Gunday Review

Gunday is the second biggest film of the first quarter after Jai Ho. With a hit soundtrack and grand promotions by the lead cast for well over a month, the film has been in the news for a long time now. Gunday enjoys a good release date, an extensive release (2500+ screens) and the hype is big for a film with no recognised male superstar. So does the film live up to all the hype and is it worth the price of your ticket? Let’s find out.

Story: Gunday is basically the life story, struggle and subsequent rise of two Bangladeshi refugee kids who get embroiled in the potentially turbulent 70s and 80s Kolkata. Bikram (Ranveer Singh) and Bala (Arjun Kapoor) are small time coal bandits who slowly increase their power by petty crimes and then become the most powerful coal haulers. Trouble arises when both of them fall for the same girl – a cabaret Dancer called Nandita (Priyanka Chopra). An inner battle between the two arises because of this situation. And on top of this, ACP Satyajit Sarkar (Irrfan) makes it his life’s mission to catch them. Are Bikram and Bala able to sort out their own differences? Are they able to prevent getting caught by Satyajit? To find out, watch the film!

Gunday
Gunday Movie Review

Screenplay and Direction: It is very clear from the high voltage emotional word play and the dramatic set-pieces that Gunday is director Ali Abbas Zaffar’s tribute to the action films of the 1970s. He has even set the film in that era for added effect. He does justice to his intention with his execution in the first half but the second half begins to falter because of the unnecessary heightened emotions and sentiments which were added in the climax and pre-climax scenes. However, the viewer never loses his/her attention even with these roadblocks.

Gunday looks and feels unusually large for a Hindi action masala film and all the credit for that must go to the production designer for making the sets so appropriate. Being a periodic film, the set design needed to have the periodic feel and it does. The costume design is also very appropriate although Priyanka Chopra’s costumes looked like stock costumes from Teri Meri Kahaani. The editing is good but it could have been crisper had it done away with all the slow motion drama. The music has worked for Gunday because of the hummable songs. You’d find yourself singing “Tune Maari Entriyaan” when you enter the theatre but you’d be singing “Jiyaa” after the closing credits.

After impressing both the critics and the audience in Ram Leela, Ranveer Singh continues his good run with Gunday. He sparkles in his role of the flamboyish Bikram. He mouths the corniest of dialogues with unbelievable panache, has to be seen to be believed! He overshadows Arjun Kapoor in the film because Arjun plays, Bala, a character who is a lot more subdued and understated. Although Arjun tries hard and gives the role his all, he still needs to improve his expressions. Having said that, it should be pointed out that he has been improving with every film and that is always a positive sign.

Priyanka Chopra is reliably good in her role and unlike Krrish 3, she has a sizable amount of screen space in Gunday. She looks hot, and emotes appropriately as the cabaret dancer Nandita. Overall, she is a stunner. Irrfan Khan may sound like a good casting choice but he seems out of place in the high voltage world of Gunday. His acting style just doesn’t work even though he is not really having an off day. The other actors, especially the Bengali actors in the cast are all good.

Overall, Gunday promised a lot of action, drama, drama and drama (yes three times the drama of a normal Hindi film), and it largely fulfils those expectations. Yes, the plot meanders a bit towards the climax but it never stops being entertaining. The director never loses plot of his intentions and executes it well with the help of his lead actors. If you are in the mood for some ‘Blast from the Past’ Bollywood films presented in a new avatar go for Gunday.

Box Office: Due to the buzz generated, Gunday is expected to take a huge opening with opening day collections likely to come in the 13-15 crore range (also due to Valentine’s Day). It should sustain well throughout its first week, but the big question is if the film can cross the 100 crore mark by the end of its run.

Positives:

  • Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra
  • Music
  • The set design and costume design
  • The entertaining screenplay
  • The high doses of drama

Negatives:

  • Irrfan Khan’s casting seems out of place
  • The editing could have been crisper
  • Plot could have been less clichéd

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Have you seen Gunday? Do post your own reviews in the comments section below. We’d love to know what you think!

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