Black Friday (2004) User Reviews

Well worth seeing...and based on a true event

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 28 June 2017]

This film begins with the famous Gandhi quote "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind".

In 1993, a series of 12 bombs went off during Ramadan all over Mumbai (Bombay) which killed 257 people (thought the film often says it's 300 plus). This film is about this event as well as the subsequent police investigation of it. It's all based on true events but is rather critical of the police, and as a result the film was banned in India for two years before the government eventually allowed its release.

The film begins with a man under arrest pleading for the police to believe him that a group was planning on burning the Mumbai Stock Exchange. Foolishly, the police just dismiss this and soon you see bombs detonating all over the city. All this occurs in the first few minutes of the film and what follows is a step by step documentary style investigation. How the police captured and interrogated suspects (and tortured them in some), how the mastermind of the bombings abandoned his minions and how the events are all in context, as this springs from previous attacks in which hundreds of Muslims were murdered--and this makes the quote from Gandhi at the beginning of the film quite appropriate.

Overall, this is a very hard film to watch in places (such as the scene where the police use a hammer on one suspect's hand) but is also very well made and unflinching. And, unlike a typical Bollywood film, it lacks the song and dance numbers and just concentrates on telling the story.

By the way, I did some checking and as of today, one ringleader was arrested and sentenced to death (he was executed two years ago). Two main ringleaders are still being sought by the Indian government.

Harsh reality, but everyone should know it.

[MuviFan73 · 9/10 · 4 September 2017]

The movie is about blasts in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1993. It is about how and why they were carried out. It also puts light on the criminals involved and how justice was obtained.

I would like to talk about other factors that came to my mind while watching the movie.

Consider love of people belonging to Islam. It is great. During the month of Ramzan (18+1+13+26+1+14) it can be seen in their fasting. Only because of few of them going along the wrong path entire community should not be questioned. When I turned to Atheism I felt most appropriate religion to be that of Islam. I mean somebody coming into dreams and all that. Today I am again not an atheist, I feel what we are presented is stretched a lot in religious texts. A movie came 'Exodus: Gods and kings' where events are drawn the way how they could have been in reality (not stretched).

It is really commendable Anurag Kashyap brings this sort of cinema to see for general public.

Consider the heinous crime of rape, I don't understand how it is possible to have sex with someone when they are not psychologically involved. Thus I conclude it is more of an animal behavior rather than human. I cannot understand how can one do it. I don't understand how those criminals who do it are built psychologically.

In the movie I liked how a True Muslim decides to become a witness and helps in police proceedings.

The other thing I liked is that the movie is based on writings of a writer who is Muslim.

It's a documentary, to the point.

[sudhirkumarpal8 · 8/10 · 27 July 2020]

I would say Anurag in the making. One amazing movie given those times of 2000s. The facts put in the simplest way. No drama no fabled stories and ingredients, simple plain truth, as was needed for such a complex and sophisticated but unfortunate event of our country.

A rare foray by an Indian film maker into gritty real-life drama

[infinitelyprolonged · 10/10 · 13 May 2005]

Films based on books are a rarity in India. Probably that accounts for the huge amount of movies without any coherent screenplay that India churns out. Black Friday, on the other hand, is an exception, which will make any film maker proud.

The movie, revolving around the investigation following the horrifying Bombay bomb blasts, and also showing the perpetrators' lives just before and after the incident, took a long time to get through the Censor Board, and it's not difficult to imagine why once you have seen the movie. The movie tries to portray everything the way it actually happened, or at least as the book says it happened, and succeeds. Technically the movie is top league, compared to other Hindi movies, though the editing is choppy in places. The music, by Indian Ocean, is brilliant, and more importantly suits the plot. Despite the length of the movie the director never loses grip, and that's really commendable.

I haven't seen Satya (and I am sorry for that), so I am not very familiar with Anurag Kashyap's work (though he also did the dialogues, I believe, for Yuva, which I have seen), but considering the smoke he generates with every movie, I knew there had to be some fire to it too. And Black Friday IS fiery! The movie doesn't ever try to be politically correct and the director is almost obsessed with showing everything - even the correct language - which shall make it unsuitable for family viewing.

The actors, with Kay Kay (he should be getting awards for this one) and Aditya Srivastava worth special mention, do a very good job too, and I think many of them are of a theatre background, which ensures a high pedigree in Indian movies. Those familiar with Indian TV serials must have seen Srivastava in an eminently well-made series called 9 Malabar Hill from the late 90s, which also starred Pawan Malhotra. Srivastava has been seen in many other smaller roles in movies and TV serials since then, but that particular role had showed how good an actor he is, and it is proved here once more. Pawan Malhotra is also a known face in India's parallel cinema movement, though he is prone to overact at times. Kay Kay is one of the best actors to have hit the Indian screen in recent years, and brilliant performances aren't new to him.

The movie is unique in the sense that it shows the life of a terrorist AFTER the blast and how he copes with all the pressures. Then there's the pressure faced by the investigators to get to the terrorist, but taking care at the same time that they don't harm innocent people in their zeal. When I saw in the credits that the movie was based on a book by a Muslim author, I started feeling that it was going to be a biased description of the atrocities of Mumbai police on innocent members of the Musilm community during the investigations. Such a thought process is shameful, but natural in India's circumstances. But surprisingly, and thankfully, the movie, and so I suppose the book too, is as objective as it could have been without appearing sympathetic to either of the parties.

To finish off, this is one of those (very rare) movies that convince you that the future isn't all that bad for Hindi cinema. A must watch for all Hindi movie fans, and even those who normally don't watch Hindi movies because of the unrealistic gloss and song-and-dance routines.

Heartbreakingly True.

[singh-amrit · 10/10 · 15 February 2007]

This is not only a film. It's a lesson. It's a message. It's cruelly true history. It's an initiative. It's an attempt. It's a bold step, forward. It's known yet untold bare truth. And after all it's a film.

No doubt the film opens old wounds, but only to find the root cause of it, only to find cure for them, only to make sure they are eradicated and never surface again. The film presents the hard facts about the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai (then Bombay). The film gives a new dimension to real life cinema, with real name, real incidents, and real people. The usage of actual news footage of the incidents make you believe whatever you are watching. It takes courage to take names of some of the biggest name in underworld and Indian politics as bluntly, and the filmmaker shows that courage. The story doesn't point finger on any particular person, group or community as the culprit for what is still Indian crime history's biggest tragedy. It tries to make a point how some clever minds make their business out of our religious sentiments, at the cost of lives of common men. Men who are common in every sense of it. The terror, the attacks, the explosions, the riots inhales not any particular community but the whole humanity.

Director churns out a stunning effort. Technically too the film is impeccable. The blast sequences couldn't have got any more realistic. Each actor performs his character to full honesty, but Badshah Khan and Tiger Memon stand out.

And before you jump to your own conclusion to decide the culprit(s), to decide the fate of them, the film concludes with the quote that says it all.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

A must watch.

Arguably the greatest Indian movie ever made...

[dirtza · 10/10 · 28 April 2007]

I remember watching the trailers of Black Friday a couple of years ago and making it a point to watch it.Never before has anyone dared to approach such a controversial issue so blatantly,which is probably why it worked.The events that are depicted in this movie shook not only the city of Bombay but the nation as a whole.To add to the documentary-like look at the blasts of '93,director Anurag Kashyap has done a brilliant job of elucidating moving,intense performances from fine actors like Kay Kay Menon and Aditya Srivastava. Technically, Black Friday is more visionary than most Hindi movies ever made.It did not have exotic locations,an ensemble star cast of the most high profile actors in the industry,or an unlimited budget,all of which are necessities for an Indian movie.The use of complex Steadicam shots,slow motion and hand-held cameras really put the movie into a different perspective.The use of lighting in situations such as the interrogations being bathed in red light also helped set the mood required to really go into the depths of all the stories of the main characters which have been intricately woven together with finesse. Hats off to Mr. Anurag Kashyap for bringing such a fine piece of art to Indian cinema.Seems like the time spent with Mr. Mani Ratnam,the greatest Indian director ever to get behind a camera,is paying off.This is evident in the tinge of patriotism and realism portrayed.Personally i hope guys with vision like this continue bringing quality to Indian cinema.It really needs it.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind

[devashish_p · 10/10 · 10 February 2007]

"Black Friday" caught up with so many controversies, that many in Mumbai never thought that it would ever see the light of the day.Now almost 2 years after the date on which it was slated to release,does it live up to its expectations? well, it surely does and how!!!

It is not a movie to take the family to on a Sunday afternoon, nor is it an "entertaining" popcorn extravaganza. "Black Friday" is amongst the best films Indian cinema has ever produced, but it is not a movie for everyone. I had my fair share of disappointments, and I think many audiences will walk away unsatisfied by its documentary-like style and unusual structure.

The movie based on the book of Hussain Zaidi, tracks the investigation that takes place followed by the dreadful Bombay serial bomb blast in '93. the foray of the Indian cinema into investigative journalism is splendid to say the least. what makes the film a lot more riveting is the fact that it is not afraid to take names of all those involved in the conspiracy. Hence it has mixed up with a myriad of controversies. For this alone the directors and producers should be applauded for sticking their neck out.

The music by Indian ocean gives the movie a life of its own and especially in the final blast scene the eerie noise that is made is something that can just be experienced in the theaters. The screenplay with its tautness effectively delivers the movie and third person view which it assumes adds another shade to the movie as a whole. Finally the editing does seem to be a tad bit less crisp towards the end but still especially in the first half it is just perfect.

The usage of cranial cameras to capture the top views of Mumbai or the monochromatic shots during the investigation is a pleasure to watch. In fact using the metaphor of a dog to capture the melancholy withing Badshaah Khan's head is simply marvelous to watch. The acting throughout the movie is par excellence and the uncanny resemblance to Dawood Ibrahim is amongst the other reasons why this movie is a must watch for any one.

Finally this movie with the focus on Bombay Bomb blast has covered lots of issues including the stress on the Police during investigation along with the perspectives from all sides. Yet towards the end the message remains global that to stop shedding innocent blood in the name of religion for those who are caught in this web are none but jobless ch#$&@as as so correctly pointed out by Inspector.Rakesh Maria. Its canvas is not just Mumbai but places including Iraq, Afghanistan,911. It shall be if nothing else a textbook to not just learn the technicalities of cinema but also to understand history from a wider perspective.

A Haunting Friday

[Chrysanthepop · 18 July 2008]

'Black Friday' is horrifyingly raw. It's overwhelmingly dark. It's frighteningly real. It's daringly gritty and graphic. Anurag Kashyap's film is one of the most skillfully executed movies of recent times. A great screenplay, strong light effects, the use of color, the direction, the performances, the background score work together very effectively. The cinematography, whether the shaky camera, the zooming or the closeup shots, works brilliantly. 'Black Friday' is slick (but not so much as to take away from the realness). Actors Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Shrivastava and Pavan Malhotra do an excellent job in the acting department.

Based on Hussain Zaidi's book of the same title, 'Black Friday' revolves around the investigation of the infamous Bombay blasts (after which Bombay became Mumbai) in the early 90s. The movie opens with a 'boom' and from then on the intricate investigation proceeds. As the trial was still in process, Kashyap had to wait years before his movie could finally release in 2007. The director deserves credit for bravely making a film on such a serious and risky subject.

However, it does have the documentary feel. Kashyap breaks the film into chapters and this gave the feeling that one was watching a documentary series. The pace isn't steady because the film does drag at certain points.

'Black Friday' is a brave well-made film and it is one that should be watched. Not everyone might like it but on some level they may appreciate it.

seen without subtitles

[geebag5 · 10/10 · 6 May 2007]

this is movie is fantastic. two things; i seen this movies in Bombay( Mumbai) where it had no subtitles. i didn't understand a single word that was being said but i totally understood almost every scene in the film ,(except those that all new characters in them). luckily i had just read Maximum City, Bombay Lost and Found By sekula Metha, which details a lot of the events in the movie. i am from Ireland and i don't speak any of the languages in th film. Marastaha? Hindi? As an exercise in visual film Making it was excellent. i cant wait to watch this again with subtitles

The acting was superb. deserves to be seen in the west

Wow...

[bluefoxniner · 10/10 · 1 February 2009]

It saddens me that posters on this thread have the need to brand this as a 'bollywood' movie. the brilliance that is ' black Friday' is so far,far,far removed and so many million times better than any of the dross that conventional ' bollywood' could ever even HOPE to produce makes 'bollywood' a throughly inappropriate branding for ' black Friday'.

for me, 'black Friday' is paving the way for what Indian cinema *should* be doing more of....that is, challenging it's audience and offering some intellectual stimulation.

I realise that the Indian cinema public's demand is overwhelmingly for ' boy meets girl, boys long lost brother/best friend also loves the same girl, they have a fight, then they realise they are brothers and engage in a 30 minute dance recital', type of bullshit, but Indians are becoming more sophisticated and I for one cannot wait for the more serious and discerning productions to come from India that truly challenges the mind and senses.

'Black Friday' in this regards represents a HUGE turning point for Indian cinema.

don't miss it..it's a must see movie on so many levels.

Well researched!

[SoumikBanerjee1996 · 7/10 · 8 January 2024]

Kashyap's early work stands out as one of his finest achievements, thanks to the extensive research and dedication that went into its culmination.

It's worth noting that Anurag Kashyap was not a widely known name at the time and was still relatively new to the world of cinema and the industry of Bollywood for that matter. Regardless, he managed to successfully deliver a gritty and authentic feature, despite limited resources and permits.

However, it should be mentioned that the film may feel slightly outdated & unpolished due to its documentary-style structure, as opposed to a more conventional narrative format.

The Brilliance of Indian Cinema

[adityaiyer · 10/10 · 12 February 2007]

Mr. Anurag Kashyap,

Take a bow! Black Friday is sincerely the greatest piece of cinematic magic to be released ever. You and your team have produced cinema of the highest quality, raised the notch by a few miles and used this medium like never before, hats off to you sir!

I must admit that I am slightly biased toward your film because I have been born and brought up in Bombay and on March 12, 1993 (the day of the serial blasts) was just 8 years old. As Salman Rushdie famously calls children born during the era of Indian Independence as "Midnight Children", i would like to say we are but "Blast Children". Children whose innocence has been shattered mercilessly by the underworld and extremists from every religion and you have portrayed just that in your film.

The film does not hype terrorism or romanticize the darkness of Bombay or the coldness of its police like many other so called underworld films do but portrays exactly what happens in reality, the human side. Sir, your film has merged the very shady line between cinematic magic, fiction and reality to an intoxicating mix of actuality.

Pawan Malhotra (Tiger Memon), Kay Kay (Rakesh Maria) and Aditya Srivastava (Badhshah Khan) do not act, they live and breathe the very sentiments of these real life people. As a viewing audience I never once felt like I was watching a film, but felt like a 'fly on the wall' as the plot unfolds before your very eyes, the very same helplessness as Mumbaikars felt on that very day of the bomb blasts. The music by Indian Ocean is outstanding, it flows as easily as your reel does and blends so very brilliantly with the script.

The cold chill that trickles down your spine as Dawood Ibrahim is shown in his mansion in Dubai is breathtaking. The authenticity of Bombay and its various locations from fast food restaurants in Bandra to the passport office in Worli is worth many many accolades.

Mr. Kashyap, this film has struck the very chord of life in cinema once more. I'm sure everybody who watches it will share similar sentiments as I do. I am glad that the 2 year dustbin wait for your film did not deter you from eventually getting it released. You are not alone sir, the world supports your work with open arms. The silver screen is worth visiting again. Thank you sir and take a bow again..

Yours sincerely, Aditya

Documentary-like realism

[HeadleyLamarr · 7/10 · 8 September 2007]

Anurag Kashyap is no doubt a talented man. Black Friday is a brave and commendable effort to show some of the details behind the infamous 1993 Bombay blasts. The movie is based on a detailed account by Hussain Zaidi in a book of the same name. The movie progresses in a series of chapters that zig zag in time and show us the blasts, the chance finding of an unexploded van, tracing it to Tiger Memon and the subsequent capture of his manager. At this point the case busts open and a slew of arrests are made and the conspiracy uncovered. Fingers are pointed to ISI as being ultimately culpable in the crime as they fund Tiger Memon's scheme, which seems to have been concocted in a fit of rage, and purely for personal revenge as opposed to any communal feelings.

The good: For the most part the movie has a very real and gritty feel to it . The cast is chosen for their ordinariness in looks and great acting ability and is led by the very able Kay Kay Menon. Here he is the police officer Maria - has vowed to solve the case but is also shown as the anguished man, torn at what has to be done to break each and every arrested man by any means necessary. Pavan Malhotra very believably plays the rabid eyed Tiger, and Aditya Srivastava is very real as the hunted man Badshah on the run from pillar to post. Documentary footage is well used in the film and the run from Delhi to Rampur to Jaipur to Calcutta to Delhi to Rampur very realistic. One can almost smell the dust in the locales. The music is haunting and sparingly used. Arre Ruk Ja Re Bande is beautiful.

The bad: The movie is shot is an extremely repetitive manner and reminded me somewhat of the Betaal stories from Chandamama - they too always ended with the Betaal taking the corpse and hiding in a tree. Here a different body is being chased in every chapter and then caught. Why have different chapters if they will all show the same thing with different people? The story zig zags back and forth in time and Anurag does not trust us to be able to keep it straight - so he obliges by color coding the past and present as blue and regular. The torture scenes are strangely coded a blood red! The blasts left a trail of devastation and we are shown the obligatory child eating out of a garbage can, blown up bodies, blood splattered torsos. Such INDIVIDUAL pictures of the aftermath of terror take away from the big impact of the terror and are only useful when they show someone we already care about. Mani showed us the gasoline soaked twins in Bombay and sent a chill down our spine - these could be our children. Anurag's bodies are remote by virtue of being so close. In fact this remoteness is a flaw in the film, it smacks of a docudrama where the only character you can even remotely identify with is the police officer. There can be little or no audience involvement in such a film.

Nevertheless, this is a brave attempt and one will expect better and better from Mr. Kashyap in the future.

Half Truth

[kashidshubham · 1/10 · 9 April 2022]

Should include truth from Hindu side also. This movie does not show all truth. This false truth. First karsevack was killed by Muslim. Babri masgid was bullied on ram mandir . No one mentioned about that. First you should inform about Quran and JIHAD. Then we can talk about Hindu aggression.

are rukh jah re bandhe

[Sparrowmaniac · 10/10 · 23 February 2007]

Mind blowing. Astounding. Astonishing. Superb. Enthralled. I could go on and put in all adjectives from the dictionary and even then I would still feel I need to say more. 1000 words isn't enough to write a review on Black Friday. Anurag Kashyap's foray into Bollywood was marred by the judiciary for more than 2 years, but finally the wait ended a few days back. And we were given the privilege to see the true potential of Indian film making. The topic was sensitive. Highly sensitive, one of the most tragic events in the last 3 decades in Indian history, an event which made Don Dawood Ibrahim as the #1 wanted man in India.

Right from the beginning, the interrogation sequence where the prisoner confesses,"Sir, bombs are about to explode in the city sir" Right from that word till the last scene where Tiger Memon says,"Mumbai mein dhamaka macha dega hum." you are glued to your seat, wondering what will the director make you see next ? The casting for the movie was in my opinion perfect. One may criticize that Kay Kay Memon was underused, but in my opinion, he was just perfect. He wasn't given much screen appearance but whatever time he had, he brought everyone to their feet. His dialogs brought the entire theater applauding. Aditya Srivastava and Pawan Malhotra were equally good, if not better. Pawan Malhotra's portrayal of the underworld don Tiger Memon was just superb. Same goes for Aditya Srivastava's portrayal of Badshah Khan, the terrorist who turned as a police witness. His struggle to escape the country, from the clutches of Mumbai police was just marvelously portrayed. A person helplessly running around the country, lack of money, being chased around by an unknown force. And when mentioning the casting one cannot but ignore Vijay Maurya as the feared Dawood Ibrahim. He was given about a couple of minutes at maximum of screen presence but even in that minute period he brought a shiver up your spines.

Black Friday is also a very good technical movie. The special effects used are pretty advanced and are at par with Hollywood. The script although adapted is superb. Every expression, dialog will make you feel for the characters in the movie.

Just remember this isn't a movie about Hindus or Muslims. At first you feel for all the people getting killed by the blasts, but later when the riots are shown, then you feel for the Muslims as well. But this ain't a movie for any of the religious sentiments. Its about the society as a whole in those few years in Mumbai. This is the type of movie that India should send to Oscars and other film festivals/awards. The world should be made known that we can make movies that will claim fame and bring India to the global picture.

10/10 !!!

A bold, fantastic and path-breaking film

[saurabh_j_paranjape · 10/10 · 13 February 2007]

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.

Hats-off to such a brilliant film-making in current film industry

[gajjar-rushi-a · 10/10 · 11 February 2008]

I just watched Black Friday last night at home and didn't feel like missing a single scene or even a shot of the movie. I was totally concentrated and lost in this movie. I felt how a genuine, appreciable and real effort can go wasted on box office. Such movies should run well even on box office as well as in award functions.

Kay Kay Menon is one of my favorite actor as well as Pavan Malhotra in his intense role playing. Hats off again to this movie from 1st scene to last one. The sequence of Badshah Khan moving Rampur to Jaipur to Kolkata and back to Rampur is truly worth-watching. I know this movie didn't mean to earn profits or a MASALA FLICK that's why it became a serious cinema and worth watching.

Anurag Kashyap has really done a brilliant and hard-hitting job. I wanted to see this movie from the moment I came to knowledge about it. I really enjoyed every moment though I found there were many censor cuts during the movie and BEEP tones during bad words speaking. Anurag made it hardcore real.

I am not here to reveal or tell the story as it will spoil concentration and excitement of the watchers who didn't watch this movie yet. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND BY BEING A REAL MOVIE-WATCHER TO SEE THIS MOVIE ANY WAY YOU CAN GET IT.

I learned that because of politicians' dirty plays, games and just because of their selfishness such incidences happens frequently in our country and which interrupts India to move further progressively. Such degressing tact, cheats and bad intentions of our politicians ruins peace between 2 religions and whatever they do they do just for their own benefit. How many innocent people were killed during such riots and blasts that's nightmarish thought and DID THIS POLITICIANS EVER THINK ABOUT THEIR INNOCENT FAMILIES WHILE PLANNING SUCH THINGS? My anger is purely towards THE POLITICIANS not to any Hindu or Muslim. Now our young generation must come up with their new ideas, intelligence and unity to fail such bad and dishonest intentions of Indian POLITICIANS.

BLACK Friday is most worth watching that's all.

Black Friday - a tremendous film that goes places most Hindi films don't

[vombomb-1 · 10/10 · 2 May 2005]

I had the opportunity to see the film at a screening in Berkeley as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival. Hopefully it will one day be released in India.

1. The student has surpassed the master. Ram Gopal Varma may think he is pushing the envelope, but Anurag Kashyap has REALLY done that. Make no mistake about it: Kashyap was a big part of the genius behind Satya and it shows in the writing, pacing and even in some of the shots of Black Friday 2. The film is as politically incorrect as Mani Ratnam's Bombay was correct 3. When Satya released, Ali Peter John (of Screen magazine) had a review titled 'Listen, Mr. President Listen, every Indian.' He went on to say about Satya in his review 'That's why it must be seen by every Indian who still loves the truth, by every Indian who still swears he is an Indian.' These comments are equally valid with regards to Black Friday. There is no doubt that Kashyap is obsessed with the truth 4. So enough about other films, on to Black Friday. The film has a non-linear format not because it makes the story more interesting but because its the most impactful (and nearly only way) the story can be told. The film starts on March 9th, three days before the bomb blasts in Bombay and travels all the way forward to 1994 and all the way back to the riots in Bombay in December of 1992. The movie uses the chapters of the book its based on (by Hussain Zaidi) as benchmarks.

5. If I had to classify the film I would say its a docu-drama. Its constructed as if it were part of the case for the prosecution (not my words, its in the prologue of the film). Kashyap uses real raw footage here and there.

6. One of the great triumphs of this film is that it is strikingly objective. And I do not say this from my point of view. I cannot fathom how anyone cannot find this film objective from ANY point of view mainly because the film HAS no point of view (it wants the truth). Even if one disagrees with me on this, it is, at the very least, the least subjective film I've seen on such a big political/historical event in India.

7. Kay Kay (as Inspector Rakesh Maria) is absolutely fantastic in this film though his screen time was limited (there are over 200 characters named in this film, go figure). The surprise packet here is Aditya Srivastava who absolutely nailed his character. Of course he has had minor roles in most of these films (he was Khandilkar in Satya) but I think he is an actor whose films I will definitely look out for.

8. The film does a remarkable job of delving into the psyche of a terrorist AFTER an attack takes place and he is on the run (and I might add here that its the first film I've seen to do this) Of course this is probably well delineated in the book but Kashyap brings it to the silver screen with great emotion and extracts a (as I stated above) marvelous performance from Srivastava (it wouldn't have worked without him) in the process. The film goes into the psyche of the terrorist after the attacks to help the audience understand why he would (*SPOILER*, a very MINOR one though) squeal.

9. The film has no songs but is still as long as your everyday Hindi film. The pacing is fantastic though.

10. The cinematography is outstanding. There are a couple of extraordinary sequences; one of which is a rather comedic foot-chase scene 11. The background score is also outstanding and used wisely. Kashyap uses different styles/type of music throughout various chapters of the film. I don't know who did the score but in general the rule of thumb for fantastic background scores in recent (last 15 years or so) in Hindi cinema has been 1. its done by A.R. Rahman or 2. its in a Ram Gopal Varma film. This breaks that trend.

12. The show I went to sold out as expected and at the end of it you could have heard the slightest bit of movement; there was pin-drop silence.

13. The film's best scene (arguably) is an interrogation between Rakesh Maria (Kay Kay) and Badshah Khan (Aditya Srivastava). The dialogue here deals with communal/religious violence without being clichéd. The dialogue by Kay Kay is so great that one would think that it was spoken by some great historical figure when it was actually merely written by Kashyap! I thought of the scene in Lagaan when Bhuvan gives a discourse on caste-ism when I saw this scene in Black Friday. Of course, the scenes are different but their nature is the same in the sense that the dialogue is so far reaching and that it deals with complicated socio-political issues. The scene in Black Friday is infinitely more effective than its counterpart in Lagaan. They should just give Kay Kay awards for that scene alone (Srivastava was great as well).

14. The film begins and ends with the quote by Gandhi 'An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind'

I remember...

[TheGautamMathur · 10/10 · 9 April 2007]

I remember being there... I remember landing up at tuitions on 6th December 1992 and waiting for my friends to turn up, friends who lived very near the area most affected by the riots... I remember hearing that riots have broken out because the Babri Masjid has been demolished... I remember passing that week hidden behind blackened windows and Bombay looking like a dead city, my hysterical mother not even letting us children go down to the street to play. I remember the undercurrent of tension amongst communal solidarity between the hindus and muslims even where the riots did not reach.

I remember 6th January 1993 even more clearly, A day when worried parents gathered out in the school football ground to pick up their children, Riots had broken out again. I remember my driver maneuvering the car expertly through bylanes and little side roads, protecting us kids from angry, approaching mobs, mobs who would not differentiate between hindu and Muslim, child or adult... all they wanted was blood.

Even at fifteen, I knew that the January riots were political, not communal. The politicians of the day had seized the opportunity to make their power plays, giving it a communal twist, and the uneducated, scared or frustrated (sometimes all-three) common man fell for it and became part of it.

I remember joining a charitable organization and handing out food to what seemed to be millions of people who had lost their homes and families. sitting at VT station.

And I remember the 12th of March 1993 clearer than anything. I was in school, and the sound of what was probably the century Bazaar blast tore through the air in the afternoon, in the middle of the exam hall. It was the last day of the 10th Standard Board exams, And we didn't know what the sound was, Someone made a joke for me to stop farting...

It was only when we got out of school that we heard about the blasts. All sorts of news started filtering in, but we didn't know exactly what the magnitude of the attack was, until we got home that is. When I got home, all the windows of our living room were broken, just from the shock waves of the Air India Building blast.

The following few months were spent in dread, looking over our shoulders. Even then I knew that this was in retaliation to the riots, And even then we were looking for answers. We waited, making heroes out of policemen, and martyrs of the common people who died that day, waiting for some kind of answer, some justification to the madness.

Now, fourteen years hence, The film comes along and reminds me of how big in magnitude the attack actually was, and how it had impacted my mind forever.

When I had heard of the film being banned, I was sad, I had heard so much about Anurag Kashyap, but the censor board seemed to hate him, not allowing any film of his to be released. From the day I heard that he was making this film, I had wanted to see it. And I am glad I did.

The film gave me personally a sense of some kind of answers, some sense of what happened, and why it happened. It was directed with panache, precise and to the point, without resorting to jingoism and anti-communal will. All it did was present what is now believed to be fact in a format that comes together superbly. Brisk editing, masterful direction, and real, earthy performances. It is exactly how a film should be made.

A special mention should go to the real hero of the film, Mumbai City, always a picture of resilience and strength, and the film shows that. Despite the blasts, the riots and all the Chaos, Mumbai moves on, and thats what the city does to its people as well. Gives them a strength that can only be understood if you spend some time living in the city.

If only the powers that be wake up, take notice, and put their money behind Anurag Kashyap, so that he can go on to make more Cinema that can put India on the map.

Brilliant!!!!

[kumardeepankar-57207 · 10/10 · 30 September 2019]

Just watch it and decide for your self.This film presents the naked truth of Hindu -Muslim riot

My Favorite Film

[kumars-46839 · 14 February 2023]

Black Friday is the most haunting, raw and well written docu drama ever. Truly breaking conventional cinema with so much bleakness and intelligence. Kay Kay Menon gives his best performance. The picture is a cautionary tale on dangerously accurate levels. Kashyp researched and read everything he could find and still got such a violent and immersive experience out due to controversy. So what is Black Friday truly? A character piece on law and order in India? How gangsters stopped everything because they were considered terrorists? The brainwashed ideologies of evil and weak men? Or is it why you should never be held in prison in India?

Black Friday

[Hussain-AL-Naseer · 6/10 · 22 April 2020]

One of the earliest work from Kashyap which literally brings him into the game of mainstream cinema. Black Friday is based on 1993 Bombay (Now Mumbai) bomb blasts and its investigation. Despite of being completed and presented in Locarno International Film Festival in 2004 the theatrical release was halted due to the petition filed in court by the time film got approval for its release it was too late yet it was released in 2007 due to which film lost hi charm in its technical area however film got praises from both critiques and masses. Actual footages can also be seen in movie to set the premise and facts straight. Film roughly shows how Politics and Religious beliefs creates anarchy when sentiments are being manipulated and how third party uses it for their benefits. Religious riots scenes were chilling and showed how it becomes a justification to hurt the opposite sects I guess that is why film concluded with Gandhi's quote 'An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind'. Blended with some good performances this movie is for dark cinema lovers

Anurag Kashyap, please make more films!

[chirag_shah775 · 10/10 · 16 March 2007]

I would give this film a 10 out of 10, but I don't think any film can be perfect. Anurag, you are a genius! This film is great. Not only is it a true story, but it has been shot in a very unique fashion...The flashbacks, etc make this film so unique. Also the red shots and the blue shots also give a feel of reality. The acting, cinematography, editing, and action was all top notch and made the film very realistic. This is not your everyday masala, popcorn flick but a very well made, thought provoking film. It's really sad that the Indian government can't handle reality. This film shouldn't have been banned. The public should know what happened in 1993. This was a very good movie but only for those who enjoy realistic films. This along with a few other bollywood films (Omkara, dor, rang de basanthi), goes against the stereotype that all bollywood films have a set formula of a boy meeting a girl and dancing and singing. It's sad and pathetic how films like these don't get popular internationally. Many foreigners think of Bollywood as escapist cinema with cheesy dance numbers. More films like black Friday need to release (And become popular) in order to destroy this generalization among foreigners.

A good attempt

[clearwinner · 7/10 · 29 September 2014]

This film is pretty unusual for a bollywood film because it stays true to its content, but nevertheless tempo fades out as the movie progresses. THe direction was not upto the mark which you could see because it does not let you to be involved with the characters and even the characters are not given proper introduction so it becomes difficult to understand which character is narrator talking about. The music is just average. There should have been a little more tension but it does not happen. Even the editing is not done properly. It seems as if you missed something but actually nothing happens. I loved the scene where the bomb explodes in the initial scenes. But overall a good attempt considering it is a difficult film to make

Film is full of uslim appeasement.

[ashishsri-82632 · 1/10 · 21 March 2020]

Daud Ibrahim was unaware of what he was smuggling(rdx) from ISI to India. This shows the mindset of Bollywood directors.