GUNDAY is a flick packed with liberal servings of kitsch and colourful
quirks from the flamboyant 70s, three good-looking actors and incredible
tunes reminiscent of a glorious past. Ali Abbas Zafar’s visual
extravaganza ‘Gunday’ has all the commercial ingredients to keep audience hooked unto the screen. The plot of Gunday kicks off from the violence that surrounded the creation of Bangladesh and takes you on a whirlwind journey with several twists n turns in it. I would not say that its a masterpiece or a classy flick but let me
assure you that you won't regret paying for the ticket of this film.
It's packed with action, emotions, friendship, drama and some terrific
performances. Friendship is forever and many Bollywood flicks have shown its various
shades. And now director Ali Abbas Zafar has come up with Gunday and has been successfully been able to portray the camaraderie between his main leads i.e. Ranveer Singh n Arjun Kapoor by extracting great performances from both of them. And mind you, Gunday’s muscular leads are fitter and better oiled than the
heroes they are supposed to resemble, but they remain just as virtuous,
apolitical and virginal. And they are boys, rather than men (the
heroine’s words, not ours).
STORY & SCREENPLAY : The story as well as the screenplay of the movie has been written by Ali Abbas Zafar. Kolkata features as a location provider, the name of a night-club, and a
playground to stage a spectacular tribute to 1970s’ cinema in Ali Abbas Zafar’s Gunday. This flick is a retro tribute to 70's with good-hearted heroes pushed by circumstances to the wrong side of the
tracks, an ultra-glamourous heroine who might lose her nerve but never
her poise, a hot-on-the-trail policeman, games of loyalty and betrayal,
anachronistic period details, proper introductions for key characters,
spectacularly staged action, a pre-climax loo break song sequence, and a
pantomime of social commentary.As far as the storyline is concerned, the movie is Set in the backdrop of
1970s, when an independent Bangladesh was formed, the film tracks the
story of two inseparable friends Bikram (Ranveer Singh) and Bala (Arjun
kapoor). These two young orphans are refugees, who find shelter
in Kolkata. Since their first meeting they become inseparable and stand
by each other in ups and downs. They battle each and every day for their
living and finally the two find themselves in murky mafia world of arms
carrier and coal bandits. With the passage of time, the two best
friends become the most influential goons in the city. The story
progresses and the duo fall in love with cabaret dancer Nandita
(Priyanka Chopra). Nandita sweeps both Bala and Bikram on their feet.
When everything seems to be fine, ACP Satyajeet Sarkar (Irrfan Khan)
appears into the scene.He sets out to put an end to their black
market business. How the friendship of Bikram and Bala survive through
all these hurdles, forms rest of the plot.
STARCAST : A big asset of the movie is its performances and credit must be given to Shanoo Sharma for choosing the right artistes as per their characters. Ranveer Singh is setting the bar higher up with each film and fairly emerges unscathed as he effortlessly slips into the character of Bikram. The actor’s impulsive vein comes handy in this role especially because he acts with such ease, that it will be hard to take your eyes off
him. Arjun Kapoor has given his best shot. He is intense, brimming with emotions but
the rendering is not done to rightly tinted perfection. Priyanka Chopra does not have much to do as the focus of the script is on camaraderie between male protagonists but she still captivates you whenever she appears on screen as the dancer and proves her acting forte in the climax as the tough cop. But, the icing on the cake is Irrfan Khan. He is nuanced as the shrewd cop and his charming subtlety is hands down,
the most irresistible thing about the film. He gives you the required
giddiness with a well blended smoothness. Amongst, the ensemble actors it is Saurabh Shukla, Pankaj Tripathi, Victor Banerjee and Manu Rishi who are noticeable.
TECHNICAL FINESSE : The music for this flick has been composed by Sohail Sen who has given an above average score although couple of tracks have become rage and chart busters. In fact, it is the back ground music that really scores high which has been composed by Julius Packiam. Credit must also be given to Rajat Poddar for his fashionably distressed production design. Aseem Mishra as cinematographer of the movie has done an excellent job as each and every frame bathes in lush colors. He has given a flamboyant touch to most of the shots and used bright color palette which flourishes especially during " Tune Maari Entriyaan " song. The editor of the movie is Rameshwar S Bhagat who has edited the movie very sleekly n sharply and kept the duration of the movie to 154 minutes. As a matter of fact, each department seems to have worked really hard
and in consonance to realize the director's vision on celluloid. Now, coming to the director i.e. Ali Abbas Zafar whose has done an excellent job as his last offering " Mere brother ki dulhan " was a totally different genre. Although, he has made an age-old formula flick, but Ali makes sure he reinvents
it with flourish, serving the formula in a contemporary format. GUNDAY
is designed as an entertainer and it serves it all unabashedly.
CONCLUSION : Gunday moves at a satisfying clip from the beginning to the end.
It’s formula food for the present day, spiced with flamboyance, a fair
sense of rhythm that occasionally slackens during the 153-minute running
time, and a clear understanding of the meaning of popular
entertainment, Hindi movie Ishtyle.
ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com
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