Release date: 22 June 2012
		Bollywood3.com Rating : 2.75/5
		Director : Anurag Kashyap
		Producer :Anurag Kashyap, Sunil Bohra
		Music Director : Sneha Khanwalkar
		Starring: Jaideep Ahlawat, Manoj Bajpai, Richa Chadda

Anurag Kashyap’s much hyped and eagerly awaited drama ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ has released across the world and the film has some terrific actors in lead roles. Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Richa Chadda, Jaideep Ahlawat etc are a part of this movie. Sneha Khalwalkar has scored the music and the film has been released through Viacom Motion pictures. Let us see how the movie is.

Story :

This film’s story stretches across three generations and it starts off in pre-independence India. Shahid Khan (Jaideep Ahlawat) is a dacoit who gives up his ways to work in the coalmines of Dhanbad. Soon, he becomes the personal pehalwan of the coal mines owner Ramdhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) and rises in importance. However, Ramdhir Singh finishes off Shahid Khan because of certain suspicions. This is known by Shahid’s son Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpayee), who vows to take revenge against the establishment of Ramdhir Singh.

Sardar Khan grows up to become a dreaded and feared man. He clashes with Ramdhir Singh at every opportunity and tries to extract his revenge. In the meantime, Sardar Khan has two wives, Nagma (Richa Chadda) and Durga (Reema Sen). Khan also has a family rivalry with the Quireshis and this is exploited by Ramdhir Singh.

As a tale of crime and dominance unfolds, Khan is faced with death, betrayal and tough choices. Will he be able to achieve his objectives? That forms the story.

Plus Points :

Manoj Bajpayee is the heart and soul of this movie and he has delivered the finest performance of his career for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. He manages to deliver a myriad complex emotions with ease and his intense screen presence is chilling. His character has been etched well and he gets most of the screen time. His scenes with Reema Sen and Richa Chadda are truly outstanding.

Speaking about the leading ladies, both Richa Chadda and Reema Sen deliver beautifully. Jaideep Ahlawat is good as Shahid Khan. Tigmanshu Dhulia is outstanding as Ramdhir Singh.

The movie has some chilling and quite wonderfully shot scenes which will stand out for their sheer brilliance of execution. Dialogues are earthy and they give Manoj a good lift. Pre-Independence India as well as India of the early 50′s and 60′s is captured quite authentically. All the other actors like Nawazuddin, Huma Qureshi etc, do a good job in this movie.

Minus Points :

The film is very long and the pace of narration is actually very slow. This kind of pace is not acceptable for most moviegoers and that is the biggest culprit of the film. Though there are some truly good scenes, they are very far apart in the film.

The movie’s coarse language and disturbing scenes might offend a few sections of the audience. There are too many subplots and unnecessary distractions in the film and they detract from the overall story line.

Anurag Kashyap succeeds in coming up with an engaging storyline but he does not seem to care too much for regular movie lovers.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography is outstanding and it is a major asset for the film. Dialogues are powerful and whistle inducing. Editing could have been a lot better and tighter, as that would have made a huge difference to the movie.

Background score and the songs are very good. Screenplay keeps going for a toss throughout the film and redeems itself once in a while.

Verdict :

Let us assume you’ve ordered a very large chicken pizza from a very expensive place. After the pizza is delivered, you find out that the large pizza has only 2 or 3 chicken pieces. The three pieces can be delicious, but will you be satisfied with them when you have paid a premium for a proper chicken pizza? That is precisely the problem with ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. The movie is brilliant in places, but it has tiring narration and very poor pace. The excessive length also works against the movie and it is not suitable for anyone looking to catch a casual entertainer this weekend.

Bollywood3.com Rating : 2.75/5

Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru.

Legend:

5 – Flawless

4 – Must Watch

3 – One Time Watch

2 – Wait for the DVD

1 – Stay Away

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