It has been a while since two hero films (in which both heroes are thick friends) have been churned out in Bollywood. The bond of friendship can be a strong factor in taking a film forward and hence, Gunday, a tale of two friends, is at an advantage. That it’s backed by a respected banner like Yash Raj Films and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar (who made the entertaining Mere Brother Ki Dulhan) was like an icing on the cake. But very shockingly, Gunday is a king-sized disappointment!

The story of the movie: Bikram (Ranveer Singh) and Bala (Arjun Kapoor) are refugees from Bangladesh who are compelled to come to Calcutta during the 1971 War. They fail to get the required help from the government and hence start doing odd jobs to earn a living. From being gun couriers, they turn into coal thieves and ultimately, the biggest gunday of Calcutta. By this time, they become the best of friends. They trust no one except themselves and work in complete harmony. They even fall for the same girl – cabaret dancer Nandita (Priyanka Chopra). On the other hand, the new ACP Satyajit Sarkar (Irrfan Khan) vows to bring Bikram and Bala to book. How he attempts to do so and how Bikram-Bala work out a solution when they both fall in love with the same girl forms the crux of Gunday!

Gunday has a terrific beginning actually. The entire sequence when Bikram and Bala as kids make ends meet makes for a great watch. Ranveer-Arjun’s entry is clapworthy and the action scene involving Bikram-Bala and Dibakar’s men is quite fun. Nandita’s entry is hilarious and after this point, the film begins to go on a downhill majorly because the goings-on just don’t seem convincing. There’s a major twist in the tale later on which is predictable. But more than that, it’s the unconvincing sequences that are a downer. The manner in which Bikram and Bala become sworn enemies of each other didn’t seem acceptable. Their fight scene in the second half is very boring. Even the fight in the climax, though shot well and put to good music (title song) seems extremely over-the-top and doesn’t work. On the positive side, few scenes make a huge impact (especially Nandita blasting Bala in the second half). Also, Tune Maari Entriyaan is too good with the choreography being quite impressive!

Performances are sans complaints. Ranveer Singh is terrific. He gets to portray a character that’s unlike his real life persona or what he has attempted before. He’s rocking in scene where he’s head over heels over Nandita but watch out for him in serious and confrontational sequences. He’s awesome! Arjun Kapoor too gives his best shot and compliments Ranveer beautifully. He shines the most in the second half. Priyanka Chopra is sizzling and looks stunning in sarees. She’s first-rate, performance wise. Irrfan Khan is effortless and has a significant character to essay. One wonders why he is credited as a special appearance actor.

Saurabh Shukla plays his supporting role with perfection. Pankaj Tripathi (Maamu) leaves a huge mark in the small role. Anant Sharma (Himanshu) is an actor to watch out for. Deepraj Rana (Dibakar Rana) shines in the lone sequence. Victor Banerjee gets no scope, as Irrfan’s boss. And lastly, due credit should go to Darshan Gujar (young Bikram) and Jayesh Kardak (young Bala) for their excellent performances!

Sohail Sen’s music is energetic but not something that would be memorable. Tune Maari Entriyaan is the best of the lot followed by title track, Jashn E Ishqa and Jeeya. Julius Packiam’s background score is exhilarating. Aseem Mishra’s cinematography is topnotch. Sham Kaushal’s action scenes are fine, though few scenes are over the top. The film is shot in some fresh and stunning locales. Dialogues are of the clapworthy variety. Story is fine but its Ali Abbas Zafar’s script and direction that disappoints highly. The major reason as said before is that the goings-on just don’t seem real or believable. Also, the romantic portion is very superficial and hence, the film fails to connect at an emotional level as well. However, the friendship bit is nicely executed but again, it is more in the first half. In fact, the film keeps on falling as it progresses. Ali Abbas Zafar proved his worth with Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and hope he comes up with something better with his next!

On the whole, Gunday is one of the rare disappointing fares churned out by Yash Raj Films! It fails to look convincing and the twist in the tale is predictable. Performances are brilliant and so is the work of the technical team. But when the execution and script is not upto the mark, nothing can save the film. At the box office, it has taken a great start but looking at the mixed word of mouth, it’ll surely not trend well.

My rating - ** out of 5!

CAN GUNDAY REALLY CROSS 100 CRORE?

It is no secret that a full-on masala entertainer replete with sharp dialogues, raw action, macho men, beautiful heroine and loads of drama can work wonders at the box office, if made well, boasts of saleable stars and marketed smartly. Hence, a lot of buzz surrounds Gunday, starring Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. It’s produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar who earlier directed the comic caper Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Gunday however is a complete departure from Zafar’s earlier work. Set in the 70s Calcutta, Gunday is a tale of 2 men, originally refugees from Bangladesh, who become very powerful and even get worshipped by the masses. The treatment is quite filmy and it is evident that several scenes in the film will intice loads of claps and whistles, especially in the single screens. Songs aren’t that great but Tune Maari Entriyaan has become quite popular.

A section of trade and experts are hoping that Gunday can cross 100 crore mark. After all, it has the complete masala entertainment element (described above). Moreover, Ranveer is riding high after the super-success of Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela, which also earned more than 100 crores. However, while the buzz for Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela was huge, the same can’t be said for Gunday (though Arjun-Ranveer’s antics have been loved a lot). Moreover, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela’s songs were liked immensely and had become a rage. Gunday songs haven’t worked in a similar way. Also, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela starred Deepika Padukone and her chemistry with Ranveer was eye-catching. Not to forget, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s setting was appealing and larger-than-life. And when it comes to Gunday, the chemistry between Priyanka-Ranveer or Priyanka-Arjun isn’t that hot. And although Gunday boasts of some superb action scenes (especially the ones shot atop the train and at the coal mine) but again, it hasn’t had a tremendous impact.

Hence, in my opinion, it won’t be an easy task for Gunday to cross the 100-crore-mark and even the opening won’t be similar as Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela (which had a rocking opening of 15 crore). However, word of mouth can be crucial if audience reaction is positive, Gunday can earn big time. Let’s hope for the best!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GUNDAY AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!