The Gangs

Till now i have stopped myself from writing film reviews, with a lot of success i might add, but a few days ago i saw a movie that was so beautifully crafted, played with such nuance that it left me breathless, i won't really try to review this movie but what i will try to write about is how it impacted me, how it gave me a longing for the next part, how it suddenly increased my respect for Manoj Bajpayee, Piyush Mishra, Tigmanshu Dhulia and the other members of this fabulous cast.

The first and the best part i liked about the Gangs of Wasseypur was that nothing was done in half measure, the violence was brutal, absolutely unadulterated and in your face. The humour was lewd, crass and sexual but it was also physical, impeccable and found in situations where we see the humour, it was never forced. The hatred that was portrayed was so real that i felt the characters hatred bubble up inside me.

The second thing (which came very close to the first) which i loved was the reality of these characters, and the reality of the character that is not credited, the city of Dhanbad and the life of Bihar. Sardar Khan and his hatred, the self loathing of Piyush Mishra, the anger of Sultan Qureshi, the pride of Ramadhir Singh and the buffonnery of JP singh.

The third thing that really got my attention were the powerful roles for women, Nagma and Durga the 2 women in Sardar's life. The Dutiful yet firebrand wife and the devious mistress who finally gets her pound of flesh.

The story is masterfully written and nowhere do i feel that there is a lull in the proceedings, from bomb attacks, to katta's misfiring, the stabbings, the shootings, the funny moments this story has it all, and it has great actors. the emotional connect is amazing with this movie and i'm being less than critical because after such a long time has a story truly touched my heart.

The icing is the last scene, Sardar Khan walks out of his ambassador full of bullet holes a la Yogendra Yadav of LOC, on his 2 feet and gun at the ready, and the background playing Jiye ho Bihar ke lala, the scene is one of the most haunting that i have ever seen, right up there with Al Pacino's monologue in Scent of a Woman and KK Menon in Shaurya. But most of all the song reminds me of Aditya Jha, i sometimes hope, wonder, pray that even in his last minutes he was a fighter and as a human i knew he embodied everything the song was about...tani naachi ke, tani gaayi ke, sabka mann behalaavo re bhaiyaa...

To a great movie and great man...both are appreciated....