Gangs of Wasseypur II Hindi Movie
If you go by Anurag Kashyap's claims, the second part of this epic revenge saga is supposedly more entertaining than the first and that all complains one had in the first part shall be resolved in the second making it a far more mass entertainer than the latter. If you refer to my review of the first part, I had really liked Gangs Of Wasseypur. It was Anurag Kashyap at his best. So for the ones who have already seen one half of the epic saga, here's a low down on whether Anurag lives up to his words or not.
The film takes off from where the first part had ended giving a smartly added miniscule recap to refresh your memories. Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpai) has been shot dead by Sultan (Pankaj Tripathi) who's been hired by Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) and the revenge saga unfolds once again as the vengeance is passed from one generation to the other. Faizal Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) shirks his wasteful slumber and rises as the next don of Wasseypur with a solo agenda to bring Ramadhir Singh down!
Much against the first part which spends most of its time establishing its setting and characters and the story, the second part comes as an easy watch for it proceeds only to showcase the reactions of the actions of Ramadhir Singh. This is where the revenge finally comes to culmination. However, for those who enjoyed the first part and reveled in Anurag's narrative brilliance, the second would come as a disappointment.
The revenge in most parts of the film takes a backseat as Anurag once again establishes the business accomplishments of Faizal. But at the same time, he fails to build the multi-shades of Faizal's character. It was purely for Sardar Khan's quirks that made him a strong, relatable, ruthless yet likable character. However, the same goes missing in Faizal. Moreover, the entire tease and avenge element better explained saying "Keh ke lunga" ceases in this one. What instead is inserted is a flat out, ruthless blood-spatter and gore.
Just like the first part, there are too many characters thrown in part 2 as well. However, the establishment of these characters isn't as strong. For example, the entire back story of Iqbal Khan's character could've been avoided and the part could've been played by any of Ramadhir's aides. Perpendicular and Tangent's part on the other hand bears stark resemblance to City Of God.
The length of the film is another issue. Once again at 2hours 40mins, GOW 2 comes as a daunting watch. This time however, pointlessly. The film could've easily been cut down by 20minutes with needless scenes eliminated.
The music too this time doesn't appease as much as the songs of the first part did. There are songs repeated far too much. Moreover, even the picturisation doesn't quite add value to the numbers.
But you cannot completely write off Anurag Kashyap. When there's bad, there's good too. He once again shows his brilliance in terms of sticking to his backdrop and changing it with the changing times. Even the stark contrasts that he projects are outstanding! For example, the usage of old Bollywood numbers like 'Teri Yaad Ayegi' sung in a very bhojpuriya rustic manner by Yashpal Sharma at the funeral of Sardar Khan is pure genius! The romantic elements between Nawaz and Huma Qureshi's character are also brilliantly portrayed.
Credit once again goes to the filmmaker to attempt an epic and pull it off with style! It only takes great brains to weave a political cum revenge drama of such magnanimity. Moreover, he also showcases his prowess in extracting laudable performances from each and every character in the film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a wasted druggie turn DON enacts his part with sheer brilliance. Richa Chadha continues her brilliant portrayal. Huma Qureshi adds the much needed colour to his dark and bleak saga.
To sum it up, Gangs of Wasseypur 2 has more gore than the first but less entertainment. Too long-drawn to hold your attention and doesn't match up to the brilliance of its predecessor.
