Yash Raj’s GUNDAY which is directed by Ali Abbas Zafar lives up to the hype linked with the movie. Many masala movies that released last year were bland and repetitive, copying the longstanding template to persuade moviegoers of all ages. GUNDAY is an all-out masala film and it has an eye-catching basis, well-created characters with riveting drama, is bigheartedly showered with vivacious songs and peppy action.
GUNDAY is for those who show appreciation and rejoice masala cinema. The story is one that taking you back in time during 1970s in Calcutta, telling a vigorous story of two orphans and their bro-mance. It is age-old recipe, but Ali makes sure he reinvents it with embellishment, serving the formula in a contemporary format. GUNDAY is designed as an entertainer and it serves it all in a vigorous style . They ran to save their lives for the first time, they were mere 12-year-old boys and the world called them migrants. The war of 1971 gave birth to a new country Bangladesh. It also gave birth to two young orphans named Bikram [Ranveer Singh] and Bala [Arjun Kapoor]. They witnessed the war and its aftermath where the world tried to crush over them. Fighting for existence, they clung to each other and escaped to Calcutta. Before they knew the world they knew each other, such was their friendship. In the years that passed, Bikram and Bala became Calcutta’s most loved, most celebrated, most reckless, most fearless and most powerful gunday. Nandita [Priyanka Chopra] is the most beautiful burlesque dancer who walked into their lives. They fell head over heels in love with her. But that was only a blissful lull before an impending storm… Enters ACP Satyajeet Sarkar [Irrfan Khan] has the right for every wrong and a law for every outlaw and a counter force for Bikram and Bala. What happens next? …
GUNDAY is rapidly corralled, lavishly mounted and gradually edited. The bromance, the romance, the gunday versus cop clash, the burst of colors, the erratic screenwriting coupled with smart lines make this an enjoyable watch and without a doubt the director, who has also written the film, makes sure he leaves his stamp all over the film. There are thought-provoking twists in the story and though the viewer might feel he knows what’s going to transpire next the script catches you by complete surprise as a brand new twist comes to the fore although after the interval the film could’ve had a shorter run time. The second to last portions in specific could’ve done with some better and more condensed editing. It’s prolonged for no reason and a few twists incline to get repetitive. The Director of Photography soaks each and every frame in opulent colours. The usage of colours during the intermission point when the twist in the tale happens, is striking. The action sequences are dynamic, with the violent scenes never going overboard. The soundtrack by Sohail Sen is wonderful. ‘Tune Maari Entriyaan’ is, without doubt, the hot favourite. ‘Jashn-e-Ishqa’ and ‘Asalaam-e-Ishqum’ are sparkling compositions and sync well in the scheme of things. Dialogue are striking and at places standing ovation material. Each sector seems to have worked hard and in sync to realize the director’s vision on celluloid.
The four pivotal characters Ranveer, Arjun, Priyanka and Irrfan are superb. The show belongs to Ranveer and Arjun. The firecracker bro-mance is the backbone of the enterprise. Together, they create one of the best on-screen jodis that would make it really difficult to erase from public memory , although Ranveer’s character has a slight edge. Those who felt that Priyanka adds the luxury and sparkle to GUNDAY and she is back and better than before! Irrfan, as always, is in excellent form, fitting the role to the T. Saurabh Shukla and Victor Banerjee stand out in their individual parts. The child artists enacting the parts of young Bikram [Darshan Gujar] and Bala [Jayesh Kardak] are remarkable. On a whole, GUNDAY has a trustworthy story to tell and it is packed with unforeseen twists that keep you on the edge and offers entertainment in enormous doses. This racy, fascinating masala fare is sure to make a killing this weekend! It has a lil something for him and her this Valentine’s Day! The Bollywood Tempest awards this film a great 8/10!
Rating: 4 Stars