Review of new movie Black Friday

Furious Friday
The Friday stands an important place in history. The Friday 13th was D day considered as a bad omen to start a new venture. No films are released, no businesses are announced. But Friday is very holy for Muslims; they worship at afternoon 1-30 pm on Friday. But it was, the March 12th 1993, the day that rocked biggest cosmopolitan city and financial capital of India, Mumbai. The day is written in Black words in history of Mumbai, thus the Anurag Kashyap has rightly named his film Black Friday based on S. Hussain’s book, a journalist’s account of events after the damaging chapter in history.
The story is account of blasts roped in different stories. The cop Rakesh Maria (Kay Kay) is tracking down the reasons and culprits of blasts along with his investigating team leading him to Mahim based business man Tiger Memon (Pawan Malhotra), who disappears after blast and goes to Dubai for hiding. Then a story of Tiger Memon who is still not caught, reason for converting into a terrorist after his smuggler joint was burnt down in December 1992 riots. He sought help from Dawood and some other businessmen in Dubai with links to ISI in Pakistan; he built up a team of Mumbai locals. The brain washing by him got a few weak people of same community to breach the code of conduct. The revenge was actual triggering factor for the doomsday conspiracy but the ultimate intentions were to shake the city financially and thereby affecting economy of country and also triggering a communal clash post blasts. The another chapter in film is about Tiger’s protégé Badshah (Aditya Srivastava) later turning into police as state witness. The incentive behind his move was Tiger Memon left him helpless and penniless rendering him to different states and different cities every 15 day. The frustration took over and he got caught very easily. Then events unfold one by one with others getting caught. The plot also reveals the brutality which police had to use to interrogate and its justifications with human rights and others ever intervening in between. The surprise item was the Dawood link to Mumbai blasts and his history.

Anurag Kashyap has dealt the sensitive subject carefully and at same time exploiting the books accounts. The real life is brought to us in real life. Cinematographer has done ace job with perfect camera angles and red backlights during interrogation. Background score was blended with seriousness of the movie. Dialogues though not powerful but were serving their purposes to real accounts. The camera work was of elegant quality with refined acting by Kay Kay Menon in his short role and poised performance by Pawan Malhotra as Tiger Memon, even the guy who played Dawood did justice. It was hair raising experience to sit through long movie. It seems trend of movies without editing, but that can be neglected in this movie as it has done full justice to book and its author. The movie was journalists view to 13 blasts that took 300 and more lives, injured more than 1500 people, shook the nation world, rocked the city, but couldn’t stopped its life nor its pace after all we Mumbaikars do not know word as Fear or Terrorize.


Rating ****
Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De