Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2 is two steps ahead of any revenge-drama

Entertainment

Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2 is two steps ahead of any revenge-drama

Close

Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2 is not substandard cinema by any means, Review.

08 August,2012 09:47 pm

Barring the long runtime, one isnt quite certain whether Anurag Kashyups idea of releasing the Wasseypur chronicle in two different parts is a good idea or bad. Bad because drawing parallels with the prequel is inevitable and in that context the sequel pales in comparison. And good idea because it makes the prequel look as a standalone superlative saga Had the two been clubbed together, the limitations of the second would have diluted the overall impact.Having said that its important to clarify that Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2 is not substandard cinema by any means. With the two episodes being conceived and filmed simultaneously, the sequel carries forward the same grit, grammar, vigour and vengeance of its predecessor. However beyond a point it falls slack on story, after which it stretches the yarn, turning repetitive and foreseeable.The sequel starts exactly from where the forerunner ended. Post the death of his father Sardar Khan, followed with his brothers murder, Faizal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) takes over as the dreaded gang-lord of the crime syndicate in Wasseypur. However with every other local aspiring to be a Sultaan or a Sardar, the city and its crime scene arent as it used to be. Ramadheer Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) continues to be the antagonist who, this time, attempts to instigate Definite (Zeishan Quadri), Faizals stepbrother, against him. However all is not what it seems with a lot of double-cross and triple-cross in store.The narrative continues to be as random and racy with the revenge drama claiming more lives rampantly. New characters in the form of Perpendicular, Tangent, Definite, et al are introduced and their juvenile criminal activities and swiveling storytelling structure evidently remind of the Brazilian Masterpiece City of God, a regular reference point for this genre.Its indulgence, rather over-indulgence, that sabotages the sequel to an extent. Onscreen Faizal indulges in substance abuse while off-screen director Anurag Kashyup gets indulgent with the characters and the chronicle. Peripheral characters (who were central to the story in the prequel) are eliminated.With stray bullets killing mortals erratically, death becomes so commonplace that it no more leaves an impact. The tone of the film changes in every alternate, and though its intentional, you stop feeling for the characters in the fluctuation. Thereafter the film keeps extending endlessly turning out to be an ordinary gang-war account.Though Nawazuddin Siddiqui has immense screen-presence despite his straight-faced demeanour, his one-dimensional characterization is an intermittent letdown. As a perpetually-doped don who lacks business sense and is vulnerable to materialism, he is quite the opposite of his father Sardar Khan, the protagonist of the prequel.And with this divergence in the characterization, you dont root as strongly for Faizal as you did for Sardar Khan, though both are equally immoral, vicious and well-enacted characters. Kashyup often camouflages the shallowness of Faizal with glamourized shots of drugs and violence.Nevertheless, despite the sequel being in standard zone, it is often absorbing. The gradual progression over eras is subtly and smartly punctuated with strategically placed elements, distinctive of the decade. With guns and gadgets coming into picture, the revenge drama is regular yet relatable.A chase sequence amidst the bustling city is as real as it gets. Also the narrative comes full circle returning to the opening mob-attack sequence with which the first part initiated. Only this time you get to see it from the internal side, learning what Faizal and family went through. The epilogue, though predictable, is poignant.There is no compromise on the intensity in the ambience of the anecdote. Everything from the gritty action, crude dialect, offbeat music, engaging camerawork is authentic to the core and adds to the effect. Also the grim film carries forward its zany sense of humour like in the scene where a brass-band pays homage at funerals through gloomy Bollywood numbers. Crazy ringtones often define characters.Undoubtedly performances are the films mainstay. Credit it to the intensity and impact of Nawazuddin that you dont miss the soul of the series, Manoj Bajpayee in the sequel. The next actor who gains your attention is debutant Zeishan Quadri (also the co-writer of the film). As the stepbrother Definite, he is compelling, confident and a talent to look forward to.Tigmanshu Dhulia mellows down his vocal chords here but maintains his authoritative demeanour. Huma Qureshi is a striking beauty and one of the most charming female faces in films, in recent times. Raj Kumar Yadav is convincing but his character is short-lived.Most other actors from the first part including Piyush Mishra, Jameel Khan, Pankaj Tripathi and Richa Chadha have pretty less to do. Chadha, however, is brilliant in that one-scene where she sings a celebration song with teary eyes, while remembering her husband.