Film Review - Gunday

City of No Joy 

Film: Gunday

Cast: Ranvir Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra

Directed by: Abbas Ali Zafar

Duration: 2 hrs 33 mins

Rating: * 1 / 2

Made by Yashraj, one of the top production houses in the country and directed by Abbas Ali Zafar, Gunday doesn’t lack in resources when it comes to production values but what is sorely missing is a story that has something novel to offer. Most of the film is set in the 80’s but sadly, it also looks like a film of the 80’s.

Not only is it predictable from start to finish, at two and half hours, it is also long enough to leave you exasperated and you can’t help but look at your watch from time to time waiting for the ordeal to end, especially in the second half.

Set during the formation of Bangladesh, two boys Bala and Bikram manage to sneak through to India after escaping from the refugee camp. Now if kids would talk like kids it would be convincing but when they mutter lines by an adult dialogue writer (in this case the director himself) it doesn’t look credible- “Marne se koi bada nahin banta, dimaag se banta hain ” says one kid and there is another line with something to do with anger and boiling milk.

They are a bit like Jai and Veeru, except that the Sholay buddies were small time crooks where as these guys grow up aspiring to become the biggest dons of Calcutta, as it was known then.  Bikram (Ranveer) and Bala (Arjun Kapoor) spawn their empire from coal to LPG and everything in between and Saurabh Shukla plays a similar role that he essayed in Satya.  A tough cop (Irrfan) is hot on their heels and vows to bring them to justice. 

As it has happened in a billion Bollywood films before, the two men fall for the same girl (Priyanka Chopra) who happens to be a cabaret dancer. The woman unflinchingly says “Main tumhe ek haafta deti hoon mera dil jeetne ke liye”(I’ll give you’ll one week to win me over), yes, the dialogues are that tedious.  The Jai and Veeru friendship goes kaput as they bay for each other’s blood, which is not a bad time for you to take a nap because this is so much been-there-seen-that.

It attempts to pay a tribute to vintage films right from Sholay, Kaala Pathaar, Deewar and there’s also Mr. India playing in a theatre where a fight sequence is choreographed (the only admirable scene). The rest is so very mind numbing and the finale which has a Salman type lets-take off-our-shirts-and fight is in super slow motion. Actually a lot of the film is in slo-mo, had it been shot it normal speed, the duration would reduce considerably.

The film also tries too hard to catch the flavor of the city by showing the mandatory Durga pooja , Howrah bridge and cops in white but that is not enough.

On the acting front, the lead men make an effort to be noticed. Irrfan is superb as usual and steals their thunder. He doesn’t get to take off his shirt though. Priyanka Chopra has become a bit lackluster lately and this role affirms that.  On the whole, Gunday is so passé; it’s time to move on folks. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 16th Feb 2014

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