Gangs of Wasseypur: A Marvel that Straddles Parallel & Mainstream Cinema

Paanch saal baad, ek baar fir karenge vaar.

The Hindi film industry predominantly known as Bollywood, is a princely capitalist state arguably ruled by film dynasties and heavily guarded by their cronies. For Anurag Kashyap, who came to the industry with just one aim; to bridge the gap between planes of world cinema and Hindi cinema, drawing a linear graph was something that cost him the asset of time. It took 11 years for him to disrupt the very mainstream territory, since his directorial debut Paanch in 2001. With the magnum opus Gangs Of Wasseypur( GoW), the filmmaker touched new heights of success; both commercially and critically. The two part film series regarded as one of the modern classics of not just Hindi but Indian cinema, is something that appeals to all minds.

As the film completes half a decade on 22^nd June, let’s look at what makes it so special:

Set in the town of Wasseypur, the film immediately establishes a connection with the small town, Tier 2 and Tier 3 city audience. In addition, two of the most populous states of the country namely Uttar Pradesh (ranked number 1 in the 2011 census) and Bihar (ranked number 3) play a huge role in making or breaking a film. The audience from these states drew towards GoW because of the story and believable characters. For places where the condition of law & order is tumbling, it brings a grotesque relief for the natives to see reality unfolding bit by bit on the screen.

Another thing that hooked the mass audience was language of the film and the subsequent humour. Before Gangs of Wasseypur happened, the Bhojpuri dialect was heavily stereotyped and looked down upon but now, the film has given new dimensions to the language. Dialogues like “Beta tumse nah ho paayega”, “permissan(sic) leni chahiye na” and “keh ke lenge” have become an indispensable part of the pop-culture and will undoubtedly go down in the pages of history. This is one of the rare instances where cinema contributes to literature or language. Generally, it’s the other way round.

The film also makes full use of the comic timing that is rooted in local language. How often you find comedy roaming in the same streets as death? Remember Sultan’s assassination scene? It’s the brilliance of GoW that its three dimensional space acts as a powerful set up while it packs a punch. The scene in consideration is a chasing sequence albeit in hushed tones, in a sense where goof ups act as blind curves & dead ends to the linear path of doom that is being travelled by Sultan. The fruit market leads the way to the vegetable market  of Gola Mandi in Bhagalpur, where the unconventionally funny line is presented, “Brahman sab ka meat hota hai na bhaiyya, katahal (jackfruit)?” The motive of the scene functions as a closure to this very act.

Further, the filmmaker relies on the glossy Bollywood content to tug the audience. After using the cinema of 70’s and 80’s to streamline his story, he systematically dismantles the glossy content to let the audience sink into his creation. For a kid who is learning how to ride a bicycle, Kashyap is that father who gives a gentle thrust to him/ her towards meaningful cinema. He carefully balances the saddle on his fingers and eventually bids farewell to kid using the same hand.

But, unlike a normal aforementioned scenario, the director still holds the control. He changes gears at his will to place the novice in the same cyclothon as avid cinema lovers. This is the point of crossover where, with gore, brazen brutality and robust – unapologetic language, Kashyap doesn’t shy away from letting lactic acid question the rust in muscles & joints i.e. the trash that has long been fed to people in the name of senseless entertainment by ‘Bollywood’.

Not just GoW detoxifies itself from the regular Bollywood stuff but also irreversibly disintegrates it as is evident in Ramadhir Singh’s dialogue, “Jab tak Hindustan mein saneema (cinema) hai, log chutiya bante rahenge.”

From here on, it’s a journey in an upward spiral. Anurag gives strong establishments to his characters. For example, the sequence which says that Sultan still butchers 60 buffaloes a day or Perpendicular, who has a penchant for chewing razor blades, both the characters stomp their feet on ground with a sturdy impact. For Faizal Khan, who comes across as good for nothing in the first part, undergoes a serious change in later stages and becomes a dreaded name during the second part of the film.

The director also pushes the characters to extremes. He shows no mercy towards the characters whatsoever, be it the two protagonists, Nagma Khatoon, Sultan, Shama Parveen (Sultan’s sister, whom he shoots point blank in the forehead) or the very well composed Ramadhir Singh. Infact, Ramadhir serves as a textbook for those who wish to learn the art of character development. His fabricated layers (pun intended) are the leaves that spell out complex narratives. Anurag quite smartly introduced a low-key Rashomon effect to the film, with Ramdhir’s character. On the periphery, he may come across as an evil scofflaw but, as you go deeper into his psyche, you’ll understand that his battle for power emanates from the struggle to survive. For a story that spans three generations, Ramadhir is someone who bespeaks the Darwinian natural selection, thereby merging the boundaries of art & science.

The film also documents an impeccable attention to detail. From pre-independence era to the India of mid 2000s, the beauty of Gangs of Wasseypur lies in its detailing. GoW is a highly research driven film; from story, history of characters, music to even dance. Everything is well packaged and presented in crisp form. Be it the ‘Launda Naach’ (Yes, that’s a legit name given to the folk art form of Bihar, where men dress up as women performers. Roughly an Indian form of the concept of drag queens) that we see during Shamshad Alam’s celebration after cracking the deal with Faizal or the earthy folk music by Sneha Khanwalkar, the amount of research that has been put together in the film is something that unlocks new territories of perfection.

It’s an undeniable fact that Anurag Kashyap is one of the most learned filmmakers of our country. However, as much as the cinematic serum courses through his iron willed veins, it’s hard to say if he would ever be able to repeat the magic that he created with GoW. He may have delivered some great films like Ugly in recent years but the fact remains that with Gangs of Wasseypur, he created something that he himself hasn’t been able to match up to since then (in terms of widespread commercial success). But isn’t that a perfect relationship between an art & the artist?

(Image Credits: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Phantom Films, JAR Pictures and AKFPL)