Gangs of Wasseypur at ten: 50 memorable details from the film

1. The film begins with the title sequence of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. It’s an ironic, yet fitting, reference. Anurag Kashyap’s revenge saga is also narrated from the perspective of a family.

2. The film oozes with double entendres. “Put the pipe in the hole and shoot,” yells a gunman in the opening shootout.

3. Piyush Mishra’s opening voiceover—“There are two kinds of people in this world…”—was inspired by a similar line from Omkara (2006).

4. Shahid Khan (Jaideep Ahlawat) bludgeons a man to death. Instead of Styrofoam, Anurag sourced a real coal piece for authenticity.

5. Yadav ji, who shoots Shahid Khan and is later shot by his grandson Faizal, never speaks in the film.

6. Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpayee) canvassing passengers for ‘Jharia, Giridih, Dhanbad, Wasseypur’. All coal towns in present-day Jharkhand.

7. Late politician and union leader Surajdeo Singh was the inspiration for Ramadhir Singh. Interestingly, Ramadhir is the name of one of Surajdeo’s brothers.

8. “Goli nahi marenge…” Sardar confides in Nagma (Richa Chaddha) his desire for revenge. Eyes closed, she moans in agreement.

10. “Hey, did you kill him?” Sardar asks Nasir at a petrol pump they hold up. The deadpan way Piyush Mishra replies ‘pata nahi (don’t know)’ is hilarious.

11. A pregnant Nagma chases Sardar out of a brothel. Yes, that’s Vicky Kaushal behind the window grille.

12. Sardar often slips up in stressful situations. Here he drops his ‘chappal’ running to the getaway car. Years later, he can’t find the keys.

13. 'Keh Ke Lunga', sung by Amit Trivedi and Sneha Khanwalkar, tells of snakes, wild cockroaches and milk dripping from open blades. Lyrics: Varun Grover.

16. Ehsaan Qureshi (Vipin Sharma) gets slapped by Ramadhir for bluffing him years ago. Ehsaan’s decision to let Sardar escape kicks the hornet’s nest.

17. Marathi actor Suhas Sirsat cameos as the singer in Bhoos Ke Dher. The song satirizes the empty promises of Indian politicians.

19. Durga is from ‘Asansol’, a coal-and-steel town in West Bengal 70 kms from Dhanbad. Durga is a Bengali Hindu, who becomes Sardar’s second wife.

22. In the slaughterhouse sequence, the actor meant to play the cop bailed at the last minute. Faisal Malik, then an assistant on the film, was told to dress up and play the role.

23. Sardar’s country-made pistol effs up. “Phat ke flower” is how it’s described. The faulty pistols make a comeback in the series Mirzapur.

24. The film is filled with colourful chase sequences. Here, Asgar escapes after attacking a Qureshi.

26. Nagma, Danish and Faizal watch Sardar and Durga together. The scene marks a turning point for Faizal.

27. In a comic scene, Nasir comes between Nagma and Danish and gets whupped. Pain is Nasir’s lot: he self-flagellates out of shame and defeat throughout the film.

29. Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki, a 1984 Mithun Chakraborty film referenced here, is also a story of generational revenge. Mithun avenges his father’s killing at the hands of Amrish Puri.

32. Much of the gruesome violence in Wasseypur happens off screen. Here, Sardar forces the rapist to ‘watch’ as his friend is hacked.

33. When Sultan visits Ramadhir for the first time, Ramadhir’s wife offers to serve food in china plates, since the guests are Muslim.

35. Sardar plays the protective, overreacting father in this hospital scene. It also yields the film’s most innovative slang: ‘blind of arse’.

36. Faizal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) tears up watching the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Trishul (1974). In that film, Bachchan and his mother are abandoned by his father, mirroring Faizal’s fate in Wasseypur

38. In this scene, a cute exchange happens between Nagma and Sardar. Modern appliances have made their way into the Khan household: fridge, vacuum cleaner.

39. Faizal embosses his initials onto one of the guns. This helps him trace it back to Yadav ji (also watch out for the Taxi Driver nod before the mirror)

40. On the train, Faizal encounters two nameless characters, undercover cops for Yadav ji’s racket. One of them follows Faizal back to his home.

41. ‘I am a Hunter’ is a rare English-heavy song in the localised soundtrack. It’s a slice of Chutney music, a fusion of Indo-Caribbean sounds with colonial roots.

42. Sultan clobbers Ehsaan outside Ramadhir’s house. It’s a funny yet weird scene: Ehsaan is Sultan’s adoptive uncle.

43. Pramod Pathak plays the double role of Sultana Daku/Badoor Qureshi. Sultan even remarks on their facial similarity.
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