Gunday (Goons, Hindi; 2014)
If you think that the story of two bosom buddies who would die for each other fall for the same girl is an overused formula which had been around since the days of Sangam (1964), you are wrong. It looks that this formula will be used again and again in different settings even into the next generation.
The somewhat groundbreaking teaching that (at least in Indian films where poetic justice always prevails) the film seem to be imparting is that the wayward way of life that the protagonists led is actually the fault of man himself. They justify their life of crime as that of the result of circumstantial interplay. No matter which way they turned to lead an honest life, society stopped them citing their refugee status.
The movie ends with both heroes escaping away in the trail of a moving train in the same way they started their life together. The audience are left wondering whether they escaped their captors. With the number of bullets and explosives that they have dodged in the movie, this would have been a piece of cake. Furthermore, the public may not be ready to have the demure Inspector Nandita shooting down her own beau. Maybe there are plans for a sequel?
Two boys who grew through thick and thin as refugees after the 1971 Pakistani Civil War, grew up strong and rich just to be floored by a curvaceous member of the opposite gender.
This leads to a showdown where the two buddies have to evaluate their friendship over perfunctory songs, melodrama, picturesque landscape, rainbow hued dresses and various stages of undressing!
Being set in Calcutta, the mandatory scenes of Howrah Bridge, fish market and Durga Pooja made their prominent appearances.
Bikram and Bala grew up stealing coal from the goods train to slowly build themselves an empire of wealth fro black market business. They become proud Indian citizens after their philantrophic work.
Hey, the train coal robbing scene by refugees is reminiscent of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (dejavu)!
The police is at wits end at their attempt to throw the book at these 2 outlaws. In come ACP Satyajit Sarkar (Irrfan Khan) of the Calcutta Police to the rescue. At about the same time, metamorphoses a vivacious cabaret dancer Nandita to blow the two heroes away. By then, almost everyone knew where the movie was heading! The two heroes try to woo our heroine admist a murder, betrayal and childish vows.
The bosom buddies became arch rivals out for each other's neck over the bosomy beau. After much singing, dancing, fighting and exhibition of sculptured torsos, the duo discover the deceit of the police. The Indian police must be a totally dedicated lot. Inspector Nandita Sengupta not only danced better than a Bollywood star, she had a body perfect with her government salary which would not make affordability to a personal trainer ala-movie stars possible and she is totally is perfect charmer who could pluck the strings of anyone's heart. If you close your eyes to these questionables and be not-so-critical like me when she was the only one in the temple without her headscarf when everyone appeared modest during the Durga Pooja, you would enjoy the movie.
Irrfan Khan without any much facial expression, left quite an impression with his delivery of lines with perfect intonation and wit. The heroes were bearable even though they excelled at the physical exhibitionism and choreographed fighting departments rather than the acting faculty.
In cyber space, news is rife that certain parties, particularly from Bangladesh, have felt slighted by the downplaying of the freedom fighters of the birth of the country of Bangladesh. In the movie, the 1971 Indo-Paki War is described as the third Indo-Paki War which gave rise to Bangladesh and a flood of refugees. From what I understand, West and East Pakistan had their ever first elections in 1970. Bangladesh's (East Pakistan, then) premier party won more seats than West Pakistan's PPP and logically show have the honour to the chair of Presidentship. Unfortunately, West Pakistan with their Pashtun and Punjabi ancestry and superior military force and finances thought they were superior than the lowly Bengalis to lead the helm. Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan and that started Operation Searchlight where Bangladeshi civilians, intelligensia and students were massacred by the Pakistani Army and religious militiamen. Indian Army, after being provoked, were more than happy to be drawn to the war to aid feuding brothers. The superior Indian Army ended the battle in no time.
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| Rayerbazar killing field photographed immediately after the war, showing dead bodies of intellectuals. (Rashid Talukdar, 1971) |
I overheard in the film an interesting dialogue in the course of the film. One of the heroes, a Bangladeshi refugee, said that he was always felt Indian at heart and man's follies made him a refugee. Just for the record, the arbitrary separation of the state of Bengal was the brain child of Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India in 1905, along religious lines.
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| Sivaji-Saroja Devi (Puthiya Paravai) |
By the way, the later scene where Nandita reveals her identity to Bikram reminds me of Saroja Devi and Sivaji in Puthiya Paravai (1964) where Saroja Devi is an undercover cop sent to seduce Sivaji to admit to his wife's killing!
N.B. I could swear that the cabaret number props were plagiarized off the 2004 Hollywood hit film 'Chicago' right down to the fonts of the neon lights which read 'Calcutta'!
N.B. I could swear that the cabaret number props were plagiarized off the 2004 Hollywood hit film 'Chicago' right down to the fonts of the neon lights which read 'Calcutta'!
I really enjoyed watching new bird.... different twist of fate although over acting of Sivajii.
ReplyDeleteone of the few times (beside Andha Naal and Koondukili) where Sivaji assumes an anti-hero role - in Puthiya Paravai [New Bird}
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