2 years ago, Ram Gopal Varma came up with a two-part series, Rakht Charitra . The first part blew the viewers with flawless execution. But the second part was too slow and kind of senseless, that proved to be a huge disappointment. As Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 was nearing release and its team was promoting the film, Rakht Charitra lingered on my mind. I seriously hoped that Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 should not go Rakht Charitra-2 way because Gangs Of Wasseypur 1 despite its flaws made for a spectacular watch. Thankfully, all my fears were put to rest as Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 unfolded. It’s a pleasant surprise to know that the film is much better than the first part and boasts of loads and loads of exciting and funny moments. A movie to watch out for!
The story of the movie : Times have changed in Wasseypur-Dhanbad. Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) and Sardar Khan’s (Manoj Bajpayee) f amily are not the only ones to be feared. Half a dozen wannabe gangsters have formed their own gangs and try to become the next Ramadhir or Sardar. Circumstances force Sardar’s younger son Faizal Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) to take charge and become one of the dreaded gangsters. And needless to say, he’s all set to avenge the killing of his grandfather Shahid Khan (Jaideep Ahlawat) and Sardar. At a time when it is hard to trust closest friends and associates, will Faizal succeed in his endaevour?
Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 was in a safe zone in a way. The characters and the revenge angle were well established in the part 1. Part 1 covered almost 45-50 years of story whereas part 2 concentrates on just around 10 years of story. Most importantly, Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 zooms ahead swiftly and innovatively! The narrative is extremely engrossing, with loads of unexpected humour thrown in. Hindi films, most often, show gangsters and dons as super-smart, having a well-organized and well-coordinated team and executing their plans in the most professional manner possible. But the gangs in Wasseypur-Dhanbad can’t be expected to do the same. Anurag Kashyap, for his quest for realism, shows guns getting stuck when a gangster has come to murder another, disorganized planning when gang members are sent to murder someone and my most favourite – a chase on a street full of traffic jam , instantly reminding one of the legendary chase sequence in Kashyap’s Black Friday ! Moreover, the characters are filmy, which also brings lot of laughter!
At the same time, Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 has several poignant and sensitive moments. Faizal’s relation with Mohsina (Huma Qureshi) is comical and yet quite touching. Moreover, several characters’ agenda is hidden till the last minute and one keeps guessing throughout the film as to what they wants or whom do they support. The first half is brilliant but the second half is even better. As for the climax, the less said the better and only thing that can be revealed is that it’s a perfect culmination to this epic revenge saga!
The best thing about Nawazuddin Siddiqui is that he leaves such a mark, even if his role is nothing more than a cameo that one tends to remember his performance for years to come. Case in point is Black Friday, Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local, New York and many more. Kahaani got him noticed like anything and his popularity shall increase even more with Gangs Of Wasseypur 2. He is the lead and proves that he has in him to carry a film on his shoulders. His transformation is very subtle and believable. It’s a treat to see him woo Mohsina or curse when he gets extremely pissed! He’ll be seen next in Aamir’s Talaash (where he’s believed to have a significant role), Miss Lovely, Bipasha’s Aatma and many more. Great work and I hope to see him in well-sketched and well-written films because seeing a talent like him in an inconsequential flick will be extremely frustrating!
Huma Qureshi gets a meatier role in the second part and delivers a bravura performance. Richa Chadda (Nagma Khatoon) finally looks aged and does great although she has a supporting role this time. Zeishan Quadri (Definite) is just outstanding and what also helped is that his character, like his performance, was damn interesting! Tigmanshu Dhulia as usual leaves a mark. Raj Kumar Yadav (Shamshad Alam) , as everytime, was effortless and seemed at ease playing the twisted character. The actor who plays Perpendicular performs really well. Piyush Mishra (Farhan) as the silent observer over the years delivers yet another fine performance. Pankaj Tripathi (Sultan) shines and is a rare actor who has an equally important role in both the parts of the film! The guy who plays Inspector Gopal Singh and Reemma Sen (Durga), Vineet Singh (Danish Khan), Gaurav Sharma (Iqlakh) Jameel Khan (Asgar), Anurita Jha (Shama Praveen), Satya Anand (J P Singh), Yashpal Sharma and the guy who plays Fazlu Khan too make their presence felt.
Sneha Khanwalkar ’s music is novel and one of the best albums without doubt. C hhi-Chha Ledar has become a chartbuster and is placed beautifully in the film! The same goes to K aala Rey, Taar Bijli, Aabroo, Moora and KKL. Special mention should be made of Moora and its different haunting versions. KKL too makes hell of an impact. See it to believe! Background score is effective and so is Rajeev Ravi’ s cinematography. Action gets bloodier and gorier but that’s what was needed in the film.
Zeishan Quadri, Sachin Ladia and Anurag Kashyap ’s script delivers a far better punch this time. Anurag Kashyap deserves a bow for putting forward a film of this scale in a beautiful manner. It’s no easy task to come up with a film laden with so many characters. There’s lots happening every minute and there are scenes where the film suddenly jumps to a new episode or character and yet synchronization between scenes is well-maintained. Kashyap also deserves praise for shooting some of the difficult action and dramatic scenes in JUST one take. The impact generated as a result is manifold. Any flaws? Sadly, the film tends to get a bit confusing in few places and hence impact gets impact gets slightly diluted. Nevertheless, Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 will be remembered as one of Kashyap’s finest works for years to come!
On the whole, Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 is close to 3 hours long and yet makes a powerful impact. The film engrosses from start and holds on viewer’s attention till the very end. The 5-6 minute long one-take shots are one of the highlights of the film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Zeishan Quadri, Raj Kumar Yadav, Huma Qureshi and many others deliver bravura performances. Songs have already caught on and are well-placed in the film. The movie releases today and despite Ramzan, should attract people thanks to a positive word of mouth. Must watch!