Both parts were originally shot as a single film measuring a total of 321 minutes[1] and screened at the 2012 CannesDirectors' Fortnight,[4][5][6][7] but since no Indian theatre would volunteer to screen a film longer than five hours, it was split into two parts for that market.
Both films received widespread critical acclaim and were commercially successful at the box office. It has gained a large cult following over the years due to its dark humor, experimental soundtrack, and its raw and realistic filmmaking style not done by any Bollywood film before.[8] In 2019, The Guardian listed it 59th on the 100 greatest movies of the 21st century.[9]
Manoj Bajpayee as Sardar Khan, Shahid Khan's only son; Nagma and Durga's husband; Danish, Faizal, Perpendicular, and Definite's father; Mohsina and Shama's father-in-law; Feroz's grandfather.
Jaideep Ahlawat as Shahid Khan, the patriarch of the Khan family; Sardar's father; Nagma and Durga's father-in-law; Danish, Faizal, Perpendicular, Definite's grandfather, Mohsina and Shama's grandfather in law; Feroz's great-grandfather.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Faizal Khan, Sardar, and Nagma's second son; Durga's stepson; Danish, Perpendicular's brother; Definite's stepbrother; Mohsina's husband; Feroz's father.
Richa Chadda as Nagma Khatoon, Sardar's first wife; Danish, Faizal, Perpendicular's mother; Shama and Mohsina's mother-in-law; Feroz's grandmother.
Piyush Mishra as Nasir, Shahid Khan's servant, Sardar's sworn uncle, and narrator in the movie
Jameel Khan as Asghar Khan, Nasir's nephew, and Sardar's sworn cousin
Reema Sen as Durga, Sardar's second wife; Definite's mother; Danish, Faizal, and Perpendicular's stepmother.
Anurag Kashyap said he had wanted to make a film on Bihar with the name Bihar for some time, but for various reasons it didn't take off. In 2008 he met Zeishan Quadri (the writer of Gangs of Wasseypur) who told him about Wasseypur's story. He found it unreal to believe that mafia activity and gang war existed at such a high level, and what really attracted him was not gang war but the entire story of the emergence of the mafia. According to him, to tell the story through a few families is what interested him but that also meant a longer reel. "We all know mafia exists but what they do, how they operate, why they do we don't know and that is something which forms the basis of the film".
Casting
According to Bajpayee, the role of Sardar Khan is the most negative role he has done till date. His motivation for doing this role came from the fact that there was "something new" with the character of Sardar Khan.[11]Piyush Mishra and Tigmanshu Dhulia were given the discretion to decide who, among them, would perform the roles of Nasir and Ramadhir. Mishra chose the role of Nasir and Dhulia portrayed Ramadhir Singh.[12] Chadda revealed in an interview that this role helped her bag 11 film roles.[13] This was Huma Qureshi's first film, and she characterised this as her "dream debut". Qureshi landed this role after director Anurag Kashyap spotted her in a Samsung commercial he was directing.[14]
Filming
Major portions of the film were shot at villages near Bihar.[15][16] Shooting also took place in Chunar.[17] During filming in Varanasi in December 2010, film's chief assistant director Sohil Shah died while performing one of the stunt shot scenes.[18] The movie was dedicated to Sohil Shah, as is seen in the opening titles. The film finished production in late March 2011.[19]
The production cost was ₹18.4crore.[20] Anurag Kashyap has said that it is his most expensive film, and he reportedly had to spend ₹ 15crore on paying the actors.[21] However, he has tweeted that "45crore as reported in the media is false."
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "More than five hours go by in a blink in this frantic Indian crime epic that spans generations and encompasses hundreds of characters in a bloody spiral of brutality, all masterfully filmed by Anurag Kashyap."[22] The film holds a Metacritic score of 89 based on 10 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[23]
Critic Danny Bowes of RogerEbert.com called it "[o]ne of the most ambitious gangster films ever made, and quite possibly one of the best", writing that it is "worthy of discussion alongside Coppola's first two Godfather films, or Leone's Once Upon a Time in America."[24]Salon's Andrew O'Hehir wrote: "As a rich and exuberant character-driven crime saga in an idiom you absolutely have not encountered before, and a dense, unsentimental portrayal of the collision between democracy, capitalism, and gangsterism on the frayed margins of the post-colonial world, Gangs of Wasseypur is a signal achievement in 21st-century cinema."[25]Martin Scorsese, one of Kashyap's influences on the films and personal heroes, sent a letter to Kashyap, offering praise, stating that he "loved them", even expressing a desire to meet him. Director Anurag Kashyap has said twice that Tamil-language periodaction filmSubramaniapuram was an inspiration.[26][27]
In September 2019, The Guardian ranked Gangs of Wasseypur in 59th place in its 100 best films of the 21st century list, stating: "A possible turning point in Hindi cinema, Anurag Kashyap's epic drama doesn't pull any punches in its portrayal of gangster life in an Indian mining town".[28]
Gangs Of Wasseypur’s success led to a number of Hindi movies across the next few years that were essentially inelegant variations on the “hinterland gangsters” theme.[36]
Quotes from the film often make their way into everyday slang and have appear in numerous films.[citation needed]
The film was re-released in Indian cinemas in August 2024.[4]
Box office
The box office records vary from source to source. The movie "did a great business at box office", according to The Guardian.[37]
According to Box Office India, both parts combined grossed ₹69 crore (US$7.9million), against a combined budget of ₹39 crore (US$4.5million).[38][39]
Notes
↑ Each date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
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