Sunday, August 12, 2012

Movie Review: Gangs of Wasseypur II

Few sequels are better, or even as good, as part one. And while you can argue that GoW II isn't really a sequel (it was shot as a single marathon movie, remember?), one thing you will have to agree - GoW II does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seats with non stop action from the very first frame, all through the pretty long 2 hours 45 mins. GoW I had a slow start, a lengthy documentary-type introduction that almost turned you off with the B&W footage and factoids, before the movie picked up pace. With GoW II, the national anthem before the movie kicks off is the only time you really get to be distracted.

Like Godfather, GoW is well and truly a cult movie.

The movie starts with a tiny recap of the first half - with Sardar Singh's execution. What follows is an endless saga of vengeance and killings that rips apart Wasseypur, touching generation after generation, all the way into recent times. The screen play, the locations, the cast, the dialogues, the cinematography - absolutely top notch, absolutely faultless.

The romance between Faizal Khan (Nawazuddin in a role that matches and rivals Manoj Bajpai's performance in Part 1) and Mohsina (a very beautiful and very sexy Huma Qureshi, such a change from Bollywood's "normal") adds beautifully to the experience, and brings some relief from the constant kills.

Anurag Kashyap's eye for details is stunning - check the scene when Faizal returns for his chappals, after rushing out at the news of his father's death. The use of Bollywood music as a backdrop, changing as the years go by, is also a master class in screenplay.

If at all, there's a little bit of weariness that creeps in with the endless violence and subplot after subplot. Maybe a few mins less would have been easier on the audience, but hey, I am not complaining! Bring it on!

(Should you watch it even if you haven't seen Part 1? Yes, absolutely! Don't worry too much if you don't get who is killing whom and why... that's not important, really... just soak in the blood!)

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