Black Friday

'Black Friday' is horrifyingly raw. It's overwhelmingly dark. It's frighteningly real. It's daringly gritty and graphic. Anurag Kashyap's film is one of the most skillfully executed movies of recent times. A great screenplay, strong light effects, the use of color, the direction, the performances, the background score work together very effectively. The cinematography, whether the shaky camera, the zooming or the closeup shots, works brilliantly. 'Black Friday' is slick (but not so much as to take away from the realness). Actors Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Shrivastava and Pavan Malhotra do an excellent job in the acting department.

Based on Hussain Zaidi's book of the same title, 'Black Friday' revolves around the investigation of the infamous Bombay blasts (after which Bombay became Mumbai) in the early 90s. The movie opens with a 'boom' and from then on the intricate investigation proceeds. As the trial was still in process, Kashyap had to wait years before his movie could finally release in 2007. The director deserves credit for bravely making a film on such a serious and risky subject.

However, it does have the documentary feel. Kashyap breaks the film into chapters and this gave the feeling that one was watching a documentary series. The pace isn't steady because the film does drag at certain points.

'Black Friday' is a brave well-made film and it is one that should be watched. Not everyone might like it but on some level they may appreciate it.

Mind blowing. Astounding. Astonishing. Superb. Enthralled. I could go on and put in all adjectives from the dictionary and even then I would still feel I need to say more. 1000 words isn't enough to write a review on Black Friday. Anurag Kashyap's foray into Bollywood was marred by the judiciary for more than 2 years, but finally the wait ended a few days back. And we were given the privilege to see the true potential of Indian film making. The topic was sensitive. Highly sensitive, one of the most tragic events in the last 3 decades in Indian history, an event which made Don Dawood Ibrahim as the #1 wanted man in India.

Right from the beginning, the interrogation sequence where the prisoner confesses,"Sir, bombs are about to explode in the city sir" Right from that word till the last scene where Tiger Memon says,"Mumbai mein dhamaka macha dega hum." you are glued to your seat, wondering what will the director make you see next ? The casting for the movie was in my opinion perfect. One may criticize that Kay Kay Memon was underused, but in my opinion, he was just perfect. He wasn't given much screen appearance but whatever time he had, he brought everyone to their feet. His dialogs brought the entire theater applauding. Aditya Srivastava and Pawan Malhotra were equally good, if not better. Pawan Malhotra's portrayal of the underworld don Tiger Memon was just superb. Same goes for Aditya Srivastava's portrayal of Badshah Khan, the terrorist who turned as a police witness. His struggle to escape the country, from the clutches of Mumbai police was just marvelously portrayed. A person helplessly running around the country, lack of money, being chased around by an unknown force. And when mentioning the casting one cannot but ignore Vijay Maurya as the feared Dawood Ibrahim. He was given about a couple of minutes at maximum of screen presence but even in that minute period he brought a shiver up your spines.

Black Friday is also a very good technical movie. The special effects used are pretty advanced and are at par with Hollywood. The script although adapted is superb. Every expression, dialog will make you feel for the characters in the movie.

Just remember this isn't a movie about Hindus or Muslims. At first you feel for all the people getting killed by the blasts, but later when the riots are shown, then you feel for the Muslims as well. But this ain't a movie for any of the religious sentiments. Its about the society as a whole in those few years in Mumbai. This is the type of movie that India should send to Oscars and other film festivals/awards. The world should be made known that we can make movies that will claim fame and bring India to the global picture.

10/10 !!!

Mr. Anurag Kashyap,

Take a bow! Black Friday is sincerely the greatest piece of cinematic magic to be released ever. You and your team have produced cinema of the highest quality, raised the notch by a few miles and used this medium like never before, hats off to you sir!

I must admit that I am slightly biased toward your film because I have been born and brought up in Bombay and on March 12, 1993 (the day of the serial blasts) was just 8 years old. As Salman Rushdie famously calls children born during the era of Indian Independence as "Midnight Children", i would like to say we are but "Blast Children". Children whose innocence has been shattered mercilessly by the underworld and extremists from every religion and you have portrayed just that in your film.

The film does not hype terrorism or romanticize the darkness of Bombay or the coldness of its police like many other so called underworld films do but portrays exactly what happens in reality, the human side. Sir, your film has merged the very shady line between cinematic magic, fiction and reality to an intoxicating mix of actuality.

Pawan Malhotra (Tiger Memon), Kay Kay (Rakesh Maria) and Aditya Srivastava (Badhshah Khan) do not act, they live and breathe the very sentiments of these real life people. As a viewing audience I never once felt like I was watching a film, but felt like a 'fly on the wall' as the plot unfolds before your very eyes, the very same helplessness as Mumbaikars felt on that very day of the bomb blasts. The music by Indian Ocean is outstanding, it flows as easily as your reel does and blends so very brilliantly with the script.

The cold chill that trickles down your spine as Dawood Ibrahim is shown in his mansion in Dubai is breathtaking. The authenticity of Bombay and its various locations from fast food restaurants in Bandra to the passport office in Worli is worth many many accolades.

Mr. Kashyap, this film has struck the very chord of life in cinema once more. I'm sure everybody who watches it will share similar sentiments as I do. I am glad that the 2 year dustbin wait for your film did not deter you from eventually getting it released. You are not alone sir, the world supports your work with open arms. The silver screen is worth visiting again. Thank you sir and take a bow again..

Yours sincerely, Aditya

I just watched Black Friday last night at home and didn't feel like missing a single scene or even a shot of the movie. I was totally concentrated and lost in this movie. I felt how a genuine, appreciable and real effort can go wasted on box office. Such movies should run well even on box office as well as in award functions.

Kay Kay Menon is one of my favorite actor as well as Pavan Malhotra in his intense role playing. Hats off again to this movie from 1st scene to last one. The sequence of Badshah Khan moving Rampur to Jaipur to Kolkata and back to Rampur is truly worth-watching. I know this movie didn't mean to earn profits or a MASALA FLICK that's why it became a serious cinema and worth watching.

Anurag Kashyap has really done a brilliant and hard-hitting job. I wanted to see this movie from the moment I came to knowledge about it. I really enjoyed every moment though I found there were many censor cuts during the movie and BEEP tones during bad words speaking. Anurag made it hardcore real.

I am not here to reveal or tell the story as it will spoil concentration and excitement of the watchers who didn't watch this movie yet. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND BY BEING A REAL MOVIE-WATCHER TO SEE THIS MOVIE ANY WAY YOU CAN GET IT.

I learned that because of politicians' dirty plays, games and just because of their selfishness such incidences happens frequently in our country and which interrupts India to move further progressively. Such degressing tact, cheats and bad intentions of our politicians ruins peace between 2 religions and whatever they do they do just for their own benefit. How many innocent people were killed during such riots and blasts that's nightmarish thought and DID THIS POLITICIANS EVER THINK ABOUT THEIR INNOCENT FAMILIES WHILE PLANNING SUCH THINGS? My anger is purely towards THE POLITICIANS not to any Hindu or Muslim. Now our young generation must come up with their new ideas, intelligence and unity to fail such bad and dishonest intentions of Indian POLITICIANS.

BLACK Friday is most worth watching that's all.

It saddens me that posters on this thread have the need to brand this as a 'bollywood' movie. the brilliance that is ' black Friday' is so far,far,far removed and so many million times better than any of the dross that conventional ' bollywood' could ever even HOPE to produce makes 'bollywood' a throughly inappropriate branding for ' black Friday'.

for me, 'black Friday' is paving the way for what Indian cinema *should* be doing more of....that is, challenging it's audience and offering some intellectual stimulation.

I realise that the Indian cinema public's demand is overwhelmingly for ' boy meets girl, boys long lost brother/best friend also loves the same girl, they have a fight, then they realise they are brothers and engage in a 30 minute dance recital', type of bullshit, but Indians are becoming more sophisticated and I for one cannot wait for the more serious and discerning productions to come from India that truly challenges the mind and senses.

'Black Friday' in this regards represents a HUGE turning point for Indian cinema.

don't miss it..it's a must see movie on so many levels.