Anurag Kashyap's film 'Black Friday' is quite possibly the most important film of 2007, and as relevant today as it was two years ago when it was banned.
Based on the book by S Hussain Zaidi, the film shows the events that led up to, and followed the serial blasts that shook Mumbai on 12th March 1993 from three very interestingly chosen points of view - The mastermind (Tiger Memon), the unsuspecting, misguided foot soldier (Badshah Khan), and the hapless and under-equipped police (Rakesh Maria).
The film follows an episodic format, and keeps jumping in time and location quite regularly. However, kudos to Anurag Kashyap, for his taut screenplay and brilliant direction, and to Aarti Bajaj for her dexterous editing, that make sure you don't lose track of the goings on. The performances are top notch, be it Pavan Malhotra as the scheming, vengeful and manipulative Tiger Memon, Aaditya Srivastava as the misled, disillusioned jehadi Badshah Khan, or K.K Menon as Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria, who manages to convey more about the rigors and moral dilemmas of a police officer through his eyes than most talented actors can with the best of dialogues. The dialogue is so fantastic in its realism that you almost feel like you're watching a documentary. Action, set design and sound are among the best yet, (remember they were done more than 2 years ago) and give the film a very troublingly real look.
An all round masterpiece, this film deserves to be seen by one and all, not just because of its cinematic brilliance, but also for its relevance in today's troubled times.
But I do have one grouse. How can the censor board allow words like Madar**** and Bhen**** in a film like Omkara and bleep the same words in Black Friday? It's unnecessary and unfair, not just to the film-makers, but also to the viewer.
Based on the book by S Hussain Zaidi, the film shows the events that led up to, and followed the serial blasts that shook Mumbai on 12th March 1993 from three very interestingly chosen points of view - The mastermind (Tiger Memon), the unsuspecting, misguided foot soldier (Badshah Khan), and the hapless and under-equipped police (Rakesh Maria).
The film follows an episodic format, and keeps jumping in time and location quite regularly. However, kudos to Anurag Kashyap, for his taut screenplay and brilliant direction, and to Aarti Bajaj for her dexterous editing, that make sure you don't lose track of the goings on. The performances are top notch, be it Pavan Malhotra as the scheming, vengeful and manipulative Tiger Memon, Aaditya Srivastava as the misled, disillusioned jehadi Badshah Khan, or K.K Menon as Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria, who manages to convey more about the rigors and moral dilemmas of a police officer through his eyes than most talented actors can with the best of dialogues. The dialogue is so fantastic in its realism that you almost feel like you're watching a documentary. Action, set design and sound are among the best yet, (remember they were done more than 2 years ago) and give the film a very troublingly real look.
An all round masterpiece, this film deserves to be seen by one and all, not just because of its cinematic brilliance, but also for its relevance in today's troubled times.
But I do have one grouse. How can the censor board allow words like Madar**** and Bhen**** in a film like Omkara and bleep the same words in Black Friday? It's unnecessary and unfair, not just to the film-makers, but also to the viewer.