Gangs Of Wasseypur
Gangs of Wasseypur is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language two-part epic black comedy crime film produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap, and written by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri.
Centered on the coal mafia (Mafia Raj) of Dhanbad, and the underlying power struggles, politics and vengeance between three crime families, the film has an ensemble cast, with Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi and Tigmanshu Dhulia in the major roles. Its story spans 68 years from 1941 to 2009.
| Gangs of Wasseypur | |
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 Original quad poster | |
| Directed by | Anurag Kashyap |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Rajeev Ravi |
| Edited by | Shweta Venkat |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Viacom 18 Motion Pictures |
Release dates | May 2012 (Cannes) 22 June 2012 (Part 1) 8 August 2012 (Part 2) |
Running time | 321 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹18.40 crore |
Both parts were originally shot as a single film measuring a total of 321 minutes and screened at the 2012 Cannes Directors' Fortnight, but since no Indian theatre would volunteer to screen a film longer than five hours, it was split into two parts for that market.
Both films received widespread critical acclaim and were commercially successful at the box office. It has gained a large cult following over the years due to its dark humor, experimental soundtrack, and its raw and realistic filmmaking style not done by any Bollywood film before. In 2019, The Guardian listed it 59th on the 100 greatest movies of the 21st century.
Cast
- Manoj Bajpayee as Sardar Khan, Shahid Khan's only son; Nagma and Durga's husband; Danish, Faizal, Perpendicular, and Definite's father; Mohsina and Shama's father-in-law; Feroz's grandfather.
- Jaideep Ahlawat as Shahid Khan, the patriarch of the Khan family; Sardar's father; Nagma and Durga's father-in-law; Danish, Faizal, Perpendicular, Definite's grandfather, Mohsina and Shama's grandfather in law; Feroz's great-grandfather.
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Faizal Khan, Sardar, and Nagma's second son; Durga's stepson; Danish, Perpendicular's brother; Definite's stepbrother; Mohsina's husband; Feroz's father.
- Richa Chadda as Nagma Khatoon, Sardar's first wife; Danish, Faizal, Perpendicular's mother; Shama and Mohsina's mother-in-law; Feroz's grandmother.
- Piyush Mishra as Nasir, Shahid Khan's servant, Sardar's sworn uncle, and narrator in the movie
- Jameel Khan as Asghar Khan, Nasir's nephew, and Sardar's sworn cousin
- Reema Sen as Durga, Sardar's second wife; Definite's mother; Danish, Faizal, and Perpendicular's stepmother.
- Huma Qureshi as Mohsina Hamid, Faizal's wife
- Zeishan Quadri as Definite Khan, Sardar's son from Durga
- Vineet Kumar Singh as Danish Khan, Sardar's eldest son
- Tigmanshu Dhulia as Ramadhir Singh, a criminal-turned-politician.
- Pankaj Tripathi as Sultan Qureshi, nephew of Sultana Daku, one of Sardar's enemies.
- Satyakam Anand as J. P. Singh, Ramadhir's son
- Vipin Sharma as Ehsan Qureshi, Sultan's uncle
- Pramod Pathak as Sultana Daku / Badoor Qureshi
- Anurita Jha as Shama Parveen, Danish's wife and Sultan's sister
- Sanjay Singh as Fazlu, Faisal's friend
- Rajkummar Rao as Shamshad Alam
- Vasan Bala in song Bhoos
- Aditya Kumar as Babu "Babua" Khan ("Perpendicular"), Sardar's youngest son
- Yashpal Sharma as Occasional Singer (Guest Appearance)
- Vicky Kaushal as silhouette bystander (Cameo Role)
Parts
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "More than five hours go by in a blink in this frantic Indian crime epic that spans generations and encompasses hundreds of characters in a bloody spiral of brutality, all masterfully filmed by Anurag Kashyap." The film holds a Metacritic score of 89 based on 10 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Critic Danny Bowes of RogerEbert.com called it "[o]ne of the most ambitious gangster films ever made, and quite possibly one of the best", writing that it is "worthy of discussion alongside Coppola's first two Godfather films, or Leone's Once Upon a Time in America." Salon's Andrew O'Hehir wrote: "As a rich and exuberant character-driven crime saga in an idiom you absolutely have not encountered before, and a dense, unsentimental portrayal of the collision between democracy, capitalism, and gangsterism on the frayed margins of the post-colonial world, Gangs of Wasseypur is a signal achievement in 21st-century cinema." Martin Scorsese, one of Kashyap's influences on the films and personal heroes, sent a letter to Kashyap, offering praise, stating that he "loved them", even expressing a desire to meet him. Director Anurag Kashyap had revealed twice that Tamil-language period action film Subramaniapuram was an inspiration for the Gangs of Wasseypur series.
In September 2019, The Guardian ranked Gangs of Wasseypur in 59th place in its 100 best films of the 21st century list, stating: "A possible turning point in Hindi cinema, Anurag Kashyap's epic drama doesn't pull any punches in its portrayal of gangster life in an Indian mining town". Gangs Of Wasseypur’s success led to a number of Hindi movies across the next few years that were essentially inelegant variations on the “hinterland gangsters” theme.
Awards and nominations
Box office
The box office records vary from source to source. The movie "did a great business at box office", according to The Guardian.
According to Box Office India, both parts combined grossed ₹69 crore (US$8.6 million), against a combined budget of ₹39 crore (US$4.9 million).
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