Review - Black Friday

[Subhash]

Black Friday

Black Friday.jpg

Language: Hindi
Year: February 9, 2007 in the U.S.
Actors: Kay Kay Menon, Pavan Malhotra, Aditya Srivastava, Kishore Kadam, Gajraj Rao
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Producer: Arindam Mitra
Screenplay: Anurag Kashyap
Music: Shantanu Moitra
Dialogs: Swanand Kirkire


Black Friday, which is India's only entry this year at the Locarno Film Festival, is the story of the 1993 bomb blasts that took place in Mumbai. Based on a book by S. Hussain Zaidi, this docu-drama tries to recreate those events and the intense feelings that followed them. The film has Kay Kay Menon (as the Commissioner of Police), Aditya Shrivastava as Badshah Khan, and Pawan Malhotra (as Tiger Memon), among the star cast.

"They didn't spare anyone," a bunch of desis were talking among themselves as they left the Regal Cinema at Union Square in New York City on Saturday February 10, 2007 after watching Black Friday, the movie based on the Bombay bomb blasts of 1993.

How true.

In a low key fashion and without the garish excesses typical of Hindi cinema, Black Friday is a stark indictment of all those involved in the the serial bomb blasts of March 12, 1993 that cost 257 people their lives and injured over 700.

Muslims, Hindus, corrupt police officers, Dawood Ibrahim, politicians, the government, the system and Pakistan all come under the unsparing, critical glare of the lens.

More than just a preface or an account of the bomb blasts, Black Friday also takes a close look at the lives of some of the alleged low-level perpetrators on the lam after the blasts.

Unlike most Bollywood movies built on the crude scaffolding of big-name stars and their crude gyrations to loud music, Black Movie has a powerful story to work with.

The star of this fine movie is the compelling story - the bomb blasts, the conspiracy that preceded it and the hunt for the alleged perpetrators.

There are moments when the narrative sags and the movie fails to keep the audience engaged. We'd have liked better photography and a tighter script overall.

Also, the manipulation of religious sentiments of the underlings by the vengeful Tiger Memon fails to come through strongly. Tiger Memon leaves for Dubai before the blasts leaving behind the underlings to implement his devilish plan and face the music subsequently.

Kay Kay Menon as the police officer Rakesh Maria determined to quickly nab the suspects, Pavan Malhotra as the vengeful Tiger Memon and Aditya Srivastava as the embittered Muslim Badshah Khan shine in their respective roles.

(The Indian government has named Ibrahim Memon a.k.a Tiger Memon the main conspirator of the Bombay bomb blasts but has been unable to nab him.)

Black Friday is finally seeing the light of the day after delays owing to legal issues.

Although the movie was completed a few years back, its release in theatres was held up after some of the alleged perpetrators of the blasts - and named in the movie - asked the court to stay its release arguing that it would prejudice public opinion against them and affect the outcome of the verdict. The court accepted the argument of the alleged perpetrators and stayed the release of the movie. The special court in Mumbai handling the case recently announced its verdict.

The movie is based on the book Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts by crime reporter S. Hussain Zaidi.