Gangster takes a detour from the formulaic Indian movies we've seen over the years.
From the get go, Gangster is a gripping and disturbing drama that is more an emotional roller-coaster than a thriller.
This is a film about love and redemption that transcends even the bleakest of circumstances, and how even a hard-core gangster could be transformed by the power of a woman's love. In Gangster, the woman is torn between two men, who love her unconditionally. She has to make a choice. But things are not what they seem. The serpentine twists and turns in the plot catch you completely unaware. The film charts into territory that has rarely been visited by Bollywood cinema.
The film's charm lies in its rich emotional power which draws the discerning viewer into its arms and keeps him there.
The story opens with a startling scene of someone being shot by one Simran (outstandingly played by Kangana Ranaut) and herself getting shot while escaping. The scene jumps quickly into the back story to establish the main protagonists.
CUT TO Seoul in Korea. In the starkly anodyne setting of Seoul, a seemingly irredeemable alcoholic Simran, drowns her angst in booze,drinking to oblivion.
At this low ebb in her life enters an everyman, Akaash (Emran Hashmi), a singer in a downtown Indian restaurant. Akaash's relationship with Simran turns from friendship to love as he learns of Simran's past.
Simran was a bar dancer in Mumbai and, one day, her path crosses Daya's (Shiny Ajuha), a ruthless gangster, working for his boss, Khan (Gulshan Grover); the latter is a thoroughly amoral criminal who believes that women are the downfall of their fraternity. In their world, life is cheap and expendable.
Daya is on the run from the police; Simran puts him up for a night in her home. Daya falls for Simran. Daya travels a lot on assassination missions Dubai, Korea, Mauritius. He has no place he can call his own, and is always on the run. Wherever he is, he calls Simran.
Meanwhile, rival lover Akaash works on Simran, to win her over. He knows that Simran's journey from a bar dancer in Mumbai to a lonely, pointless existence in Seoul has been laid with thorns. She falls for his gentle ways.
Daya lands in Seoul unannounced and learns of Simran's budding relationship with Akaash. In a fit of jealous rage, he assaults Akaash with stunning brutality, only stopping when Simran saves the latter from certain death. Daya confronts Simran and asks her for absolution and promises to mend ways and fulfil her dreams of a normal life. He makes plans to give up the hoodlum's life and starts to earn an honest living in the mean streets of Seoul, and feels gratified to earn money without wiping out people.
As this is juncture, there are complications. Simran discovers that she is pregnant and carrying Akaash's baby. She is now torn between the two men in her life. She has to make a choice, which she does, but she is in for a rude shock, in a new twist to the plot, which turns her life impending new life upside-down.
A complex subject, Gangster reveals layer after layer of subtext, giving you the point-of-view of an ordinary mortal, who happens to be a gangster on the run.
The film opens with an explosive shootout that sets the tone for the rest of the film. The mystery deepens when the film goes into flashback mode and the story changes lanes from a gangster film to a multifaceted love story. Just when you thought that Simran (Kangana) had finally found true love, there's a major twist in the plot. The viewer is rudely awakened from his reverie at this juncture and you anxiously await the hurt lover's next move.
The sequence when Daya beats Akaash to a pulp is horrifying. The twist in the plot when Daya decides to start life afresh is credible. There's yet another twist when Simran turns to Akaash for comfort, but realises her folly and gives Daya another chance. Add another twist in the climax, and you find it difficult to guess what else is in store in GANGSTER.
GANGSTER'S potency lies on the sterling performances from the three main leads. Emraan shows his versatility and delivers a power-packed performance, moving from sensitive lover to chameleon.
Kangana is a photogenic face and an outstanding actor. She has a complex role in her very first film and carries it off with élan. But Kangana plays her character with great subtlety and authenticity.
Shiny is outstanding as the brooding gangster of the title, and a hurricane of talent who has to rely on silent expressions for much of the film to get his personality across. The key points in the film when he makes an electrifying impact are specifically, first when he reaches impromptu at Kangana's residence in Seoul, then when he breaks down in Kangana's laps, asking her to give him one more chance and the shocking outburst scene near the climax. Never have I seen a strong, intense man breaking down with such raw intensity. If cynicism and heartlessness hasn't completely overawed today's viewer, then you, like me, would totally empathise with his character's deep emotional hurt.
On the whole, GANGSTER is a film that will churn the emotions inside you, as you empathise with the moral and ethical deliberations of the main characters.
From the get go, Gangster is a gripping and disturbing drama that is more an emotional roller-coaster than a thriller.
This is a film about love and redemption that transcends even the bleakest of circumstances, and how even a hard-core gangster could be transformed by the power of a woman's love. In Gangster, the woman is torn between two men, who love her unconditionally. She has to make a choice. But things are not what they seem. The serpentine twists and turns in the plot catch you completely unaware. The film charts into territory that has rarely been visited by Bollywood cinema.
The film's charm lies in its rich emotional power which draws the discerning viewer into its arms and keeps him there.
The story opens with a startling scene of someone being shot by one Simran (outstandingly played by Kangana Ranaut) and herself getting shot while escaping. The scene jumps quickly into the back story to establish the main protagonists.
CUT TO Seoul in Korea. In the starkly anodyne setting of Seoul, a seemingly irredeemable alcoholic Simran, drowns her angst in booze,drinking to oblivion.
At this low ebb in her life enters an everyman, Akaash (Emran Hashmi), a singer in a downtown Indian restaurant. Akaash's relationship with Simran turns from friendship to love as he learns of Simran's past.
Simran was a bar dancer in Mumbai and, one day, her path crosses Daya's (Shiny Ajuha), a ruthless gangster, working for his boss, Khan (Gulshan Grover); the latter is a thoroughly amoral criminal who believes that women are the downfall of their fraternity. In their world, life is cheap and expendable.
Daya is on the run from the police; Simran puts him up for a night in her home. Daya falls for Simran. Daya travels a lot on assassination missions Dubai, Korea, Mauritius. He has no place he can call his own, and is always on the run. Wherever he is, he calls Simran.
Meanwhile, rival lover Akaash works on Simran, to win her over. He knows that Simran's journey from a bar dancer in Mumbai to a lonely, pointless existence in Seoul has been laid with thorns. She falls for his gentle ways.
Daya lands in Seoul unannounced and learns of Simran's budding relationship with Akaash. In a fit of jealous rage, he assaults Akaash with stunning brutality, only stopping when Simran saves the latter from certain death. Daya confronts Simran and asks her for absolution and promises to mend ways and fulfil her dreams of a normal life. He makes plans to give up the hoodlum's life and starts to earn an honest living in the mean streets of Seoul, and feels gratified to earn money without wiping out people.
As this is juncture, there are complications. Simran discovers that she is pregnant and carrying Akaash's baby. She is now torn between the two men in her life. She has to make a choice, which she does, but she is in for a rude shock, in a new twist to the plot, which turns her life impending new life upside-down.
A complex subject, Gangster reveals layer after layer of subtext, giving you the point-of-view of an ordinary mortal, who happens to be a gangster on the run.
The film opens with an explosive shootout that sets the tone for the rest of the film. The mystery deepens when the film goes into flashback mode and the story changes lanes from a gangster film to a multifaceted love story. Just when you thought that Simran (Kangana) had finally found true love, there's a major twist in the plot. The viewer is rudely awakened from his reverie at this juncture and you anxiously await the hurt lover's next move.
The sequence when Daya beats Akaash to a pulp is horrifying. The twist in the plot when Daya decides to start life afresh is credible. There's yet another twist when Simran turns to Akaash for comfort, but realises her folly and gives Daya another chance. Add another twist in the climax, and you find it difficult to guess what else is in store in GANGSTER.
GANGSTER'S potency lies on the sterling performances from the three main leads. Emraan shows his versatility and delivers a power-packed performance, moving from sensitive lover to chameleon.
Kangana is a photogenic face and an outstanding actor. She has a complex role in her very first film and carries it off with élan. But Kangana plays her character with great subtlety and authenticity.
Shiny is outstanding as the brooding gangster of the title, and a hurricane of talent who has to rely on silent expressions for much of the film to get his personality across. The key points in the film when he makes an electrifying impact are specifically, first when he reaches impromptu at Kangana's residence in Seoul, then when he breaks down in Kangana's laps, asking her to give him one more chance and the shocking outburst scene near the climax. Never have I seen a strong, intense man breaking down with such raw intensity. If cynicism and heartlessness hasn't completely overawed today's viewer, then you, like me, would totally empathise with his character's deep emotional hurt.
On the whole, GANGSTER is a film that will churn the emotions inside you, as you empathise with the moral and ethical deliberations of the main characters.