Two years after making a splash at the Cannes Film Festival, acclaimed film Gangs of Wasseypur is getting its due in the United States and Canada, playing in theaters for a limited time. Here are the top 10 reasons why you need to watch this gangster epic on the big screen.
10. Don’t Call It Bollywood, Baby!
Sure, you’ve got macho men, beautiful women and songs playing in the background. But this isn’t the usual fare churned out by the Mumbai film factories. Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW) is often described as a Hindi, or Indian film and considered a major cinematic achievement.
9. Hollywood Is In On The Action
After producing Hollywood films starring some of the biggest names in the business, Adi Shankar (The Grey, Dredd, Lone Survivor) is now proudly presenting GoW. Describing the movie as “art that will stand the test of time” and “an example of quality, Indian cinema the world needs to see,” Shankar wants audiences to appreciate such a film, versus consuming the “junk food” labeled “Bollywood.”
8. Location, Location, Location
Watch enough Hindi films and you’ll think London, New York and Mumbai are the only cities that grant shooting permits. Not the case here. Whether it’s the rugged expanse of Bihar (where Wasseypur was located before the creation of Jharkhand) or the gullies, nooks and crannies in Varanasi, visually GoW is a welcome breath of fresh air, even as black clouds from burning coal rise in the background.
7. Killer Cast
You may leave the theater with a favorite character, but choosing a favorite actor from the cast is a much harder task. Stalwarts such as Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui yet again display their acting prowess and are a delight to watch. Director Tigmanshu Dhulia shows off his acting chops and Richa Chadda effortlessly transforms from young bride to matriarch. And witnessing new finds, like the sultry Huma Qureshi and the towering Jaideep Ahlawat. prove themselves further adds to the viewing experience .
6. World-Class Cinema
Screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival during the Director’s Fortnight, as well as that year’s Sundance Film Festival, GoW is often cited as an example of cinema from India unlike what the world has seen. The word “Bollywood” conjures up images of opulent song-and-dance sequences and over-the-top histrionics, and made festival directors that much more adamant on showcasing cinema that challenges the audience’s preconceived notions.
5. No Sugarcoating Here, Folks!
If fancy costumes and flowery dialogues are your cup of tea, consider GoW a shot of desi moonshine. Raw locales, raunchy humor (in the local dialect) and plenty of blood, bullets, sex and drugs punctuate multiple frames, with scenes tiptoeing the line between reality and operatic exaggeration. Be ready to go places you’ve never been before, and meet characters that are both entertaining and terrifying.
4. Kickass Soundtrack
Music director Sneha Khanwalkar traveled to multiple cities including Patna and Varanasi to explore authentic folk music. Her search for unique sounds also took her to Trinidad and Tobago where immigrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh settled generations ago, and have preserved musical instruments and traditions no longer found in India. By combining elements of Bhojpuri folk, electronica, chutney, snappy dialogues and vocals from locals, Khanwalkar creates a delicious concoction that’s nothing like what you’ve tasted before.
3. Anurag Kashyap
Often called the godfather of Indian indie cinema, director Anurag Kashyap’s dark and gritty films were banned when the Mumbai film industry was spitting out extravagant love stories set in Europe or North America. Whether its exploring the Bombay bombings, telling the tale of a violent rock band or a high, brokenhearted lover, Kashyap can be relied on to deliver something that goes against the norms of mass, commercial entertainment.
2. Reality Is Stranger Than Fiction
If you think revenge killings spanning generations, violent clans vying for power, and dramatic shootouts exist only in reel life, think again. Resident of Wasseypur, Zeishan Quadri who plays the role of Definite, brought the story of Wasseypur to Kashyap. Kashyap found the claims to unbelievable, leading Quadri to show the director newspaper clippings as proof.
1. It’s Playing At A Theater Near You
On Friday, GoW started playing in American and Canadian theaters for the first time with screenings scheduled across North America from the Lincoln Center in New York City, to the SIFF Film Center in Seattle in February. For information on showings near you visit http://www.cineliciouspics.
* * *
Shivani cannot remember a time when she wasn’t madly in love with Indian cinema, which now inspires much of her writing. She lives in both New York City and Twitterpur at @Shivani510.
