If you saw Gangs of Wasseypur Part I, you’re probably hooked; even if the film left you dissatisfied when the final shot faded out. Some two-and-a-half hours of nonstop mayhem, all of it well conceived and directed, beautifully shot and acted, did not quite add up at the end.
It seemed to be a dramatic but somewhat pointless exercise in skilful filmmaking. Though both parts are meant to be complete in themselves; perhaps our discontent sprung from the fact that we knew there was more to come.
We’ll know with Gangs of Wasseypur II. The revenge saga continues with the next generation carrying the feud forward. But the mood will be somewhat different.
If Part I was all about Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpayee), Part II will focus on his errant son Faizal (the electric Nawazuddin Sheikh) who sets out to destroy the scheming Ramadhir Singh, now older and greying (Tigmanshu Dhulia, he of the understated menace). Like the earlier film, this one has a large ensemble cast too, but with some quirky additions like Perpendicular, the gangster who toys with razor blades in his mouth. Or Definite, Sardar Khan’s son from his second wife, Durga (Reemma Sen).
If the cinematic grapevine is to be believed, Definite is said to be a spoof of sorts on Salman Khan (information being iffy, let’s not bank on this, but the idea is promising).
Indeed, there is a salaam of sorts to mainstream masala, with Faizal Khan and his love interest, Mohsina (kitschily luscious Huma Querishi), under the Bollywood influence. And there’s lots of music too, with those trademark Hinglish lyrics: Chi cha leather’’, Electric piya’’, Coal bazaari’’.
Gangs of Wasseypur does not have the easiest storyline to keep track of, spanning as it does generations and feuding families. Ideally speaking we should have seen both parts on the same day, as viewers at the Cannes film festival did. But yeh hai India, so think of it as a quick sequel, get in the mood all over again and go with the hope that Anurag Kashyap will send us home with the sense of a story that has told its tale.
Bottomline : The revenge saga continues … but the mood will be somewhat different
Gangs of Wasseypur II
Cast : Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Huma Qureshi
Director : Anurag Kashyap
Releases : August 10, 2012
