Gangster: A Love Story

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Gangster: A Love Story
Theatrical release poster
Hindiगँगस्टर अ लव स्टोरी
Directed byAnurag Basu
Screenplay byMahesh Bhatt
Anurag Basu
Story byMahesh Bhatt
Produced byMahesh Bhatt
Mukesh Bhatt
StarringKangana Ranaut
Emraan Hashmi
Shiney Ahuja
Gulshan Grover
CinematographyBobby Singh
Edited byAkiv Ali
Music by
Distributed byVishesh Films
Release date
  • 28 April 2006 (2006-04-28)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹6.5 crore[1]
Box office₹17.93 crore[1]

Gangster: A Love Story is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic thriller film directed by Anurag Basu. It stars Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi and Shiney Ahuja in lead roles. The film is produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt of Vishesh Films. The music and the soundtrack is composed by Pritam.

Gangster released theatrically on 28 April 2006, and proved to be a commercial success at the box office. it received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its screenplay, soundtrack, cinematography and performances of the cast, with particular praise directed towards Ranaut's debut performance.

At the 52nd Filmfare Awards, Gangster received 10 nominations, including Best Villain (Hashmi) and Best Male Playback Singer (Zubeen Garg for "Ya Ali"), and won Best Female Debut (Ranaut).

The film was remade in Kannada as Nee Illadhe (2011).

Plot[edit]

Simran drowns her misery in booze. Her one friend in Seoul is Aakash (Emraan Hashmi), a singer in an Indian restaurant.

Originally a bar dancer in Mumbai, India, Simran is the girlfriend of a notorious gangster, Daya (Shiney Ahuja). 5 years ago, Daya's boss Khan (Gulshan Grover) ordered him to give Simran up. When Khan threatened Simran, Daya turned on him and Khan cut Daya loose from his gang.

She and Daya were forced to flee to Seoul. They took a small boy named Bittu with them. After an encounter with the Mumbai police, Bittu was killed, causing a strain in the couple's relationship and pushing Simran toward alcoholism. Leaving Simran alone in Seoul, Daya went to work in Mauritius and then Dubai.

Aakash tells Simran that he cares for her despite her past, and their relationship gradually develops from friendship to love. Daya, who is still in Dubai, suddenly comes to Seoul. When he learns of Simran's affair with Aakash, he attacks and severely beats him in a fit of rage and jealousy. Daya then professes his love for her and promises to reform and fulfill her dreams of a normal life; he also tells her that if she truly loves Aakash he will not hold her back. Before Simran can respond, the police arrive in pursuit of Daya and Simran. The two flee.

Daya gives up murdering innocents and begins working odd jobs, admitting to Simran that he has found peace in doing honest work. He says that he would like to return to his village in India with her, so that they might live there peacefully. To do so he would have to perform one last crime: fake passports for him and Simran.

Simran, who is longing for Aakash, soon discovers that she is pregnant with his child. When she tells Aakash, he meets her and tells her he would like to marry her, but they will never find peace as long as Daya is at large. He says that for the sake of their unborn child, Daya must be turned in to the police and only Simran can do this. Simran, who is still emotionally attached to Daya, refuses.

Meanwhile, Daya, who has gone to forge passports for himself and Simran, is intercepted by Khan, who reminds Daya of what had occurred between them years before and says that he intends to make an example of Daya for abandoning the gang. Khan and his men severely beat and wound Daya, who is eventually able to fight back and kills Khan. He then calls Simran, warning her that the police are after them and asking her to meet him outside a Seoul train station that night.

Simran arrives at the appointed time to find Daya badly injured from his fight with Khan. He manages to crawl to Simran and takes out a box of sindoor for her. But just as he reaches and embraces her, they are surrounded by police cars. Daya realises that Simran informed the police; heartbroken and screaming, he is hauled away. Simran remains at the station until morning and then goes to meet Aakash, whom she finds is not at home. She is soon informed that he is at the Indian embassy.

When she reaches the embassy, she enters a room full of reporters and sees a large screen showing a video of her telling Aakash about her relationship with Daya. She is thunderstruck when she sees that the one addressing the media is none other than Aakash, who is actually an undercover Indian detective hired to capture Daya. Realizing that Aakash befriended and wooed her solely to discover Daya's whereabouts, she explodes in fury in front of the media; Aakash holds her back and slaps her across the face. He tells her that he never cared for her and that his involvement with her was only a part of his duty to end organised crime and bring justice to his country. Enraged, Simran tries to attack him, but she is stopped by security. While she is being hauled away, she yells that to spread justice Aakash and his colleagues have done her an injustice and that Daya, who has never betrayed anyone, is not the gangster but Aakash and his men are. She reminds Aakash that he has betrayed the woman who is carrying his child and that he will regret his actions.

Daya, who has been arrested and taken to jail, sends Simran a letter saying that he does not blame her for what she did and that she is the one who has been betrayed; he admits that he has done many cruel and bad things but that, thanks to her, he now knows what it is like to live an honest life. He encloses her fake passport and, stating his love for her, writes that he would feel better knowing that she is living safely in India. After reading Daya's letter, Simran is left pained and guilty.

Months later, Daya admits and pleads guilty to his crimes. He is tried and sentenced to death. Simran goes to meet him in prison and asks him to forgive her; they share an emotional goodbye. She later goes to Aakash's residence and, forcefully entering his house with a gun, shoots and fatally injures him. Before he lapses into unconsciousness, Aakash shoots her in the shoulder and they are found and taken to a hospital.

Aakash dies in the hospital while Simran is transferred to the I.C.U. At dawn she escapes to the roof, where she commits suicide by jumping off the roof. At the same time, Daya is hanged. Simran is shown falling through the air. Before she reaches the ground we see her standing in a meadow and gazing at Daya, who is holding Bittu. Smiling, they hold out their arms to her; she happily runs toward them, and they embrace in heaven.

Cast[edit]

Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar was initially offered the role of Daya, but he turned it down saying, "Cricket is not only my profession but my obsession as well".[2][3]

Bengali actress Koel Mallick was also initially offered the role of Simran, but she rejected it due to her discomfort towards the intimate and bold scenes in the script.[4]

Critical reception[edit]

Gangster received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its screenplay, soundtrack and performances of the cast, with particular praise directed towards Ranaut's performance. Raja Sen of Rediff awarded the film 3.5 stars (out of 5) and stated that ‘‘Ranaut is a remarkable find, the actress comes across with great conviction. Hers is the pivotal character and an extremely difficult role to essay, but she manages it well. Ranaut's nuances [of an alcoholic dancer] are disconcertingly realistic’’. Praising Hashmi's performance he further added, ‘‘His character is an understated one, and he manages to keep it that way. There is no unnecessary bluster or melodrama, and he does a pretty believable job. There is something lazy about his acting, by which I mean he makes the job look easy’’.[5] Film critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote that "The film works primarily because it’s an engaging story that’s neither predictable nor plagarised. Is it based on underworld don Abu Salem’s life? I don’t think so, and quite frankly I don’t even care. What I do care about, however, is the director’s conscious attempt to abandon clichés in exchange for originality. And for that reason, Gangster is worth a watch".[6]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Ceremony Category Recipient Result Ref.(s)
52nd Filmfare Awards Best Female Debut Kangana Ranaut Won [7][8]
Best Villain Emraan Hashmi Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Zubeen Garg (for "Ya Ali") Nominated
Best Story Mahesh Bhatt Nominated
Best Screenplay Anurag Basu Nominated
Best Dialogue Girish Dhamija Nominated
Best Cinematography Bobby Singh Nominated
Best Editing Akiv Ali Nominated
Best Sound Design Nominated
Best Action Parvez Kiran Nominated
8th IIFA Awards Best Actress Kangana Ranaut Nominated
Best Female Debut Won [9]
Best Villain Emraan Hashmi Nominated [10]
Best Male Playback Singer KK (for "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai") Nominated
Zubeen Garg (for "Ya Ali") Nominated
Best Screenplay Anurag Basu Nominated
Best Dialogue Girish Dhamija Nominated
Global Indian Film Awards Best Actress Kangana Ranaut Nominated [11]
Best Female Debut Won [12]
Best Music Director Pritam Nominated [13]
Best Male Playback Singer Zubeen Garg (for "Ya Ali") Won [14]
Asian Festival of First Films Best Actress Kangana Ranaut Won [15]
Bollywood Movie Awards Best Female Debut Won [15]
Screen Awards Most Promising Newcomer – Female Won [15]
Best Male Playback Singer Zubeen Garg (for "Ya Ali") Nominated [16]
10th Zee Cine Awards Best Female Debut Kangana Ranaut Won [17]
Best Villain Shiney Ahuja Nominated [18]
Best Male Playback Singer KK (for "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai") Nominated
Zubeen Garg (for "Ya Ali") Nominated
Best Background Score Raju Singh Nominated
Best Story Mahesh Bhatt Nominated
Best Screenplay Anurag Basu Nominated
Best Editing Akiv Ali Nominated
Best Track of the Year "Ya Ali" Nominated
Stardust Awards Superstar of Tomorrow – Female Kangana Ranaut Won [15]
Superstar of Tomorrow – Male Shiney Ahuja Won [citation needed]
New Musical Sensation – Male Zubeen Garg (for "Ya Ali") Won

Soundtrack[edit]

Gangster
Soundtrack album by
Pritam Chakraborty
Released1 December 2005 (2005-12-01) (Digital Release)
28 April 2006 (2006-04-28) (Film)
GenreFeature Film soundtrack
Length45:46
LabelSaregama
ProducerPritam Chakraborty
Pritam Chakraborty chronology
Fight Club – Members Only
(2005) 		Gangster
(2005) 		Ankahee
(2006)

Track list[edit]

All music is composed by Pritam Chakraborty

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai"Sayeed QuadriKK6:26
2."Bheegi Bheegi"Mayur PuriJames5:43
3."Lamha Lamha"Neelesh MisraAbhijeet Bhattacharya5:23
4."Ya Ali"Sayeed QuadriZubeen Garg4:51
5."Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" (Euro Mix)Sayeed QuadriKK5:12
6."Mujhe Mat Roko"Sayeed QuadriKavita Seth4:09
7."Lamha Lamha (not used in the film)"Neelesh MisraAbhijeet Bhattacharya & Sunidhi Chauhan 
8."Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" (Remix)Sayeed QuadriKK5:01
Total length:45:46

The soundtrack is composed by Pritam Chakraborty. The complete album consisted of five original tracks and four remixes.[19] Saregama brought the music rights of the Film. The song "Bheegi Bheegi" is a modern re-creation of the song "Prithibi Ta Naki" by Moheener Ghoraguli.[20] Singer Zubeen Garg had first sung "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" but later in the released version its dubbed by KK.[21] "Ya Ali" is a rip-off of the Kuwaiti pop song "Ya Ghali" by the Kuwaiti band Guitara. Palestinian Bollywood blogger, Ahmad Rashad Arafa, who has familial ties to Kuwait, called "Ya Ali" a "Sufi-esque dud that doesn't hold a candle to the original Kuwaiti song."[22][23]

Reception[edit]

The soundtrack was popular upon release with songs like "Ya Ali", "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" & "Bheegi Bheegi" topping the charts and hence were declared chartbusters within a week of their release. Gangster became the fifth best-selling album of 2006 in India selling over 16,00,000 units.[24] Aakash Gandhi from Planet Bollywood rated the album 7.5/10 and wrote, "All in all, I would say that Gangster is a sure winner. It has mass appeal; it has a flavorful array of tunes to sample, and it features some fresh singers."[25]

References[edit]

Gangster Movie's Music Archived 20 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine

  1. ^ a b "Box Office 2006". BoxOfficeIndia. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Bollywood offer for Shoaib Akhtar". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 April 2006. Retrieved 14 May 2005.
  3. ^ "Shoaib turns down Indian film acting offer". paktribune. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2005.
  4. ^ "Koel Mallick Rejected offer from Bollywood - Crazy unsettling facts about your favourite Bengali celebrities". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  5. ^ "This Gangster packs a punch!". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  6. ^ Masand, Rajeev (28 April 2006). "Gangster review". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023 – via Rajeev Masand.
  7. ^ "Complete list of winners of Filmfare Awards 2007". The Times of India. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  8. ^ "All Filmfare Awards Winners From 1953 to 2020". Filmfare. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  9. ^ ":: Welcome To International Indian Film Academy::". Iifa.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  10. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (4 April 2007). "Rang De Basanti leads Idea IIFA Awards nominations". Screen International. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Going global". The Telegraph. 30 October 2006. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  12. ^ "Kangana Ranaut new face of 2006". The Tribune. 25 December 2006. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  13. ^ "Awards Category : GIFA 2006 Nominees". Global Indian Film Awards. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  14. ^ "G.I.F.A. Awards 2006 - Winners". www.filmibeat.com. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d "Kangana Ranaut". Hindustan Times. 23 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  16. ^ bollywoodproduct (3 May 2022). "Screen Award for Best Male Playback Singer". Bollywood Product. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Winners of the Zee Cine Awards 2007". Sify. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  18. ^ "The 10th Zee Cine Awards 2007 Jury's Choice Nominations". Sify. Archived from the original on 6 April 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Gangster (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Pritam on iTunes". iTunes. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  20. ^ "One last revolution in Bengali music: Ekti Biborton Er Kahini  – Pentasect Online". pentasect.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  21. ^ Zubeen Garg Interview | Xakhyat with Ajit Kumar Bhuyan on Prag News, archived from the original on 29 June 2022, retrieved 29 June 2022
  22. ^ "'The Kuwaiti Pop Song That Bollywood Stole'". Bollywood Over Hollywood. 15 August 2018. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  23. ^ "'Ya Ali is a rip-off of our song'". The Times of India. 15 August 2006. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Music Hits 2000-2009". Boxofficeindia.com. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ^ "Bollywood — Music Review — Gangster". planetbollywood.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.

External links[edit]

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