Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

People are voting emotionally.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Again and again this guy comes with a movie which simply blows you out.Kaun...Satya....Paanch...Black Friday..No Smoking...DevD.Every movie is pitch perfect...but i tell you Gulaal is nothing less than a masterpiece.This movie is anurag's best..and m saying that after evaluating it to dev d and black Friday......GULAAL is strong meat. It speaks honestly about sex, drugs, corruption, fundamentalism and the fissures that permeate "One India". In GULAAL, protagonists don't just sing to each other, they have sex and back street abortions....they smoke pot to relax; they fix ballots; they threaten and co-erce; illegitimate children threaten rightful heirs; and rightful heirs reject aristocratic privilege. The action is shot in ill-lit rooms and grimy interiors and back streets, as Rajasthani separatists subvert a student election to cream off funds. This is modern India indeed. But the lyrics of Prithvi Bana's brilliantly satirical songs speak of the aspirations at Independence. For Shakespearian audiences, the comparison that is most resonant is with Shakespearian tragedies - where love affairs are entangled with high politics, and a Fool sings apparently comic songs that skewer the case in point. I don't think I have ever seen such an ambitious and angry Indian film. Thums up Kashyap!!!You have earned a true fanboy in me....

This movie reaches far from what an ordinary Indian movie can be.I congratulate Anurag for this. He has the vision to understand this kind of movie... not only that but to canvas them.The scenes like "KYA MAI DARPOK HU?" "USNE TERI MAA SE SHADI NAI KI", "SARFAROSHI KI TAMANNA", " KARAN: RAJNITI JANTE HO?", "POORI FORCE KE SAATH AYA HUN"," KIRAN KO BULA KE KYA KANYA DAAN KARVAYEGA?" JUST imagine we got to this level...Exceptionaly extraordinary songs which introduces you to the heart of the story like "beedo", " SAHER HAMARO SOYO THO..", " .. Rana Ji mare ..." unbelievably outstanding.. marvelous.Thanks Anurag.... and keep up.. I hope you keep on doing like this.. please don't change..::)

This has to be Indian Cinema at its best. All the characters have so cleverly crafted and written. Special mention must go to Piyush Mehra for having created awesome lyrics and songs plus having acted brilliantly as well.This being a film with a political theme was extremely well executed.Kay Kay gives a mind boggling performance. His opening speech was just awesome. His performance as the arrogant revolutionary fighting for dominance was the best.It was also very refreshing to see Aditya Shrivastav acting in a completely different role as I've seen him previously before only in CID as a police officer and this was surely a treat to watch. Ayesha Mohan was really the surprise package in the movie and played the role of femme fatale to perfection. Deepak Dobriyal was also good as the faithful sidekick and even Raj Singh Chaudhary as the innocent student.However, I felt that Mahie Gill and Jessie Randhawa s characters did not get adequate screen space.The screenplay was also good with witty dialogues and captivating plot. However,I felt that the ending was a little stretched.All in all,an amazing offbeat movie for real cinema lovers. It was not the usual Bollywood masala stereotyped melodramatic stuff. Would love to see more movies like these.Definitely this movie can be seen at least twice. Score: 8.5/10.

Delivering what was expected, here is another quality abstract art movie from Anurag Kashyap. And as the case always is, the movie may win over the critiques but it fails to make a direct contact with the common man coming in theaters for entertainment. Anurag is brilliant in his own form of film-making and will definitely satisfy his fan following, which has reached a higher graph after "Dev-D", but on the entertainment quotient movie scores quite low.The movie puts an intense, dark, disturbing and even shocking portrayal of College Politics in Rajasthan locales but lacks the depth we had seen in "Haasil". The sequences are all well conceived, intelligently directed and superbly shot capable of satisfying the thinking viewers in a big way. On the other hand, for the people coming in looking for the comic factor equivalent to "Dev-D" may find it disappointing on that track. This time, Anurag strictly sticks to the intense narration in the complete movie with no relief moment at all.The story revolves around young college students who become victim of cruel local politics and it also has an angle of conspiracy being planned against the government by the Rajput families. The first half shows the rusty college campus in Rajasthan, still obsessed with brutal ragging of new students and even lady teachers. It reveals the youth election back-up sources, which include still called Maharajas, local politicians and a hidden Rajputana rebellion force. Later the emphasis shifts to how a brother uses his sister in getting his due name, respect and leadership. Anurag clearly shows how a female character can win anyone and anything in the world if she is willing to forget her dignity and limits. He represents the power of woman in the man's world in his own unique and captivating way.In the acting department, the best comes from Abhimanyu Singh as Ransa and Ayesha Mohan as Kiran. Ahimanyu though dies in the first hour only but has the power to light up the screen with his presence. Kiran gives an impressive performance as the girl using her feminist qualities in the best possible manner. Pankaj Jha as Jadhwal, Deepak Dobriyal as Bhaatti and Raj Singh as Dilip are effective. Kay Kay and Aditya Srivastav are first rate as always. Two characters who stay in your mind are Piyush Mishra as the mentally retarded elder brother of Kay Kay and Jesse Randhawa as the ragged teacher who has got no one to help her.The find of the season undoubtedly is Mahi Gill in a special appearance. She was loved by everyone in "Dev-D" and here also she gives a splendid lovable act as the lover of Kay Kay. She dances and acts equally well with conviction and depth. An actress who deserves more good projects and directors like Anurag Kashayp. A good find indeed by Anurag.Coming back to the movie, it has some worth mentioning sequences which include the one when Dilip is stripped and thrown in a room where he finds his own lady lecturer also stripped and locked. The conversation scene between Ransa and Aditya, just before he is killed and hanged in the market place. And the sequence where a policeman is shot sending all his accompanying policemen back in their jeep.The dialogues are strong and hard but also use abusive words in an overdone manner. Many times, abuses are used where they were not needed at all. Cinematography is brilliant capturing the intense moments in the right ambiance. But the script has many loopholes which could have been avoided easily keeping stress on the main plot only. There are too many stories moving in at the same time which take away the real meaning of the title "Gulaal". The main plot of the rebellion force of Rajputana gets lost in other stories and gets attention only toward the climax.The writer tries to point out the stress felt by all the Rajput Kings, who had to surrender their areas to the government after independence. But at the same time he also dangerously suggests another kind of fire which still may be hidden in those areas of the country. Luckily it's only a fictional thought of the writer, quite away from the reality.Piyush Mishra comes up with some good meaningful lyrics and composition just apt for the feel of the movie. The songs are not for everyone but they do deserve a serious listening by all music lovers and chances are that many would like the score a lot.The movie was in the making for more than 4-5 years and several reasons were responsible for its delay. The project was recently revived, when it was taken over by ZEE Group under its ZEE Limelight Movies. The movie may find itself recognized in the New Wave Cinema but it would be difficult for the film to make huge profits for the production house.In simple words, GULAAL is not for all and is strictly for the people who know that they want to see this out of the box kind of cinema. Viewers going to the cinema having that in mind will not be disappointed, but it's not as engrossing as it promised to be.