Gulaal (2009) – A Review

Anurag Kshyap uses ‘Gulaal’ as a metaphor for revolution, for ‘kranti’ .

Gulaal

Gulaal is a dark and brooding tale of a boy losing his innocence, of college politics, love, betrayal, deception and the need for revolution, woven together in a compelling narrative and laced with some superlative performances.

The film starts with Dilip Kumar Singh (Raj Singh Choudhury) coming to Jaipur to study law. As the hostel was full, he is forced to stay in a bar with the rebellous yet charismatic Rananjay Singh (Abhimanyu Singh), a Rajput of royal blood.  Soon he gets involved, unwillingly, in the murky world of college politics. Along the way he gets a liberal dose of ragging in form of a “brainwash”. Soon, Duki Bana (Kay Kay Menon), the Rajput senapati, convinces Ransa to stand for the elections. When the political rivalry results in his murder, Dilip is made to stand for the elections. Soon enough he finds out the real motives of Duki Bana, his quest for Rajputana, separate from the State of India.

Kiran (Ayesha Mohan), who loses to Dilip Kumar in the elections, seduces him, and others on her way to being the GS of the college. And once there, on behest of her brother (Aditya Srivastava, I think), dumps Dilip who is now in madly in love with her.  Eventually, the movie is about power and politics, and single minded determination to claim what some would call a ‘right’.

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The  movie proceeds at a very fast pace till the interval. It is dark, brooding with a dense plot. However, the ending seems a bit, well, unsatisfying. Probably it has more to do with the obsessive love that Dilip claimed to have, an aspect not dwelt with in a detailed manner by the director. That being said, the movie is definitely a interesting watch and will hold your attention till the end.

The dialogue is quirky, witty and downright fun, but filled with abuses and expletives. Considering the backdrop, it doesn’t feel out of place. A college goer shouldn’t really have a problem with this of course. But their parents might.

Also, the movie is shot in a very interesting way, with beautiful lighting and some amazing shots of the palaces, giving the Rajasthan feel to it.

The acting is top notch and the characters are perfectly cast. Kay Kay Menon, arguably the finest actor in Hindi film industry, gets to show his full range, be it the speeches or the sudden venomous outbursts.  He steals the show with his towering and forceful performance. The other noteworthy  performance is that given by Abhimanyu Singh as Ransa. He is brilliant. His screen presence, the quirky dialogue delivery laced with some witty one-liners, charisma and the strong characterization he managed to portray is indeed commendable. He stays with you even after the movie is over. Real neat. Deepak Dobrial does a very good job as Bhati, Duki Bana’s loyal sidekick (his noncommittal nod at the pan shop comes to mind).

Mention should be made of Piyush Mishra who plays the deranged foreign-educated, John Lennon-obsessed, brother of Duki Bana. He is also the the music director of this movie’s amazing soundtrack. One must appreciate his innovative use of poetry, not only in songs, but also in the dialogues. What is more interesting is the message it delivers.

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On the downside, one might argue that the director suffers from Dev D hangover. The use of neon lights, orange colour, drugs and booze, the crisp dialogues and an outrageous soundtrack, which took Dev D to an altogether different level, can be seen in Gulaal as well.  If we had three brilliant tap dancers in Dev D, in Gulaal we have the character of the body-painted ardha-nareshwar. As long as it enhances the movie, as it does in this case, that is not necessarily a problem. However, one hopes that Anurag Kashyap doesn’t get obsessed with these techniques.

Also, the character of Madhuri played by Mahi Gill, who is a beauty parlour owner having an affair with Duki Banna, is never really explored. Seems half baked and neglected considering the interest that branch of the story tends to generate. The same is the case with Jesse Randhawa, who plays the role of a physically abused teacher in the same college. Her character also suffers the same fate as that of Madhuri’s.

Another aspect not explained properly was the obsessive love shown by Dilip Kumar. The hows and the whys of this particular aspect was not really convincing. But then some critics (don’t really remember who) have argued that the director wanted to keep this aspect subtle so as to keep the focus on the political standpoint. Or perhaps the Dilip Kumar was the shy type, not showing his love to the outside world. Not convincing, is it?

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All said and done, this movie is compelling and engaging, if flawed, cinema. Definitely worth spending two hours on.

Cheers

Jais