If 70’s hit box-office formula, exploited mercilessly later in 90’s, of
macho-giri, hero-panthi & solid dialogue-baazi
could still guarantee an out-sized rage in entertainment, YashRaj film’s GUNDAY
would have easily been a winner all the way but what it misses out in
translation is the unforeseen elements in the plot. So, GUNDAY- the saga of
love, friendship & betrayal remains limited and disappoints for the most
part.
In a GANGS OF WASSEYPUR-ish docudrama style of narration, Irrfan playing
a confident cop takes us back in 1971’s Bangladesh where 2 young guns are
forced to flee and find a shelter in Calcutta only to rise as the second most
famous [infamous would do the justice] craze after the monumental Howrah Bridge.
These so-called ‘local Robinhoods’ & the biggest goons of their times [Ranveer
playing Bikram and Arjun being Bala] are into every illegal business in the
list. So far so good, but then the next chain of events is not very tricky to
track down when both fall in ‘sachche wala pyaar’ with the same girl [Priyanka
Chopra sizzles as a cabaret dancer]. Film gets derailed from being a hardcore
anti-hero film to bring down the dysfunctional system to a typical romantic
triangle with an outdated pinch of betrayal and misunderstandings coming in the
way of friendship and love.
Setting a story in 70’s-80’s brings plenty of interesting nuances in the
plot to rejoice. Rajesh Khanna is mentioned as a superstar girls fall for, for
more than once. Mithun da’s dance moves are hard to ignore in choreography.
Bappi Lahiri’s voice is prominently used to catch the bong-connection. The colors
and characters also smell rustic & next-door [One specific character can’t
stop himself addressing his bloodthirsty rival as ‘dada’]. Obviously the
direction is on the right track but obviousness in plot kills the grandness of GUNDAY.
Why to borrow [Copy-paste] from storylines that are done-to-death? I don’t have
any clue and I guess the thinking tanks behind this would also not have a
justification.
Film if manages to hold your attention, despite being tad lengthy by at
least 15-20 minutes, the credit goes to its production value which makes it a
grandeur explosion of drama on screen, the performances mainly of Irrfan who is
regular but delightfully charming with some of the cheesiest lines and an attitude
that becomes skin to the character and last but not the least the high-voltage drama.
Whatever happens here happens in a slow-motion technique. Everyone appears from
a hazy-foggy-smoky background. Punches hit the chiseled body in high-speed. In the
rest, Ranveer outshines with a good performance. Arjun impresses but not
without showing limitations as an actor. Priyanka does it the way she’s known
to.
Overall, Ali Abbas Jafar’s glorification of anti-heroes ends up in a
lengthy bumpy ride that is enjoyable in parts, grand in looks but definitely not worthy enough to be a descendant
of bygone era’s masala/mass entertainers. Watch it if your idea to celebrate Valentine’s
Day is nothing else but to see two shirtless men fighting for one girl. [2.5/5]
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