves real people, a few of whom are still alive) with a lot of conviction. The best part is that Anurag as a director triumphs as he leads a passionate team and is more than willing to share credit with them. Cinema is a collective Art form and Anurag seems to be one of the very few directors in India who understands, advocates and respects that.
Star Rating: three and a half stars