Anurag Kashyap's 'Gulaal' feels like a modern day Shakespearean story. There are shades of 'MacBeth', 'King Lear', and even 'Othello'. Set in modern day Rajasthan, it portrays the crime world and the battle of the Rajputs for power. Kashyap is a very competent director. While his 'No Smoking' may have been sheer disappointment and his 'Dev D' a mixed baggage, his 'Black Friday' is proof enough of his capabilities. With 'Gulaal' he exceeds all expectations.
He doesn't shy away from showing that he's influenced by many classics such as 'Pulp Fiction', 'L.A. Confidential' and 'Maqbool' to name a few. The director tells this original story of mindgames and fight for power with conviction. As the story unfolds, uncovering dark and disturbing themes, the characters' expose more of their psyche and the tension keeps building on. The depiction of contemporary Rajasthan and the college culture appears very real. The art direction is quite wonderful and the background score is solid. The soundtrack is also excellent especially the satirical lyrics of the songs.
Kay Kay Menon is fantastic as he delivers one of his finest performances. Aditya Srivastava, Piyush Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal, Ayesha Mishra and Jessy Randhawa are superb in their roles. However, Raj Singh Chowdhury, who plays a key character doesn't exactly convince and his dialogue delivery is quite poor. Mahie Gill is impressive in a smaller role.
Needless to say, Anurag Kashyap has reached his peak and I hope he continues making more movies of this quality.
He doesn't shy away from showing that he's influenced by many classics such as 'Pulp Fiction', 'L.A. Confidential' and 'Maqbool' to name a few. The director tells this original story of mindgames and fight for power with conviction. As the story unfolds, uncovering dark and disturbing themes, the characters' expose more of their psyche and the tension keeps building on. The depiction of contemporary Rajasthan and the college culture appears very real. The art direction is quite wonderful and the background score is solid. The soundtrack is also excellent especially the satirical lyrics of the songs.
Kay Kay Menon is fantastic as he delivers one of his finest performances. Aditya Srivastava, Piyush Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal, Ayesha Mishra and Jessy Randhawa are superb in their roles. However, Raj Singh Chowdhury, who plays a key character doesn't exactly convince and his dialogue delivery is quite poor. Mahie Gill is impressive in a smaller role.
Needless to say, Anurag Kashyap has reached his peak and I hope he continues making more movies of this quality.