FILM
REVIEW: BLACK FRIDAY (2005)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Producer: Midday
Cast: Kay Kay, Vijay Maurya, Pawan Malhotra and Aditya Shrivastav
Rdio
Sargam Rating: 8/10
BACKGROUND:
Black is the colour of the season in Bollywood! ‘Black’ (starring
Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee) and ‘Blackmail’ (starring
Ajay Devgan and Priyanka Chopra) are both ready for release. However
first we have this ‘Black Friday’ directed by Anurag Kashyap.
The film is based on a book written by S. Hussain Zaidi, a crime reporter
for Mumbai’s tabloid Mid Day. The story focuses on a series of
bomb blasts in the city on 2nd March 1993, which killed twelve people.
SYNOPSIS:
Following the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts, top policeman Rakesh Maria (Kay
Kay Menon) is assigned the job of catching the culprits. Various places
are raided and vehicles ridden with explosives are discovered. It’s
soon revealed that Tiger Memon, a businessman from the Muslim dominated
area of Mahim, had taken funds from the underworld in Dubai (such as
Dawood Ibrahim) and hired people for the job. The men are now shuttling
from one area to another, although the police are hot on their trail.
CRITIQUE:
Black Friday is a great chronology of events aided by flashbacks. Director
Anurag Kashyap successfully takes the audience through the events, from
before and during the blasts as well as their aftermath, even adding
a little comedy along the way. However he fails to venture into the
territory of people directly affect by the blasts – nothing about
the death, sorrow and grief. Instead it’s a tale of intrigue, mind
games and revenge.
The performances
are brilliant. Vijay Maurya looks very much like Dawood Ibrahim and
his introductory scene is flabbergasting. Everyone present for the screening
thought that it was indeed a shot of Dawood from the cricket matches
in Dubai where he used to be spotted long ago. But of course, it’s
not! Maurya plays the role with élan, even though he has just
four minutes in the 2 hour 20 minute film. Kay Kay Menon also scores
in the lead role of Rakesh Maria. Aditya Shrivastav does well too as
Badshah Khan.
Nataraja
Subramanian’s cinematography is also worth talking about in many
scenes of this small budget flick. Kashyap’s wife and the editor
of the film Aarti Bajaj too has done a wonderful job in cutting many
sequences including this one.
CONCLUSION:
This movie successfully offers something a little different. Hopefully
those who enjoy offbeat films will have a blast watching Black Friday!
Reviewed
by: Tony
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