Nani's GangLeader
Directed by Vikram Kumar
One of the greatest previlages as an artist is the ability to create things that are larger than life, more like a wannabe reality. Superheroes have emerged from this liberty that creators had. But there are creators who create wonderful cinematic situations using this same previlage. This in turn leads to beautiful, unimaginable scenes and sequences that create the famed 'magic' on screen. While we've had lot of larger than life people, there are very few films that had ordinary people in situations that were extraordinary.
The last film which I saw that falls into this kind would be Richard Curtis's About time (2013) that beautifully blended the famed time travel genre with romance and family drama. When I think of such films over here, the first name that comes to my mind would be Vikram Kumar.
There's so much authenticity in the worlds that are being created in even the genre films that he's made. The haunted TV in Yaavarum Nalam, the jinxed cross road signal in Manam, the watch in 24 and the currency note in Hello. These aren't mere props or plot elements, but are given so much thought and process in the writing. He's one of the few working filmmakers who does genre blending with so much ease.
Gang leader, though cited to be inspired from true events - takes the first page of Steve McQueen's 2018 film Widows, yet takes us into a rollercoaster ride across genres. This film was like a perfectly made Cocktail to cater all kinds of people wanting to relish it. It's one of those films where there's perfect balance of brain and heart in the writing. The casting of each of the main characters is on point, especially Lakshmi who takes us back to the glorious Jeans days. Nani is having a fantastic year, and he's totally brilliant as always.
And then there's Anirudh who's having a dream run this year. If Jersey is to Anirudh what Manmarziyaan was for Amit Trivedi, then this Gang Leader is like Andhadhun to him. There's was lot of ground for him to play and experiment and he has hit a home run in his own style.
Gang Leader is THE proper entertainer of the year so far, for me. 💕
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