Gunday (2014)

An action-packed slog

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

At first I never understood why the movie was getting rated down so badly. Looking at the IMDb reviews I though i wouldn't want to see the movie. But the songs of this movie has always been one of my favorites - kunto maula, gunday title track. ITs when I started reading the reviews I really understand where these low ratings are coming from. Its rated 1 start by mostly those Bangladeshis who do not agree with the story of the movie. I understand they may not relate to the story but then if one was to rate the movie on its story I would rate it 8/10 and acting will fetch 7.5/10 but the climax of the movie is what really made me cry. Through out the movie I was slowly drawn into the close bonds the two lead characters share on the screen. It makes you cry at the end. Then climax is full 'paisa vasool' worth the money. It have seen the climax at least 10 - 15 times. Its when the movie ends you make sense out of the story, background narration by the two gundays makes it worth a worth second time. Don't go by the 1/10 rating these Bangladeshis have given because it shows how much Bangladeshis would like to be a part of this nation called Indian out of which they were born. 1 start rating is not due to bad story or bad acting but because it deeply hurts a Bangladeshis ego / sentiments. I have always considered Bangladeshis as brothers but then after all during 1947 they (as a part of Pakistan) had decided to part from India on the basis of religion - such stupids are difficult to find anywhere in the world.

The film opens with the narration of the historic event of the independence of Bangladesh after the third Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Amongst the desolate people affected by the partition are two orphan kids: Bikram and Bala. A man named Lateef (Pankaj Tripathi) happens to meet them, offers them nourishment and asks them if they'll work for him in the illegal smuggling of guns. The two kids agree and manage to do so successfully, using all the tricks of the trade. One day, the chief army officer that Lateef supplies guns to asks Lateef to leave one of the two boys behind to be his personal sex slave, or else he'll forcibly take Lateef's daughter. Bikram hears this and tells Lateef that he'll stay behind in order to save Bala. Bala, however, refuses to part with his best friend and comes back to save Bikram. Bala saves Bikram from the lecherous officer and they both kill him in the process - thereby becoming "partners in crime". As the army chases after the duo, Lateef tries to protect the kids, but in the ensuing skirmish Lateef is killed by the police.Bikram and Bala arrive at Calcutta by train and begin their lives by working at a small restaurant. Bala gets into a fight with the owner who slaps him and calls him a "refugee" and a "Bangladeshi". The owner then throws both of them out. When Bikram asks a local merchant about the coal's market price, he realizes it's a great opportunity to earn easy money by looting coal from trains and selling it in the market at a lower price. Bala reimburses the restaurant owner for the broken cutlery, slaps the owner and warns him not to mistreat children from hereon.As they grow up, Bikram (Ranveer Singh) and Bala (Arjun Kapoor) have started looting entire coal trains to increase their market share. Their main competitor is Dibakar (Deepraj Rana), a coal trader. When Bikram and Bala loot one of his trains, Dibakar's men try to unsuccessfully threaten the duo, who promise them that they will loot Dibakar's next cargo as well. When Bikram and Bala, as promised, turn up to loot Dibakar's coal- filled train, Dibakar goads them by calling them "refugees", and a fight breaks out. Before killing Dibakar, Bikram and Bala mention they are not refugees and are Indians as well. The duo, now the undisputed kings of the coal business, start expanding by owning other businesses and become Kings of Calcutta. They convert all their illegal trades to legal business with the help of Kaali Kaka (Saurabh Shukla) and become town heroes by building hospitals, donating to charities and building schools, even though they're both illiterate. They also provide work and help to the poor, thus becoming white-collared and good-hearted samaritans, but their businesses and dealings make them a target of the law, who call them Gunday. Assistant Commissioner of Police Satyajeet Sarkar (Irrfan Khan) is summoned to Calcutta to apprehend Bikram and Bala and bring them to justice. Sarkar, knowing that Bikram and Bala are able to successfully cover up their tracks using Kaali Kaka, warns the duo that he will arrest them the day he finds a single piece of evidence against them.

"Gunday" follows a familiar territory of best friends turning foes for their common love. What follows is an action packed story of petty thieves turning into the city's biggest outlaws and a cop relentlessly following the criminal duo. Such stories used to be favorite among the '70s film makers. Story-wise, the film isn't more than an average '70s action film full of improbabilities. You can't just digest Ranvir Singh and Arjun Kapoor as the most notorious bandits of Calcutta in the 80s as the film projects nor the police action against them looks much realistic. Overall, "Gunday" is weak in its story with unlovable characters and tastelessness. Performance wise too, the film falls short for the under performed roles of Irfan Khan and Priyanka Chopra. If the film grips a little, it's for the fast pace and the technical aspects of the film.Rating: 1 star out of 4

OK it's not a good movie but I've seen worse than Gunday. I don't like Arjun Kapoor, he can't act at all but Ranveer and Irrfan were good. Come on, they don't deserve the worst movie title. I think cinematography, musics, and casting are good. This movie don't deserve "1". I guess Bangladeshis voted for 1, so this is not fair.The fight scene was funny because Arjun and Ranveer both look like wrestlers with oil (like traditional Turkish wrestling). In the end Irrfan shot Arjun in the heart but he was still alive and when they were running we could see the hole on his shirt but couldn't see the wound on his chest. That was silly. But still, Gunday doesn't deserve "the worst movie" title. Watch and see. My vote is 5; for the songs, Priyanka's dance and cinematography. Don't like the story and Arjun.