Gulaal (2009)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

For those well versed with Indian Student Politics that are prevalent in Northern India, this movie rings a bell.Anurag Kashyap has taken on a powerful subject and extracted good performances from his cast though Jess's role had no/negligible meat or purpose.The role of Ayesha Mohan makes us sit up and think deeply about how the influence of one's love for one's family and the need to impress them makes a person (in this case a lady) do things which one is not comfortable with (inferenced from the tears running down the character's face at the end of the movie when she realizes that she is just a pawn in her so called brother's hands).Though I enjoyed the movie, my husband disliked it making me realize that it would not be enjoyed and appreciated by audiences all over.This movie is meant for serious watching where you cannot get up go for some coffee and come back expecting to understand what is happening on the screen. So I suggest making time for it when you want to watch it.

Again and again this guy comes with a movie which simply blows you out.Kaun...Satya....Paanch...Black Friday..No Smoking...DevD.Every movie is pitch perfect...but i tell you Gulaal is nothing less than a masterpiece.This movie is anurag's best..and m saying that after evaluating it to dev d and black Friday......GULAAL is strong meat. It speaks honestly about sex, drugs, corruption, fundamentalism and the fissures that permeate "One India". In GULAAL, protagonists don't just sing to each other, they have sex and back street abortions....they smoke pot to relax; they fix ballots; they threaten and co-erce; illegitimate children threaten rightful heirs; and rightful heirs reject aristocratic privilege. The action is shot in ill-lit rooms and grimy interiors and back streets, as Rajasthani separatists subvert a student election to cream off funds. This is modern India indeed. But the lyrics of Prithvi Bana's brilliantly satirical songs speak of the aspirations at Independence. For Shakespearian audiences, the comparison that is most resonant is with Shakespearian tragedies - where love affairs are entangled with high politics, and a Fool sings apparently comic songs that skewer the case in point. I don't think I have ever seen such an ambitious and angry Indian film. Thums up Kashyap!!!You have earned a true fanboy in me....

This has to be Indian Cinema at its best. All the characters have so cleverly crafted and written. Special mention must go to Piyush Mehra for having created awesome lyrics and songs plus having acted brilliantly as well.This being a film with a political theme was extremely well executed.Kay Kay gives a mind boggling performance. His opening speech was just awesome. His performance as the arrogant revolutionary fighting for dominance was the best.It was also very refreshing to see Aditya Shrivastav acting in a completely different role as I've seen him previously before only in CID as a police officer and this was surely a treat to watch. Ayesha Mohan was really the surprise package in the movie and played the role of femme fatale to perfection. Deepak Dobriyal was also good as the faithful sidekick and even Raj Singh Chaudhary as the innocent student.However, I felt that Mahie Gill and Jessie Randhawa s characters did not get adequate screen space.The screenplay was also good with witty dialogues and captivating plot. However,I felt that the ending was a little stretched.All in all,an amazing offbeat movie for real cinema lovers. It was not the usual Bollywood masala stereotyped melodramatic stuff. Would love to see more movies like these.Definitely this movie can be seen at least twice. Score: 8.5/10.

Gulaal, directed by Anurag Kashyap is an endlessly fascinating movie about politics and the youth, about love and betrayal, about reform and revenge. It's a film with many layers, and one with solid drama at its core, which makes it such an engaging watch. Kashyap knows the world he's showing us in this film and takes us through it with an assuredness that I found missing in his last picture, Dev D.He serves up a palette of diverse characters and flirts with interesting issues like campus ragging, student activism, caste biases and the thirst for legitimacy. Set in Rajasthan, Gulaal's central premise involves the efforts of the erstwhile royal community to claim back their Rajputana province from the democratic government.The film follows meek law student Dileep Singh (played by newcomer Raja Singh Chaudhary) who arrives on campus to pursue graduation and falls into the company of an older student and royal sprog Rananjay Singh (played by Abhimanyu Singh) which changes the course of his life completely. When the local kingpin Dukey Bana (played by Kay Kay Menon) convinces Rananjay to contest college elections on behalf of his Rajputana party, little does our protagonist Dileep realize he too will get sucked into a world of corrupt politics and crime.Without going into too many details, let's just say Dileep ends up standing for and winning the college elections in place of his friend and roommate Rananjay, and discovers subsequently he's just a pawn in Dukey Bana's larger plans.There is also the matter of a girl; in this case the ambitious, illegitimate daughter of a royal who loses the campus election to Dileep, but finds another more deceitful way to realize her ambitions. Much of the charm of Gulaal lies in its setting; Rajasthan's varied landscape - a clash between tradition and modernity, becomes as intriguing a character as any, and Kashyap shoots this terrain realistically, rough around the edges even, sucking us into his dark, brooding drama from the word go. Rich with characters and sub-plots, Kashyap opts for a straightforward narration, making this film his most accessible since "Black Friday". Gulaal is remarkable also for the brave manner in which it mirrors the dangerous political scenario in Mubai by using the Dukey Bana character played by Kay Kay Menon as a metaphor for fundamentalist leader Raj Thackeray and his MNS party. The masterstroke in Gulaal however, is its music. Piyush Mishra, as the eccentric poet Prithvi Bana - an outsider in this violent world - delivers evocative numbers that are hard to get out of your head for the sheer honesty and brutality of their lyrics. By way of indulgences, there is the unexplained character of the Ardh Narishwar, and also the film's sluggish pace. At two-and-a-half long hours, Gulaal is loose and meanders in places which is a pity because it has the potential to be a taut thriller. Nevertheless it's eminently watchable for its characters and the actors who play them. Of the ensemble, it's Kay Kay Menon as Dukey Bana and particularly Abhimanyu Singh as Rananjay who stand out with powerful performances that remain etched in your memory. I was a little unconvinced by Raja Singh Chaudhary's performance as Dileep, who plays his part adequately but fails to internalise the catharsis he goes through in order to reach upto the film's horrific end. Similarly underdeveloped was Jesse Randhawa's track as the young teacher whose life changes permanently after a shocking incident of ragging.These are, however, mere nitpickings in a competent, compelling film that is in equal parts humorous and courageous. Unlike No Smoking and even Dev D to an extent which alienated some audiences because of their indulgent storytelling style, this one is not a difficult watch.It is a provocative yet poignant, and that rare kind of film that transports you bang in the middle of its action. Watch it to understand why Anurag Kashyap is one of the most exciting voices in Hindi cinema today.