Gangs of Wasseypur: A Review
Background:
“Gangs of Wasseypur” is an Indian dark comedy/crime movie released in two parts in 2012 and 2015 respectively. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, it is considered a cult movie whose viewership is limited, doesn’t feature high end stars and is comparatively less lengthy.
Cast:
The movie features Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Faizal Khan, Manoj Bajpayee as Sardar Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat as Shahid khan, Tigmanshu Dhulia as Ramadhir Singh, alongwith other minor but equally important characters like Definite played by Zeeshan Qadri, Sultana Daaku played by Pramood Pathak and Sultan played by Pankaj Tripathi.
Theme and Setting:
The movie addresses several realistic social issues like robbery, extortion, bribing, but it mainly revolves around the relationship among power, politics and crime.
The story starts from Wasseypur, a town in Dhanbad distt. Of the Jharkhand state of India. But back then, it was a part of Bengal state. The neighborhoods and surroundings are quite gloomy
and dull. Some strange or say unusual events make it look like a gothic story as well. But it has the element or realism in it above all.
A brief storyline:
It’s the time of pre-partition British India. Sultana Daaku and Shahid khan both lived in Wasseypur. A clash between them on looting the British trains led to Khan’s exile from Wasseypur and a long ruthless bloodshed spanning generations.
The outcasted Shahid khan went to Dhanbad and started working at Ramadhir Singh’s coal mine. But Ramadhir got him murdered for some reason and the story of revenge begins from here. Shahid Khan’s pitiless son Sardar Khan and his offsprings started a terrifying war in Wasseypur and Dhanbad both against Sultana Daaku’s successors and their main target, Ramadhir Singh; who had become a well known politician till then.
Sardar and his eldest son, Danish Khan also got murdered in the quest of their forefather’s revenge. But the younger Faizal alongwith his stepbrother Definite Khan, continued seeking their retribution. After loosing his grandfather, father, brother and his wife in the lethal war , Faizal at last, succeeds in killings the seemingly unstoppable Ramadhir Singh and puts an end to the deadly clash spanning over 7 decades. Immediately after, he also dies in the exchange of firing and only “Definite" survives.
Review:
Indian film industry / Bollywood has a history of producing emotional, romantic movies with happy endings. Sometimes, giving supernatural powers to the protagonist who is not even a superhuman.
But this movie like Anurag Kashyap’s other works, deals with some major social issues. His directions are mostly based in rural areas and his heroes are not muscular or athletic. Rather, they are convincingly similar to common people, making the viewers relate to each and every part of it. It depicts what happens behind the eyes of common people regarding politics, big businesses and public management. It also portrays the change of interests and priorities with the change in time and circumstances. How influential figures of the society use common people for their own benefits, compelling them into fatal hostilities for generations.
Such out of the way movies have a limited fan base because not everyone wants a movie to be that close to reality or likes to see those bitter realities of life on big screen. It also features no high profile name which makes it fall into the category of cult movies. But still, “Gangs” managed to collect twice much as it’s production budget; on box-office.