Gangster: A great movie

A typical urban gangster movie of the 70's and 80's (thus excluding the rural dacoit movie such as Sholay) was all about the larger than life character, fighting against the police, and maybe reforming or dying. It was the odd movie such as Deewar which tried to look into the mind of a gangster, but these were still movies about larger than life characters. It was films like Vaastav & Satya that tried to break into the basic characters mind, and show the goings on around them, along with the overall despair that involved such criminals (and make no mistake, no matter the circumstances, the new age of movies display them as criminals even when showing their sequence of steps to becoming a gangster).



A refreshing new movie in this regard is the movie called Gangster (directed by Anurag Basu for Mahesh Bhatt). The movie pulls no punches, showing the old game of gangster vs. police through the eyes of a young woman forced to make her choices. The movie is truly a different movie, able to de-glamorize the whole gangster-moll and romance bit. The movie does have some unrealistic parts as well, such as the alcohol-sunken portrayal of a bar dancer by Kangana Ranaut in a great debut role. With some excellent roles given to both Shiney Ahuja and Emraan Hashmi, this movie is also a good example of a movie doing well on the basis of story and performances (and some good music).
Story is all in flashback, showing 2 people firing guns at each other; and then the story starts to unfold. Kanagana essays the role of Simran, a dancer turned into an alcoholic. She has dreams of a normal family, but those are not to be. One day she gives shelter to a dreaded gangster Daya (Shiney Ahuja) when he is being chased by the cops. Why she does so is not clear ! However, Daya starts visiting her club and soon saves her from a drunk customer, and then asks her to come home. And so naturally, they start having an affair; but always on the move (far removed from the normal life that she wanted) since he is on the run from the police. He even ignores the advice from his patron (Gulshan Grover in a short role) to leave her.
They decide to escape from India so as to escape the police and the pressure; and he goes off to Mauritius and she is sent off to South Korea. And it is here that she starts sinking into the pressured and dreary life of an alcoholic, which is when Emraan Hashmi meets her (he is a singer, and starts showing interest in her). She succumbs to her loneliness and has a one-night stand with him. In the meantime Shiney reaches there and beats up Emraan almost to death. However, this is the last we see of the proud don, since he now tries to lead a normal life for her, doing menial work in order to earn money. But, we all know what happens from a one-night stand - Kangana is now pregnant with Emraan's child.
Emraan encourages her to get Shiney to surrender to the police, and, in a fateful decision that she will always regret, she picks Emraan's side. And then after Shiney is gone, she learns that Emraan was a policeman, and the finale is about her trying to take vengeance. The movie is a worth-watch, and with some hummable songs. Movie has music by Pritam Chakraborty; lyrics are by Sayeed Qadri, Mayur Puri, Nilesh Mishra

Songs from the movie:

Bheegi Bheegi Si (Singer: James)



Tu Hi Meri Shab Hain (Singer: K K)



Ya Ali (Singer: Zubeen)




Lyrics:

Bheegi Bheegi

bheegi bheegi si hai raaten
bheegi bheegi yaaden
bheegi bheegi baaten
bheegi bheegi aankhon mein kaisi nami hai
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha
sapnon ka saya palkon pe aya
pal mein hasaya pal mein rulaya
phir bhi yeh kaisi kami hai
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha
na jaane koi kaisi hai yeh zindagaani zindgaani
kahaani adhuri kahaani
na jaane koi kaisi hai yeh zindagaani zindgaani
kahaani adhuri kahaani

aadhi aadhi jaagi aadhi aadhi soyi
aankhen yeh teri toh lagta hai royi
lekar ke naam hamara
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha
rutha rutha rab chhuta chhuta sab
toota toota dil tere bina ab
kaise ho jeena ganwara
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha
na jaane koi kaisi hai yeh zindagaani zindgaani
kahaani adhuri kahaani
na jaane koi kaisi hai yeh zindagaani zindgaani
kahaani adhuri kahaani

bheegi bheegi si hai raaten
bheegi bheegi yaaden
bheegi bheegi baaten
bheegi bheegi aankhon mein kaisi nami hai
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha aa ha
aa ha ha ha
na jaane koi kaisi hai yeh zindagaani zindgaani
kahaani adhuri kahaani
na jaane koi - 2 hamari adhuri kahani
na jaane koi yeh zindagaani zindgaani
kahaani adhuri kahaani
na na na....


Tu Hi Meri Shab Hain

u hi meri shab hai subha hai tu hi din hai mera
tu hi mera rab hai jahaan hai tu hi meri duniya
tu waqt mere liye main hoon tera lamha
kaise rahega bhala hoke tu mujhse judaa
o o o o ho ho
o o o o o o
tu hi meri shab hai subha hai tu hi din hai mera
tu hi mera rab hai jahaan hai tu hi meri duniya
tu waqt mere liye main hoon tera lamha
kaise rahega bhala hoke tu mujhse judaa
o o o o ho ho
o o o o o o

aankhon se padhke tujhe dil pe maine likha
tu ban gaya hai mere jeene ki ek wajah
ho aankhon se padhke tujhe dil pe maine likha
tu ban gaya hai mere jeene ki ek wajah
teri hasi teri adaa auron se hai bilkul judaa
o o o o ho ho
o o o o o o

aankhen teri shabnami chehra tera aaina
tu hai udaasi bhari koi haseen dastaan
ho aankhen teri shabnami chehra tera aaina
tu hai udaasi bhari koi haseen dastaan
dil mein hai kya kuchh toh bata
kyon hai bhala khud se khafa
o o o o ho ho
o o o o o o

tu hi meri shab hai subha hai tu hi din hai mera
tu hi mera rab hai jahaan hai tu hi meri duniya
tu waqt mere liye main hoon tera lamha
kaise rahega bhala hoke tu mujhse judaa
o o o o ho ho
o o o o o o...



Ya Ali

ya ali reham ali
ya ali yaar pe qurbaan hai sabhi
ya ali madad ali
ya ali yeh meri jaan yeh meri zindagi
ishq pe mita doon luta doon
main apani khudi
yaar pe haan luta doon mita doon
main yeh hasti
ya ali reham ali
ya ali yaar pe qurbaan hai sabhi
ya ali madad ali
ya ali yeh meri jaan yeh meri zindagi

mujhe kuchh pal de purvat ke
faki hampe chahat ke
rahe bechain dil kab tak
milen kuchh pal toh raahat ke
chahat pe ishq pe haa mita doon luta doon
main apani khudi
yaar pe ha luta doon mita doon
main yeh hasti
ya ali reham ali
ya ali yaar pe qurbaan hai sabhi
ya ali madad ali
ya ali yeh meri jaan yeh meri zindagi

bina tere na ek pal ho na bin tere kabhi kal ho
yeh dil ban jaaye pathhar ka na ismein koi hulchul ho
sanam pe ha ishq pe ha mita doon luta doon
main apani khudi
kasam se ha luta doon mita doon
main yeh hastii
ya ali reham ali
ya ali yaar pe qurbaan hai sabhi
ya ali madad ali
ya ali yeh meri jaan yeh meri zindagi