With Gangs of Wasseypur part 1 and 2 recently re-releasing in theatres, fans have flocked to watch it on the big screen which left us wondering how and why its regarded as a cult classic today!
The re-release of Gangs of Wasseypur has sent waves of excitement amongst the film's fans who have reached the theatres to experience it on the 70mm screen as it was intended to be. But Anurag Kashyap's two-part film series, which is considered a cult classic today, didn't get its due deserved credit when it was released in 2012. In fact, it is a well-acknowledged fact that the film only reached its status because of the large number of illegal downloads and piracy. So Miraj Theatres picking it up for re-release is perfect for audiences who didn't get to watch it on the big screen back then. However, while nostalgia drives people back to the theatres to watch this gangster drama, what about this revenge thriller makes it such a cultural phenomenon that it has left a significant impact on the industry and the audience?
Let's explore that!
Pathbreaking storytelling
In a simple sense, GOW works like any other gangster revenge thriller drama sprawled across decades but what sets is apart is how it has been told to us. Divided into two parts, the film unfolds its events in a series-like format where the complex tale of revenge, power, crime and legacy is explored through the interactions of its weird but real characters. Before this, the Indian hinterlands had never been studied in such contextual depth and rootedness, especially in mass commercial cinema that was always busy with urban lands and its issues. This pulpy and gory film style left a considerable impact and marked a shift whose essence is still felt today.
Iconic status
More than anything, this two-part film gave us some of the most well-developed and interesting characters brought to life by some of the most iconic actors of all time, who we all love even today. While it revived Manoj Bajpayee's career, it made us value and recognize the exceptional talent of Nawazuddin Siddique, Pankaj Tripathi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Rajkumar Rao, Richa Chadha, Huma Qureshi, Piyush Mishra, and so many other actors who were a part of this ensemble cast. Even its unique music by Sneha Khanwalkar and Piyush Mishra (lyricist along with Varun Grover) and the film's score composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar became the sound heard everywhere. At the same time, its camerawork, editing, and narrative style became a holy grail for many filmmakers today who follow it as a guidebook.
Inspite of being released in 2012, GoW slowly became such a cultural phenomenon and eventually via social media, it only got more popular given how its iconic dialogues, scenes, and characters turned into meme references and its music was a part of quite a few videos. It's like the film lived on for ages through pop culture and continues to do so till today. Dialogues like 'Sabka badla lega re tera Faisal' or 'Permission leni chahiye na' are echoed everywhere. Even clips of people talking about the behind-the-scenes of the film and how it was made with the most unusual style still go viral!
Somehow, a film about gang wars, crime, violence, revenge, power tussles, religion, and legacy became even more relatable than all the urban stories. Its layered commentary was and still is much more socially relevant than quite a few films. Since this film became more than what people often interpreted it to be is exactly how it became our version of The Godfather! Hence it's pretty self explanatary when people who enjoyed it on their laptops now want to witness this magic on the big screen!
Gangs of Wasseypur is playing at Miraj Theatres from August 30 to September 5!
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