Anurag Kashyap is most persuasive when criminal ambition meets ordinary family life. We recommend his fierce, funny crime cinema, with a warning: he can introduce a new grievance before we have remembered the last one.
Fi1m perspective
In Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012), the men expect their grudges to matter to everyone, and their families have other concerns. Anurag Kashyap lets domestic exchanges puncture their importance without softening the violence. That is where we find him most persuasive: watching how people live with criminals, as well as what the criminals do. The humour matters because it gives these people something to say besides declarations of loyalty.
He began as a screenwriter, co-writing Ram Gopal Varma's Satya (1998). His directing moved through Black Friday (2007) and the modern Devdas adaptation Dev.D (2009) before the two-part breakthrough of Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). A story spanning generations suits his interest in revenge: there is time to see how it shapes family life. Later came Ugly (2013), Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) and co-direction of Sacred Games (2018). Returning to violence and troubled masculinity risks repetition; the family exchanges in Wasseypur give us a reason to welcome another story about dangerous men.
Rajeev Ravi's gliding camera makes the action in Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 easy to follow, even when the family connections are not. We were horrified by the casual gunplay, staged as if killing were another errand to fit into the day. The brisk staging is what makes it so unpleasant. Wasiq Khan's production design gives the town the feel of a place where people work, rather than somewhere waiting for a gunfight.
Co-writer Zeishan Quadri helps make the family dialogue earthy and funny, allowing the men's self-importance to become ridiculous. Shweta Venkat Mathew's editing keeps the story moving across generations, and the 160 minutes rarely feel padded. But Kashyap and Quadri sometimes introduce a name or a grievance before the previous one has settled. A little more time to establish who belongs where would spare the actors some hurried introductions. Start with the first part, but give those introductions your full attention.
Biography
Anurag Kashyap is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Born on 10 September 1972 in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, he trained at Hansraj College, Delhi.
Kashyap received his first major credit as co-writer on Ram Gopal Varma's Satya (1998). His directorial debut Paanch was completed but never received a theatrical release owing to censorship. He gained wider recognition with Black Friday (2007) and Dev.D (2009).
His two-part crime saga Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), on which he is credited as director, story writer, screenwriter and producer, screened at Cannes and became a cult film. In 2013 the French government awarded him the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He co-founded production companies Anurag Kashyap Films and Phantom Films.
