The 'Allahs' and the 'Mullahs' of Wasseypur!

So I have been waiting, patiently, just like the fictional Faisal Khan and our hero director Mr. Kashyap. After my last blog post, many a things changed. Mr. Nolan completed his trilogy and the world chanted 'Deshay Basara', MC Mary Kom won a bronze and India suddenly rose to the occasion and everyone's heart went out to this great icon of the North-East, epitomizing womanhood and spirit. As for me, I attended the Osians Cinefest and saw good, bad, ugly cinema. And though I missed the chance to watch GoW2 with the cast & crew, I waited patiently for 8th August and the penning of my next blog post.

Let me make one thing clear.. This is not a film review post and definitely not a AKFL paid blog. (yes, some people thought that I was paid to write all this.) And yes, though both my blog post are about the movie Wasseypur, it is just due to the fact that I was really busy past one month and "patiently" waiting for GoW2 to get released.

While most people commonly asked me which out of the two I liked more, I'd say this- I cannot and should not compare them and judge them in isolation. The entire epic saga is one story, almost a 6-hr journey that spans from 1940s to late 2000 and covers the rise and fall of local thugs, goons, mafia, political leaders, the rich, the poor, the all powerful residing in the mineral belt of Bihar & Jharkhand, with focus on Dhanbad & Wasseypur and the way of work and life in it.The "electric" romance between Faisal & Mohsina, the wonderful songs which by the way always take place as action unfolds, the "Chhe chha" killing of Ramadhir are some of the major highlights of the movie. And the way the gangland, the myths, the characters have been portrayed and the story of a "hero" is subverted is where its brilliance lies.

Bollywood has always celebrated the "hero". From Romantic Rajesh Khanna (RIP), to Angry young Bacchan to King Khan, the "hero" is what we are obsessed with. And yes in that regard, the movie celebrates its two heroes- Sardar Khan and Faisal Khan. Or is it?
A closer look will reveal the excellent use of subversion through this "hero" figure and the strong point it presents. Sardar Khan, our first hero from GoW1 dies. And no, he doesn't stand to his "keh ke lunga" words. That's sheer foolishness. And the first scene of GoW2 symbolizes this. As we see a grief-stricken family and a dead Sardar, Yashpal Sharma's song cracks us up. And hola! We laugh. Atleast I couldn't stop giggling for the entire song death sequence. And from here, as the movie unfolds, you enjoy the spectacular celebration of all the so-called hero characters, only to realize the simple, stunning fact, that they are all really nothing but mere fools. Kashyap takes his protagonist "heroes" and turns them into fools who just faff and die. Oh yes, the glorious death of a fool. Quite Shakespearean, actually!

The characters are extremely unique and it is through them, Kashyap ne keh ki li hain!. "Perpendicular" actually etches a memory in the mind through his razor sharp characterization. Ramadhir Singh, Sultan, Danish, Tangent, Faisal, Shamshad, Definite and even the yellow-tooth policewala, fools of all varieties make for a perfect ensemble. Bloodshed and Business- it all happens without planning and an agenda. And this absence of motive makes it dangerous. In one of the most compelling scenes, Faisal Khan bares his heart out to wifey Mohsina and admits that he has no clue how the events kept happening and life got tangled in the mess, and no it is NOT about "badla". That story was pretty much over. A brilliant satire on the mafia world. Similarly, Ramadhir's dig at Cinema and how it affects the Junta, followed by a romantic sequence between Faisal and Mohsina and the latter singing "Dil to pagal hain" over the phone is hilarious. Kashyap really turns on the black humor and sarcasm, and how!

The play with the 'real' and 'apparent' heroes is amazing. Ramadhir's son turns out to be the smartest one! The step-son, Definite gets the last word and the movie ends with a quiet, brooding, Piyush Misra (he is the wisest of them all!), doing what he always does-taking care of the Khan clan as life comes to a full (fool?) circle. And as Wasseypur comes to an end, all I have in my mind is this- Enough of the heroes. Nakshebaaji haath mein lekar, sab rangbaaji saath mein lekar.. Let's celebrate the chutiyas now!