The dialogues are ‘killer’, adding more quirkiness to this chaos. With a runtime this long, meandering side tracks and random sub-plots, countless characters, documentary-style narrative backed with black and white montages from actual history, it loses blood in the second half because of the Director’s over-(self)indulgence.
This first of a two-part film, is ambitious indeed showing promise of brilliance in parts, but not bullet-proof to flaws. Director Anurag Kashyap, in his trademark style of story- telling - realistic, with strong characters, over-the-top sequences, and unadulterated local flavour (crude maa-behen gaalis galore), gruesome bloody violence and raw humour – interestingly spins this twisted tale. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as a pothead son with a devious mind, even in a brief role leaves a solid impact. Piyush Mishra, as the narrator of this long-winding saga (and Sardar Khan’s chachha), magnanimously stays in the background, but silently offloads shocking shades of his character. Reemma Sen, with few dialogues shows her curves and contempt with ease. She appears like a mini-handmade bomb, but is quite explosive. The real find in this mine-of-a-cast, boy gang film, is Richa Chaddha. In his acting debut, Tigmanshu Dhulia, with a striking command over his role, is ‘bang’ on. He gustily brings to life Sardar Khan, peaking his performance with devilry, crudity and cuss words, while ably toning it with comic moments and a human touch. Manoj Bajpai, in this fully loaded role, is spectacular. History repeats, in (Francis Ford Copolla’s)‘Godfather’-style, as the sons-of-Sardar add their meaty parts to this bloody enterprise, of potent men with powerful ‘pistols’. While he’s married to the feisty and hot-tempered Nagma (Richa Chaddha), who bears him three sons (including Nawazuddin as Faizal), he sleeps around, philanders and marries the doosri aurat, Durga (Reemma Sen) a Bong firebrand, no less. He’s a hot-gun really, in bloody war and in bed. But revenge grows in the genes son Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpai), swears (on his bald pate), that he won’t grow his mane or rest until he has Ramadhir’s blood on his hands.
Growing gang rivalry compels him to flee his territory, and resettle as a mazdoor in Ramadhir Singh’s (Tigmanshu Dhulia) coal mines, where he’s betrayed and murdered. And revenge is best served hot, ‘ koyla’ hot! Shahid Khan (Jaideep Ahlawat), a good-willed- goonda, impersonates the dreaded Sultana daku (the real Gabbar of colonial India) and loots British trains. In this complex drama, with mobs of men (where you almost forget kitne aadmi the) and myriad shades (mostly dark), the word to remember is Revenge.
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