Aren't you bored out the trite that is passed around as Cinema? Aren't you are tired of the milk chocolate covered, pink candy flavoured, perfectly shaped shit that is thrown in our face on a regular basis. I, for one, craved for an honest-to-God, real, kickass movie so full of badassery that it cannot but be of our own beautifully fucked up corner of the world called Bihar.
So praise be on the land of Balia, where Anurag Kashyap was born. And 40 years later, Gangs of Wasseypur was created.
This cinematic gem's brilliance has many hues.
It has such a cliched story line. Revenge. No-spoiler-alert. It is that simple. And within this simplicity lies its profoundness.
The profoundness that is revealed though the fabulously set backdrop, of Independence, Coal mining and an emerging Socialist/Capitalist economy. It has a subtle existence. Reminiscent of the ocean breeze, when you take a stroll on a star lit night.
And my oh my, is the night star lit! Most of us would not be able to name the many stars that light up GoW. All of them are ablaze with awesomeness. The characters are ferocious. They explode on the screen.
And the words. The sullied and bloody language. The mannerism. The nifty little nuances that delight. Is it real? Is that how it is? Or it was? Yes. Hell bloody yeah. As a true blue Bihari, dharti maiyya ke kasam, that is how it is.
And the promotions. The campaigning. The advertising, that you rarely saw on TV. But everywhere on the Social Network. Micro blog. Macro blog. Tweets and Updates. You tube promos. Dialogue promos. Crazy fans like yours truly blogging about it. And what not. Mind blowing! I have a penchant for Marketing. And I cannot but dream of doing what the GoW Team has done.
For those of you who don't know, I will be embarking on a 16 month long adventure in Phillipines, at Asian Institute of Management (Don't kick me in my lovelies at the last hour SBI) . It is also known as an MBA. I hope it is a Mind Blowing Adventure. And I have a new career goal : I want to be a Marketer/Sales Man for Anurag Kashyap Films Private Limited !
Apart from enthralling me to the hilt, GoW gave me something else. Nostalgia. Heart ache. Occasionally, a painful reminder of how things were or may be still are in the state where I was born and raised. But it also gave me a chance to re-connect to my roots. A reminder of how beautiful and soulful Bihari Culture is. I am talking about the folk songs here and not the swear words. I have never loved Bhojpuri music ever before. And for that matter, Chutney music ( The Hunter Song, which again has a bihari connection). And how lyrical ordinary bihari conversation can be!
"Aaap aaaaa gayyeeee jeee"
"Haaan. Abhiyeeee na aayeee"
Stretch and sing. It is funny. And beautiful at the same time. Even the invectives are delivered in a brutal but sing-song fashion.
Ah. Cinema is a source of abundant joy to me. I have watched the movie three times already.
Remember Sholay? This is my Sholay. Our Wasseypur. It is a lovely shade of dark gray. And the best part ? One half of this delicious movie is still left. August 10, I eagerly await.
p.s. Thank you Yayati Joshi. Your wonderful posts on Cinema inspired me.
