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Welcome to the world of Anurag Kashyap. I liked Black Friday, though in bits & pieces, for it's sheer honest approach. After that everybody forgot No Smoking (including John). Then Kashyap came with a bang giving Dev D. Now, his latest offering Gulal is a movie par excellence. I have expected him to deliver something in line with Dev D, but he has raised his own standards, thus by proving why he is a director who deserves the accolades.
The movie's theme is the college politics that we see in every part of our country. But where Anurag excels is the uncanny reality that he has shown while depicting the same. He has outdone all earlier attempts made on the similar subjects (Haasil, Dil Dosti Etc). The ensemble cast is finely chosen, but two characters who are a cut above: Kay Kay as Duki Bana and the real surprise Abhimanyu Singh as Ranasa. The power Abhimanyu exudes through his eyes and his voice makes it a treat to watch. The other central character played by Raja Singh Chaudhry who is the protagonist, plays his character with simplicity till the end. He comes to pursue a degree in Law where he gets dragged into politics where Kay Kay and his competitor's tussle turns into a blood war. Another revelation in this is movie is Piyush Mishra (also movie's lyricst and music composer) who plays Kay Kay's elder brother and keeps on giving pucnhes through his deep & thoughtful liners every now & then. The music is fairly good; but if you like poetry, the lyrics are outstanding.
Gulal, for me, is a movie that I would say, represents today's cinematic style and displays our age-old tradition. The script is so power packed, the lines are so real and scenes are shot in such real atmosphere. Man, if you want to see real cinema, this is it. The movie is slow in some parts and the climax lacks the punch it required but I give a damn to these few shortcomings as this movie is a pure treat. I just wish the production houses now understand what Anurag is capable of and come forward for talent & ideas like this from many new but immensely talented film makers.
The movie ends with these fitting lines in the background:
Ye karwat le soyi haqueeqat ki duniya,
Khwahish mein lipti zaroorat ki duniya,
Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai...
Cheers to Gulal & Anurag!!!
Verdict: 4 / 5
First of all, this is a movie on must watch to see why Anurag is somebody to watch out for.
ReplyDeleteThe theme is not new, but the location, characters and the script is the key in this movie. I liked the character of Piyush Mishra (I did not know who he was before), and this movie is really provocative and the drama is really intensifying.
Though I am not sure, but I feel that the acceptance of this movie may not be wide.