Asian Godfather - Die Gangs von Wasseypur

Gangs of Wasseypur stands firmly on the grounds of direction, acting, screenplay, story-line, cinematography & music. Manoj Pandey has delivered an outstanding performance. The movie has to be rated "A" because of a lot of abuses (which implies, its not a family flick). But the essence of it is demanding and commendable. Everyone has done a splendid job. This one is not loose even for a minute. The most important aspect of its appreciation is its star-cast. A lot of new faces and still it doesn't disappoint. You can just imagine the crew on board when actors like Piyush Mishra & Yashpal Sharma are totally wasted. An entertaining cinema worth watching. There is no doubt that Anurag Kashyap is Bollywood's Quentin Tarantino. A must watch.

This film is often compared to its Hollywood influences, Quentin Tarantino and the Godfather, but in my opinion Gangs of Wasseypur actually outdo these. The level of scope and detail are unparalleled and makes the audience feel like they are really living in these time periods. The balancing act of so many characters is achieved deftly and with great actors who bring a strong sense of brutal ambition. This is an epic in the true sense of the term with technical perfection and an incredible story.

I have just returned from the first day late night show of this movie (the first part) and it has totally blown me away.

The movie starts with a bang and carries the charm throughout. The way each character is introduced is terrific. It is story telling at its best. From Shahid Khan to Sardar Khan to Sultan, you actually end up fearing them all - the characters are so beautifully portrayed. Manoj Bajpai is amazing as Sardar (he really got into the character) and the narration (by one of the gang members) adds a lot of flavor to the entire flow of the movie.

Siddiqui's role is brief in the first part and I have a feeling he will play a major role in the remaining part of this epic. He is already looking good. Tigmanshu as Ramadheer Singh is terrific, his expressions too good.

Apart from this, the movie is informative - it very subtly tells the audience all about the way Indian coal mafia has progressed over the years, the gang wars, the politics. Obviously there is a lot of slang. I have not seen a Hindi movie with so crude a language ever, absolutely not recommended for family viewing and children/teenagers.

The camera angles, especially the final sequence is superb.

Anurag Kashyap is India's answer to Quentin Terentino. Gangs of Waseypur is already a Cult.

An epic tale about loyalty, crime, lust, treachery and vendetta. A cinematic magnum opus.

Set in Dhanbaad's(Jharkhand)Village, called Wasseypur, "Gangs of Wasseypur" starts with our very own "Kyunki Saas bhi bahu thi" and goes beyond the cinematic ethics. A saga which has all the ingredients of a cult cinema like black humor, full mouthed characters, adultery, bullets,vengeance and everything you expect in a film by Anurag Kashyap.

En route to end of British Raj in India, Shahid Khan, a dacoit, loots the British trains, masquerading as Sultana Daku, is shot dead by Ramadhir Singh's goon. Shahid's son, Sardar Khan, pledges to avenge his father's death and shaves his head. He becomes one of the most notorious gangsters of Wasseypur. The film reconnoiters his connections with power, politics and fraternity of crime. There is a clash between two Muslim groups Pathans and Qureshis, about their covetousness for glory and money.

Manoj Bajpai gives an impeccable performance as a violent and lecherous man. It is one of the powerhouse acts, we will ever encounter. The real find of the decade is Tigmanshu Dhuila a well-known cult director (Hassil, Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi aur Gangster etc), who embodied the character as if he himself is Ramdhir Singh.

Richa Chadda is believable as Sardar Khan's anxious and bold wife. Reema Sen is good as a silent and steamy concubine of Sardar Khan.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a born thespian; he is believable as weed smoking, Amitabh's die-hard fan and black sheep of the family. We have already witnessed him in "Kahaani" and "Peepli live". I think he is one of the most underrated actors, has now got an opportunity to flaunt himself in GOW II(I saw the trailer of Part II after the credit rolled).

Rest of the cast Piyush Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, Huma Quershi(debut-She looks ravishing while persuading the theater's security guard for the second show of the movie "Trishul") and others are so authentic that you will easily relate the characters with North India (Bihar), the dialects, the dialogue delivery, the expressions are genuine.

The music by Sneha Khanwalkar is down to earth, a triumph, it has the rustic soul and is very unique. One can understand the geniuses by listening the beats and lyrics. Some of them are folks sung by the locals.

And after all it's Anurag Kashyap ,who can go to any length to enhance the quality of Indian Cinema. Undoubtedly it has been screened in Cannes,and people watched the entire saga (a delirious 5 Hours 20 Minutes run time) and lauded with the accolades. However, it should have been edited 20 minutes.

Impatiently waiting for Part II.

8.2/10

It has been nearly 5 years since I went and saw a movie first day first show in the theatres. But such was the level of anticipation with "gangs of wasseypur" that I found myself standing in front of the ticket counter at quarter to nine. The movie, which is 160 minutes long, starts with a shoot-them-up which may be the most authentic shoot-to-kill scene in Hindi cinema. The movie tells the story of rivalries between different sects of Muslims: the butchers, Qureshis, and the Pathans, Khans and extend over a period of three generations. The story starts from the pre- independence era when the British owned the mines in Dhanbad. After independence, these mines pass on to the wealthy landlord who hires an exiled Pathan to act as his strongman. The pathan, the father of Sardar Khan (Manoj Vajpayee) has been kicked out of his village, Wasseypur, after a confrontation with the local musclemen, the Qureshis, and is now forced to work in the mines of Dhanbad. He starts becoming too big for his shoes and is bumped off by the landlord thus beginning a series of killings and counter-killings. The acting by the "star" cast is stunning with Manoj Vajpayee leading the pack in as good as a performance as "Bheeku Mahatre" in Satya. When he stares lustfully at the back side of Reema Sen (here resurrected after being in the wilderness for nearly half a dozen years), you can feel the lust as a physical thing. He is backed by a very strong ensemble cast. The real strength of the movie is its dialogues. The words, replete with the choicest of abuses, feel as if they were wiretapped. The conversation rings true to life and had me laughing at the sheer vulgarity of it. The patois is captured very faithfully. The only negative point about the movie is its length which could have been edited somewhat in the second half when the third generation takes up (like the long Godfather III, if you may). Anurag Kashyap has put his soul into the movie and that is visible from every frame of the movie. The direction is the best I have seen this year in Hindi cinema and will only increase the expectations from the second part of this opus. And that is why I am jealous of the lucky bastards at the Cannes film festival who got to see both the parts back to back. The movie ends at a tantalizing junction and the prospect of meeting with these barely lovable characters for a second outing left me salivating.