Gulaal is an angry film filled with angry characters; however, even though there’s no denying the movie’s latent (though not completely tapped) force, it somehow failed to make me share its anger. The movie starts off explosively, with Kay Kay Menon in the process of giving a seditious speech to radicalized men to enforce his vision of having a separate state for the Rajputs – a clan revered for its battlefield bravery. Yet, the same passion didn’t get carried over till the end, thus diluting the strong political and nihilistic themes of the movie. The acting in general was very good, with the strongest performance being that of Abhimanyu Singh whose powerful portrayal of a guy steeped in vitality and deep contempt for the world around him, and who lives in a psychedelic neon-lit bar, was utterly memorable. And like Dev D, the background score and cinematography, too, are extremely impressive. The downturns, however, are the somewhat scrappy editing that made me loose track of the plot more than once, lack of development of a couple of characters which had great potentials otherwise, and a weak turn by the chief protagonist of the story (which becomes all the more glaring thanks to the terrific support cast). Gulaal had greatness written all over it; unfortunately all it ends up being is no more than just a satisfying watch.
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Genre: Drama/Political Drama/Existential Drama/Gangster Movie
Language: Hindi
Country: India
6 comments:
I found the climax rather abrupt. Did you understand the 'Ardha-nareshwar' character? That was highly confusing.
PS: Very impressive list of 100 favourite films!
Yeah, the progression of the plot was not well placed. I guess the 'ardh-nareshwar' character's role was only to provide a surrealistic feel, and nothing more.
Thanks for mentioning about the list - these are some of the movies that made me a cinephile.
If only it was Dylan instead of Lennon on the pendant!
had been waiting for this review.
i agree... a missed opportunity here. this movie could have been a lot more...
u knw, i dont completely agree wit this view, this is anurag kashyap's style...a raw, rugged, rajasthani feel is wat makes this movie a classic...maybe u need 2 see the place to feel the movie!! for me, this movie totally rocks! agreed the ending is a little abrupt, but thats how the story of corruption continue...
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