Cast:
Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Jameel Khan, Zeishan Quadri, Aditya Kumar
Directed by
Anurag Kashyap
Rating:
***
Phuchchak! A stab in the eye.
Krreeeech! A human head severed from the rest. Swish! Swoosh!
Perpendicular and tangent blades inserted into flesh. And then, a
semi-automatic is used to poke intestines swinging from a carcass that
has been polka-dotted with
gun fire. Now you know, when director
Anurag Kashyap says dark, he means 99% cocoa.
Following the chain of events in the
first part,
this was meant to be a revenge account. And in its 159-minute runtime,
only a few bullets are dodged and the rest find shelter in their targets
to ensure that the ‘badla’ is avenged proportionately. Many will
complain that they have limited tolerance for graphic violence, while
those who have an appetite for it would demand an utmost number of
people to be wasted cleverly. So instead of analyzing this
film, let’s review these distinct sets of
film goers and what this offers (or doesn’t) to each.
Hum thrill de chuke sanamTypical rom-com junkies
shouldn’t be too keen on this one. Check the picture above and be a
realist, the film’s lead Faisal Khan (
Nawazuddin Siddiqui)
is never going to romance anyone salsa-ing on the Swiss Alps or even
play the hero’s elder brother who sacrifices his love for his sibling.
But the romance here is embarrassingly real. For example, on his wedding
night, there’s enough thumping to keep the entire household on alert.
And it intensifies to a point where his mother has to yell out, “So jao
nahin toh gadda zameen par laga do!” Crunch, crunch. Don’t bother, your
popcorn can’t buffer this sound either.
Underdog MillionaireUgly Betty fans will find a new idol in
Faisal Khan who manages to go from the lowest common denominator to the sum of all evil. In the
first part,
he was a mere smudge while his father Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpai) hogged
all the personality, power and screen space. Here, following Sardar’s
demise and a series of unfortunate events, Faisal is pushed to the
throne. He is an unassuming and unlikely lead, won’t maaro smashing
dialogues and is physically blessed only to press down an army of ants.
With so little to go by, how will he avenge the multiple deaths in his
family and dodge the powers who want to spell his doom? This is answered
as we witness his gradual yet
remarkable transformation into a ruthless monster.
Political thrillsThose
who love a good political mud-slinger, this one could seduce your grey
cells too. Every bullet that leaves the barrel has a
consequence
that has been measured and anticipated. No one can be trusted, everyone
has an ulterior motive and the larger picture cannot be painted without
joining all the dots. Makes no sense? Well, this means that
you cannot let your mind wander in the screen and need to take in everything with one squint eye (like ACP Pradhyuman from CID).
Ain’t no sunshine when… you’re on the wrong side of a loaded gun
Ishtyle maara toh…This is not a whodunit , this is a ‘how-it-is-done’. So if
you believe that the lord is in the detail and the passion with which any action or emotion is expressed, this is your film. When
Faisal Khan
has to send out a message to his adversaries, he sends a severed head.
When he wants to reach out to his own men, he shoots one of them down in
the middle of a dialogue with no intimation. A long puff from his
chillum and he’s confident of claiming his targets without aiming and
getting his scattered mind to see better sense. While he may be in the ‘
Satya’ space, his actions and demeanour could be compared to someone from ‘
Snatch’.
If you’re a soundtrack junkie…This
movie celebrates a background score’s ability in establishing a mood or
complementing a scene. ‘Moora’ and ‘Kaala Rey’ are hauntingly
purposeful in calming the audience who is braving an intense and
horrific scene. But it’s not just the music, every sound counts. Right
from the trucks honking away to the tune of Dhoom's title track to the
orchestra bleating away at the many funeral processions, each leaves
you
with pickled feelings. A good example of how well the music blends with
the visuals would be the breakdown part of the song ‘Chhi Chha Ledar’
where this chase sequence slows down to gel with the score. Here’s an
inside look into how one of the numbers was
crafted:
Want more than action?For those who relish ‘a little more conversation’, there’s a lot here.
Great action thrillers always include scenes and dialogues which have nothing to do with the focal point of the film. They just
beautifully
and temporarily drift you away from the story to serve as a mood
changer. So when an assailant is tailing his victim and reporting about
his every move in real time, he offers assumptions like, ‘Kela khareed
raha hai. Pet kharab hai shayad?” This is followed by a detailed
discussion on the various preparations of jackfruit (the victim’s next
purchase). While these scenes cannot be truly appreciated enough, their
absence would’ve amplified their desperate need. If not to cut the
tension, then to provide a breather from such a complicated plot. And if
you’re worried about losing track, worry not, there is a neat
voice-over to summarize everything like the minutes of a meeting.
In the mood for first-person shooters?
Maad-dhaad-kalakaarKill Bill/ Rambo
fans,
book your seats now. Almost every third scene has someone being slashed
or gunned down by the trigger-happy cast. And if you’re one for first
person shooters, this could really inspire you to hit the console right
after the movie. But something that
Kashyap
specifically excels in, are chase sequences and the few here are 24
carat. May not be as elaborate as the one in ‘Black Friday’ but involves
you enough to want to leap forward and go for a grab.
Those who haven’t seen part 1While it would be nice to inherit the right amount of
angst
for this revenge sequel, this one intermittently recaps what led whom
to get where and why. Infact, the first part wasted a lot of time in
flagging historical landmarks, in
introducing characters
and was much scattered with the number of elements and periods to be
covered. This one has characters ready to dive into action with a quick
backgrounder for new additions, leaving much time to weave a tighter and
telling story.
In
most movies of this genre, sex is employed as a sly tool to arouse
psychological intrigue and suspicion, where lack of inhibition works as a
disturbing element (Eyes Wide Shut, Sleeping Beauty, anyone?)
instead of shabby titillation. But what can one say about a film so
paranoid that characters react with such emotional exaggeration and
neuroticism as if a nuclear holocaust is upon us?