Gangs of वासेपुर - An Epic Saga of Revenge

Violence and revenge are weak words when compared to Gangs of Wasseypur. Wasseypur is a part of current town, Dhanbad in Bihar where this saga of revenge unfolds through the generations. Anurag Kashyap has done research on smallest narration and made this epic closest to reality Bollywood has ever made. The story is loosely based on real incidents but if you consider the flow of events, the way it unfolds, it is bound to become a cult. The silver screen cannot be real than this.

Anurag Kashyap After DevD, Gulal and Black Friday has done all the peers proud by GoW. The story narrated by Piyush mishra was an excellent choice. From Train Robberies to Coal mafias, to Fish market, to land sharks to Scrap kingpins, the small hamlet has evolved into a great town along with the rivalries. The growth was linear and Dons were not shown like king-size. They were real, with real fights and the one with grows with time. They even had their share of Libidos and feudal cultural drops. Right from Kutta (country guns) to Beef market, so surreal and raw that one could turn their stomach out. The movie set the expectations right after first 5 second, of how much blood and gore was well below what you have dreamed.

The ensemble cast and its choice was the key to success of this movie. Even the not so important casts were detailed much. The bang was so stereophonic it could give one hell of goosebumps. Movie starts with crimson burned train robberies and run out of wasseypur.  Jaideep Ahlawat's coal fight was one of the best directed fist-fight, while Pitush mishra self punishment was something unheard of. The Birth of Protagonist Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpayee) , still hard to digest. Where the mother dies due to heavy bleeding but the father is informed about a beautiful son she gave before loosing herself on life. Soon the Muslim Mahabharat was set to pace not limping through the ages but was galloped by a nice and crisp narration by Mishra. The rise of coal-mining and dabangg leaders were smooth and so was the introduction of Ramadhir singh (Played by Tigmanshu Dhulia - famed Director of Paan singh Tomar, Haasil and Saheb biwi aur Gangster).
The movie paced itself with orphan Sardar Khan's marriage and his quest for the revenge of his father's death. Teri Kah ke loonga song was the key to rise to another level, beautifully sung by Sneha (Music director) and Amit trivedi (DevD). This song was the cog-wheel of the movie, throughout.
Here comes the gags and humor plastered through hard facts of life, where a leader behaves differently inside his house and inside a brothel. Enters Richa Chadda (Oye Lucky lucky Oye !) as Najma Khatoon. She was given the role of a tigress , sending her man to please himself by another whore incase he is cocky. Although she doesn't hail from Bihar but the way she spoke Bhojpuri with so earthiness that she walks away with the cherry on the cake.
While Manoj Bajpayee can beat any actor when it comes to lecherous ways, his smile on the bare backs of Reemma Sen while sucking on Nalli Ghost Mutton was lecherous at its zenith best . The camera and Anurag was so perfect in providing small details of then Bihar. Rustic and Rustic. Where a Man is a 'Mard' when he woos other women. This was the right backdrop of one the best song ever in Bollywood, sung marvelously by Rekha Jha and Khushboo - O Womaniya. I must admit that Sneha used her talent to compose the song from the people who has good diction of the land and recording it a way that other music directors need to break the mold. This is it, This is real cinema. This is Cinema.
The songs  and their timing was near perfect and so engrossed that a person might miss the wordings. The local flavor is so enriched that people from other part of India might look for sub-titles. But the time has come to leave Punjab and its Butter masala flavor and reach out to new directors from Eastern part. There was a time in Bollywood where you have to have a Punjabi song to cater to Diaspora Indian by all the directors from the region, be it Chopras, Kapoors, Anand or Singhs.... The cliche is cut here and a Niche is set.

There was a time when Anurag Kashyap could not show a bullet shot on screen (Black Friday) due to financial constraint but in GOW he went over the budget five times. you can feel the bullet inside your head with blood sporting-out, oozing and dwindling all the way. The growth is not only shown in terms of budget but also a new pattern , where you've  invested in actors and research'd story. Every department Camera, Screenplay, music, Lyrics, or cinematography is well rehearsed and close to the story of the land. You will not find Hindi glossy songs or dance out of the swoosh of hand . Even the "item boy" played brilliantly by Yashpal Sharma is close to the earth. Launda-Dance was all the new thing, never entertained on silver screen. This was the show of brilliance, where Sharma is singing Lata Mangeshkar the way a Bihari sings.

Tigmanshu Dhulia was so subtle and in the skin of the character that real Ramadhir might take a lesson from him. His casting was so perfect and on the terms with story. No character was built supersize.
The theater was burnt by Bajpayee and further destroyed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He was the Al Pacino of this Bhojpuri 'The'Godfather. Nawazuddin was so intense with his eyes that glares were seen despite it was covered by dark aviator sunglasses. His smile when the Hunter song was played and the police interrogation was not to be missed. The black skin and lips were purposely brazen to support Chillam (Charas) smoking. The unintentional revenge in Varanasi was also best directed scene in the flick, the way Pacino shot the polce chief inside the Italian restaurant. The movie was paced on the path set by Francis Ford Coppola, Sergio Leone and of course Quentin Tarantino.
Kids cleaning train's toilet, Beef market and butchers, the living quarters of muslim, Muharram festive, and chinaware for a non hindu was so well taken care, it was so close to life. RGV's way of keeping your supporting cast as real as it could was good. The Jail scene and Manish Tippoo's Bhoos came to conviction. This is the movie where bombs are thrown but not blasted until thrown again, Butcher asking for automatic Guns to beat Atom Bombs, and beating your nemesis by footwear. These small details will hurt you so hard that you will smile and might even laugh and clap.

Pankaj Tripathi was another cast which was full of inner venom and potential , as Querashi. Vipin Sharma  and Jameel Khan also had good share of screen presence as side kicks and they were well portrayed. Huma Qureshi was the sex-appeal of movie came at the end of first part and Rajeev Ravi didnt miss the opportunity to showcase her in the best Ray-bans proposing Amitabh. The scene between Nawazuddin and Huma is another real incident driven, where libidos are shown etiquette. 
The master punch was the end of movie, end of Sardar khan, dragged to the Flawlessness with holes in the head and a pistol in the hand , when Manoj Tiwari blurtted the anthem "Jiyo ho" with such a adrenaline energy that you remain glued to your seat.
Sublime Excellence.


A rare feat. 5/5
Ekdum Bhokali.

Gym Partner

घूरना किसे कहते है , लड़कियों से पूछना चाहिए या लड़कों से | मेरे ख्याल से लड़कियों से , आखिर उन्हें सब पता होता है कौन, कब से और कहाँ से घूर रहा है | ठीक वैसे ही जैसे लोहे का स्वाद लोहार से नहीं , बल्कि उस घोड़े से पूछना चाहिए जिसके मुंह में लगाम है | विकट का तो लगाम जैसे सोने के बर्तन में मिट्टी | कॉफे कॉर्नर में बैठ कर लड़कियों को घूरते हुए उम्मींद करता है कोई शायद इसे देखकर इसकी दुल्हन बन जाये |  उम्मींद  पे तो दुनिया कायम है , और विकट इस बात का जीता जागता सबूत है | कुछ महीनो के बाद एक लड़की जो पहले मोटी थी , चाय पीने जब कैफेटेरिया में आई तो विकट हैरान होगया , लड़कियां भी वजन घटाने की होड़ में शायाद आगे ही होती है | खाना पीना छोड़ देना और गर्व से diet करना , इनके फितरत में होता है |

विकट पिछले कई महीने से gym जाने की कोशिश कर रहा है  |  वैसे  छह महीने के पैसे जमा है , पर Gym के अंदर पैर छह दिन भी नहीं गए होगे , भाईसाहब ने इरादा बदल दिया | जुम्बा डांस try करने के बाद , किसी ने ज्ञान दे दिया की सही खान-पान से वज़न कम किया जा सकता है | दो दिन में वज़न कम नहीं हुआ तो , जुडो कराटे आजमाने का भी सोच डाला | किसी और को पतले होते देख दिल भारी हो जाता है | इसी भरे दिल से विकट ने कहा - "यह किसके साथ Gym जाती है , देखो कितने पतली हो गई है ?"

हमारी हँसी रुकी नहीं , समझ में भी नहीं आ रहा था की विकट की सकपकाहट देखें या लड़की की पतली काया | हमने विकट की तरफ ध्यान दिया - आख़िरकार मनोरंजन तो इधर है |

हमने पुछा - "किस  Gym में जाना ज्यादा important है? या किसके साथ जाना ?" उसने जवाब दिया - "देखो , मैंने तो नंबर १ Gym  join किया पर मेरा वेट कम नहीं हुआ इसका मतलब अगर मैं किसी  लड़की के साथ Gym जाता तो शायद मैं आज six -पैक  रखता और तुम लोग देखते रह जाते "

मैंने कहा - "सही बोलते हो , यह भी किसी लड़की के साथ गयी होगी |"

दुसरे मित्र ने कहा - "तुम्हे लड़की कहाँ  मिलेगी "

"पता नहीं , मैं भी इसी कोशिश में पतला हुआ जा रहा हूँ !"

  

Headphone and Common Cold

आज विकट को सर्दी लगी है , ऑफिस के मीटिंग रूम  में छींकते हुए बैठा है सुबह से |

कान पर हेडफोन लगा कर ऑफिस का काम कर रहा था | मैं देखा की हेडफोन का तार लैपटॉप में नहीं लगा हुआ था , आश्चर्यचकित हो कर मैंने पुछा - "कौन सा गाना सुन रहा है ?"

"तुम्हे उससे क्या , मैं कुछ important सुन रहा हूँगा "

"अच्छा क्या , जैसे?"

हँसते हुए कहा उसने -"कान पर ऐसे ही लगा रखा है , सर्दी जुकाम  है तो ठंडी हवा नहीं लगेगी "

मैंने फिर से चुटकी ली -"रूम में तो हवा नहीं है , बरहाल  मैं सिर्फ सांस ले रहा हूँ !"

वापस प्लग लगा लिया उसने , झेंप कर |

उफ़ विकट !!

O Womaniya - Explained

Womaniya

Gangs Of Wasseypur- Translations & Adaptions of the lyrics in English

(Lyrics: Varun Grover)

The song is sung by Khushboo Raaj and Rekha Jha, with music by Sneha Khanwalkar.

Produced by :- Anurag Kashyap

तारे  जो  बबुना , तरती  बबुनिया  | If he ogles, stares and waits , you do the same

बाबुना  के  हाथे  न  चढ़ती  बबुनिया  | While she teases, taunts and baits but don't fall for him.

ओ Womaniya 

आ हां Womaniya  

मांगे  जो  बबुना  प्रेम  निसनिया  | If he asks for a love bite on his chin

बोले  जो  थोड़ी , कट्टी  हो  कनिया  | then lean over and just nibble his ear.

बदले  रुपिया  के  देना  चवन्निया    |  instead give him a quarter if he asks for a rupee

सैयां  जी  झपटे  तो  होना  हिरनियाँ  | And when he lunges,  flee  like a deer

रह  रह  के  मांगे  चोली  बटअनियाँ   | Don’t let him play with your blouse buttons;   

जी  मे  लुकाये  लोट   लोटनियाँ  | The innocent game will end on his prick while thinking about love playing.

चाहे  मुह -झौंसा  जब  हाथ  सेकनिया   | When the bastard tries to warm his hands,

कन्धा  में  देना  जी  दांत  भुकनिया  | Play along and dig your teeth into his shoulders

बोलेगा  बबुना , चल  जयइहो  पटना , | He (fiance) will offer you a ride to Patna,

पटना  बहाने  वो  चाहेगा  सटना , | and will see this as a chance to get pretty close…

दैइहों  ना  पहुना  को  टिकेट  कटानिया … | Don’t let him buy the ticket all the way (to Patna) 

पटना  ना  जाना  चाहे  जाना  सिवानिया … | Don't go to Patna, even if you have to go to Sivan.

ओ Womaniya | You are a woman of substance 

आ हां Womaniya  | O woman

Click on the below link to listen to this wonderful song while you read the meaningful adaptation just in case you donot understand Bhojpuri Language. 

Also visit:- http://saish746.blogspot.in/2012/07/hunter-lyrics.html for Hunter lyrics

Office Lift

जब तक बाप के पैसे से  बाल कटवाते थे तब तब पैसे के लिए मेनू चार्ट दिखा ही नहीं था | बचपन में चुन कर सबसे महंगा वाला सलून में ही बाल कटवाना एक शौक़ था , आखिर दोस्तों पर रौब जमता था | पैसे कैसे कमाए जाते थे , कमाने वाले जाने | ख़र्ची के पैसे बाल बनवाने और ऊपर से टिप पर जाते थे | हर हफ्ते हफ्ते | जैसे जैसे ज़नाब बड़े हुए , सलून सस्ते हो गए | आजकल बंगलौर में आईटी वाला जॉब करते है , मगर बाल बगल वाले गली में मात्र ३० रुपये में कटते है | कहते हैं यार अपनी खेती है कहीं भी कटालो , क्या फर्क पड़ता है ? छोटे सलून के फायदे बताते हुए कहते हैं अच्छी देश विदेश की बातें हो जाती है , मसालेदार चाय भी फ्री मिल जाती है और priority मिलती है अलग से | बड़ी दूकान में नाई नहीं होता है , मशीन होता है वो भी professional | बातें होती ही नहीं है , सन्नाटा छाया रहता है , जिसको AC की मद्धम  आवाज़ भेदती रहती है | बचपन के दिन याद आते ही शर्म से आँख झुक जाती होगी | 

एक यह थे , और एक हमारे विकट सम्राट है | पैसे की अहमियत नहीं है , यह अच्छी बात  है | परवाह न हो  तो  कोई  बात नहीं , मगर  उसके  लिए भी पैसे होने चाहिए | बैंक वालों ने उन्हें सुदर्शन चक्र की तरह   क्रेडिट कार्ड दे दिया है | आजकल बाल वहीँ कटाते है जहाँ क्रेडिट कार्ड चलता हो | पॉइंट्स मिलता है , अलग से | मैंने पुछा - भाई कितना बिल आता है जो खूब सारा पॉइंट जमा हो जाये | हज़ार की कटाई, हज़ार की मरम्मत , और कुछ पांच सौ में दाढ़ी , साथ में एक दो सौ टिप भी दे देते है , जिससे  इज्ज़त फ्री मिल जाये | 

सच ही कहते है शौक़ बड़ी चीज़  है | एक दिन office लिफ्ट में कुछ ज्यादा  ही आईने  को  निहारा  जा  रहा  था , मैंने टोक  दिया -'बात क्या है '

"भई, कुछ अलग लग रहा है क्या ?"

"हाँ तू ज्यादा मुस्कुरा रहा है "

"वो नहीं , ज़रा गौर से सोचो "

मैंने कहा - मुझे सोचने के लिए गौर नहीं करना पड़ता है , बताना है तो बताओ| वैसे थोडा सा इशारा मिल ही गया था , ज़नाब सलून से आ रहे है |

"कुछ तो अलग लग रहा होगा ना"

"कितने पैसे खर्च किये "

फिर से मुस्कुरा उठा जैसे तीर निशाने पर लगा हो , छाती चौड़ी करके बोलता है - अच्छी जगह , पैसे कौन देखता है ? हम तो रुपये में बात करते है | 

एक हाथ से बाल सहलाना और तिरछी नज़र के  हरेक एंगल  से खुद को देखकर उम्मीद  ऊँची हो गयी थी |

तभी लिफ्ट रुकी , एक लड़की अन्दर आई, मुझे देखा और विकट को बोली - "can you please press 6th floor  ?"

मैंने हंस दिया , बस |

Downpour

 बारिशों के मौसम में कभी कभी मुसलाधार बारिश होती है , पानी बरसना भी कहते है | कोई बोलता है पानी गिर रहा है , जी नहीं वैसे नहीं  जैसे एक आदमी गिर सकता है | गुरुत्वाकर्षण का खेल है , सब नीचे ही गिरेगा | मैंने भी आज तक किसीको भी नीचे से ऊपर की तरफ गिरते नहीं देखा है | अंतरिक्क्ष  गया नहीं सो पता नहीं |

ऐसे  ह़ी एक दिन जब ऑफिस  की छत  पर जाने से पता चला की मुसलाधार बारिश से सारा बैंगलोर भींग  रहा है , तब हमें गरमागरम पकोड़े खाने की तलब जाग पड़ी | भाग कर कैफेटेरिया गए और चार प्लेट आर्डर दे दिया | विकट बाबु भी हमारे साथ थे, आजकल बहुत संभल संभल कर बोलते है , लेकिन ज़बान का क्या , कब फिसल  जाए |

"देखो , कितना बारिश गिर रहा है " - आख़िरकार वो बोल पड़ा | पकोड़ें में देरी हो रही थी , बारिश की नमी ने मिट्टी की खुसबू को और भी सौंधी कर दिया था, मसखरी के लिए इतना बहाना कभी कम नहीं था |

मैंने हिंदी का पाठ पढाया - "बारिश होती है , गिर कैसे सकती है ? " कहीं उठ के भाग गयी तो |

अभिमन्यु की तरह चक्रव्यू में फँसते हुए कहा - "कुछ भी बोलते हो तुम "

"और क्या "

तभी ज़ोरदार बिजली कड़की , विकट ने कहा - "लगता है कोई ऊपर लड़ रहा है "

मैंने भी विचार प्रकट किया - "तभी तो पानी गिर रहा है , लड़ाई करने पर "

मुस्कुराते हुए कहा - "पानी गिरता नहीं , होता है "

मैंने समझाया , आकाश में बादल होते है ?

हाँ |

बादल आकाश में ह़ी इधर उधर घूमते है ?

हाँ|

'मान लो , दो बादल घूमते घूमते टकरा गए तो , उनके अन्दर जो बर्फ  होती है वो नीचे गिरेगी  '

हाँ |

'नीचे गिरते गिरते गर्मी से वो पानी बन जाता है ', हो गया ना  |

हमारा विकट सर खुजा रहा था , बारिश गिरता नहीं है पर इसने पानी गिरा दिया | फिलहाल ज्यादा बात करने का वक़्त नहीं था , पकौड़े कहीं ठन्डे हो गए तो ?

"नल  बल जल ,

ऊँचो चढ़े |

अंत ,

नीच को नीच |"

-© 2012 सत्य घटना पर आधारित 

Rogue Department

'Rogue filmmaking'- From inside the tea cups and outside of the nostrils, getting tossed as Carrom on the broad or plunging camera across the beach as a ball, requires RGV's creativity although it was a complete distraction in some sequences But But you cannot ignore the creativity and the challenges put through .  For some this is a real pleasure to watch such a challenging medium of communication where the camera is always on the roll. The free styling camera may give a nauseousness awareness sometimes and sometimes may deliver as a punch across your face. You will wonder on the cinematic peak of the visual language where RGV repeatedly and mercilessly destroys all conventions of cute storytelling and aims for the jugular vein. As breaking rules is what RGV stands for. And, I know he will never stop challenging the regulars and second-handers.


Department has a much  better gripping story line than the recent Bollywood like Kahani, Agent Vinod, Houseful2 ,Ishqzaade, Agneepath etc. Although not a nice experiment with new bizzarre camera angles, where RGV completely goes Rouge. There are scenes which might have worked good on a normal 50mm. There wee too many close crops. It was also nice to see a director of this stature using Canon5D and 7D for the shoots using multiple cameras at a time. A tight editing by Vinay Abhijit gave a new look to bollywood. it was previously tried in 'Not a love story' but came full on in department.


The story has a penchant of RGV where he excels. Power and fight for power. From the police department to the underworld to politicians , right from Satya, Shiva, Company,Sarkar, he has a tight control on the narratives. This time he has gone to fist fighting more than the gunshots, which ruined the whole concept of killing a gangster. If you wanted to kill someone why to throw punches and then take your pistol and shoot in the end, do it at the beginning itself. Like always said - "when you have to shoot , SHOOT."

The gun blazing scene at blind school shootout was not required and later converted in to fists was a lack. The scenes were little exaggerated but the masala was packed for titular pleasure. So was the unnecessary songs, esp the item number where Nathalia kaur was uncomfortably shaking the booty. and the whole dancing crowd vanished once the shots were fired. RGV should have kept the plot by no to item numbers, better female selection and a better music director (Bappi Lahiri, Dharam-Sandeep, Vikram Magi). Raunchy lyrics and a loud background score was another unnecessary. The female moll -Madhu Shalini was a complete waste and I wonder about the casting credibility of the director. Why he always fails in this department, all his heroines right from Urmilla, Nathalia, Antara, to Madhu has this round faces and sleazy tongues. Even Mrs Sanjay Dutt (in the movie) played by Lakshmi Manchu was given some loud words not those of a elite police class. The conversation between husband and wife was really uncalled and gave a chauvinistic classless feel. Although Lakshmi was better than Anjana Shukhani , who was another dumb doctor in this flick of RGV. It also shows that Lakshmi brings a better screen presence from her American television stints.


Like understood, RGV gives strong characters to his male protagonists. Right from BigB to Sanjay Dutt to Rana Duggubatti to Abhimanyu singh. Sanjay dutt with his sulken eyes was a perfect cast for an aging mature rouge police officer while Rana with his too straight face was another rock cut honest fresh cop. 
Rana stands tall among Bachhan and Dutt, still he needs to bring more wrinkles on his face for a close crop 70mm silver screen. Amitabh was in sarkar's persona preaching Hindu epics and comparing himself with Gautam buddha. The portrayal of grey politician with blend of philosophy brought new vividness to this movie. The subtle screenplay to bring the tout thrill on the screen was amazingly good and the central theme of the movie. Vijay raaj was good as a local don, but Abhimanyu as DK was completely wasted as a BABY, and RGV failed to utilize the venomous eyes this time. Deepak Tijori with kohl eyes and a Hogan-ish mustache was a surprise but lost its factor over the time. 


Nilesh Girkar had a good story and ended with a hope of Department 2.


RGV, Everybody wants you to bounce back, just make sure you have a better female selection and a better music director. The story was taut and thrilling. Not for front stalls and neither for multiplexes.