Reference Auto

Response: Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, with its crude humour, logged average collections and the first day saw the film mopping up Rs 3 crore while the remaining two days of the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) brought in around Rs 7 crore.

So, during the first weekend, the total amount grossed stood at Rs 10 crore, which is pretty good as no big stars were there to steer the film.

Made on a budget of around Rs 16 crore, Gangs of Wasseypur could see profit may be from the end of the second week. But in the Hindi belt, especially in Bihar and Jharkhand, the movie has been running to packed houses.

So, it won’t take long for the Gangs of Wasseypur to rake in the moolah.

Film type: Drama

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chaddha, Reemma Sen, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi and Piyush Mishra

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Time of movie: Two hours and 40 minutes

Story: Gangs of Wasseypur is a tale of gang wars in Dhanbad, the coal capital of the country, where rivalry and revenge hog the limelight. Shahid Khan (played by Jaideep Ahlawat) is betrayed, and his son (played by Manoj Bajpayee) and grandsons swear to avenge his dishonour and death. However, even this promise goes amiss.

During the colonial rule of the 1940s, there is old rivalry in Wasseypur (near Dhanbad), a hub for coal traders and mafia.

The war in Wasseypur is a Muslim vs Muslim battle for power (between the Qureshis and the Pathans) which goes on for three generations, culminating in the death of Manoj Bajpayee.

Review: Gangs of Wasseypur is typically a film made in India’s rustic terrain of Dhanbad, which is also known as India’s Coal Belt, located in Jharkhand. The movie emanates a flavour of the coal capital. The crude dialogue delivery, the rustic humour as well as the songs and the direction are simply mind blowing and will lead to an outburst of laughter.

It is about real people and real violence. So, if you are curious to know about Dhanbad’s mafia, Gangs of Wasseypur can throw some light on them.

However, Gangs of Wasseypur fails to maintain its fast pace and tends to become very slow towards the end, concluding abruptly with the killing of Manoj Bajpayee. But the sudden ending may also be a deliberate move with director Anurag Kashyap probably wanting to keep the best for his sequel (Gangs of Wasseypur Part II).

The excessive violence and confusing plot in the Gangs of Wasseypur are some of the negatives of the film. But if you’re not the weak-hearted types and crave for some violence, Gangs of Wasseypur won’t let you down with its out-of-the box rustic scenes (and humour) of shootouts, country-made pistols exploding on hands and bloodshed.

But towards the end, the film drags on and on and may prompt you to wonder where it is heading to. But if you’re patient, it is worth every penny.

Manoj Bajpayee steers Gangs of Wasseypur alone with his superb dialogue delivery, and he is well supported by Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chaddha, Reemma Sen, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Huma Qureshi. So, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to munch popcorn over some “real-time” gang wars in Wasseypur.

Rating: 4/5