Gangs of Wasseypur is a treat; a sequence of one brilliant scene after another, scenes which are fun on surface but psychotically violent deep down. It’s bold, in the face and everything a good crime movie should be. The sets, the dialogues, the casting, even the use of regional words is meticulous. But it’s just too long, it’s like watching two good movies back to back, it feels good but you still get tired. If only Kashyap had the guts to go for a television series instead of a movie, this could be India’s first globally accepted and renowned television program.
The movie clearly has been edited a lot to compress it into a feature length film; TV could have given more breathing space to the myriad of characters who pop in and out and dazzle you. Even at its current length, the first part itself could have made up for 7-8 episode series. Bajpayi is phenomenal as Sardar Singh, but I believe none of the actor was any less; Kashyap has been successful in extracting delightfully realistic characters from the entire cast.
But it is definitely not for the faint hearted, the movie is as gory as they come, without any regards to your sensibility. So, beware. I saw many people leaving the theatre, some even before the interval, especially around the scene where a new inspector wanders into qureshi territory, a butchering house, in search of evidence for a murder. My take? Watch it if you don’t want to miss an explosion of cinematic art. This is one of the movies which will mark the point in history where the Indian Film Industry and its audience matured. Waiting for the second part now!!
A good take on the movie … but i thought both the part should have been released simultaneously … rather should have been one … was ready to sit for another 2.5 hrs. Two parts of such an enthralling script breaks the momentum 🙁
I would see that!! 😀
If only there were two things that remain inexplicable to me could be cleared, it would become an even better motion picture. Firstly, at the end, the chief antagonist gets his rival shot at the petrol pump something he could have achieved at any other point of time without being caught like poisoning his food, car accident etc. (there are 100s of ways of a murder without getting caught). Secondly, why did the movie stray too much on the marriage and the extra marital affair of the male protagonist? It albeit gave a lot to laugh at but equally hilarious situations could have been created in the main plot of coal mafia and their corroboration with politicians which would have made the narrative even more engaging…
I’ll try to reply on Kashyap’s behalf. Wasseypur was not a place where you did things discreetly. You didn’t run people over.. you hit them with your jeep if they were running away so that you could stab them repeatedly until they died. You didn’t kill people with a headshot to set them straight, you killed and mutilated their friends in front of them and then forced them to watch. Sardar Khan was shot at a petrol pump at the end of the movie because he was alone and unguarded, which as you know was well plotted, using Faizal’s best friend and Durga.
And, regarding the over emphasis on certain aspects of the characters lives.. It may seem extraneous right now, but in the context of the entire movie [the second part included] everything would make sense. Behind each of those stray deviations from plot was a keen motivation of building characters and situations which would help the story progress in the later half, be it the dream sequence of ray-ban sporting faizal khan or the multiple extramarital affairs. Faizal’s character is a direct result of his father’s abandonment and his mother’s small extra-marital affair.