Gulaal
2009 · Directed by Anurag Kashyap
Original language: Hindi
- crime
- drama
The story
A law student witnesses the struggles of the Rajputs, deception, homicide and crime after being elected as General Secretary of his college.
What it’s like
Gulaal runs on hot, dusty colour and claustrophobic interiors: stained red and saffron walls, sweat-sheened faces under bare bulbs, and the kind of smoky, gritty Rajasthani haze that makes every room feel pressed shut. Kashyap's camera is restless but controlled, with tight handheld close-ups, sudden jump cuts and slow pushes into faces that are about to break. The score is a raw mix of folk-inflected percussion, distorted guitars and mournful vocals, so the sound often arrives before the image does. Its vibe is feverish, bitter and corrosive, a slow-building paranoia that suits a late night alone rather than anything relaxed. The pacing is dense and escalating, and the arc follows an idealistic young man pulled slowly into a web of humiliation, power and grievance until he is barely recognisable. Violence is frequent and sometimes sudden, with bloody confrontations, shootings and a few harrowing moments of cruelty, and sexual content appears but is not the focus. Best for viewers who want a sharp, political, morally bruised drama and can handle a film that stays unsettled from start to finish.
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