40
Tickets: (812) 855-1103
40 South Asian Gangster Films
Gangs of Wasseypur Part I
(2012)
Directed by Anurag Kashyap
February 22 - Saturday - 7:00 p.m.
In late colonial India, Shahid Khan loots British trains, impersonating the legendary
outlaw Sultana Daku. Cast out from Wasseypur, Shahid becomes a worker at
Ramadhir Singh's coal mine, only to spur a revenge battle that is passed on to
subsequent generations. Years later, Shahid's son, the philandering Sardar
Khan, vows to get his father's honor back and becomes the most feared
man of Wasseypur. Staying true to its real life influences, the film
explores a revenge saga through the socio-political dynamic of
poverty-stricken Bihar (North India). Set in the coal and scrap
trade mafia of Wasseypur, the film defies the conventions of
mainstream "Bollywood" cinema. In Hindi language
with English subtitles.
Dr. Meheli Sen, a noted
Bollywood scholar at Rutgers University, will
introduce. (2K DCP. 160 min. Not Rated.)
Tickets: (812) 855-1103
These films are not the standard Bollywood fare of
song and dance routines, simplistic love stories,
and happy endings. They represent a new breed
of Indian filmmaking that has captured critical
attention from both Western and Indian media by
dispensing with most Bollywood conventions in
favor of well-developed characters and storylines.
What really makes these films stand out is not just
their stylistic quality, but their serious engagement
with a myriad of social issues relevant to contem-
porary India and its modernity. Through the lens of
criminal gangs, they examine issues such as caste
prejudice, political corruption, police complic-
ity in criminal activity, the rural-urban divide, the
breakdown of traditional family structures, and the
inherent violence of Indian life, including against
women. Special thanks to Michael Dodson.
Tickets to all screenings are $3.