Meeruthiya Gangsters (2015) User Reviews

A perfect tribute to Anurag Kashqap's Paanch and an ode to GOW; Zeishan Quadri has arrived!

[mohulghosh · 8/10 · 22 September 2015]

First thing first: GOW 3 is in safe hands! Zeishan Quadri has arrived, as a director, no doubt it that.

Meeruthiya Gangster is a fine tribute to the cult of Anurag Kashqap's style of movie making; its a homage to Anurag's Paanch (which was not released in India) and a perfect treat for those who live by the genuineness and craziness of GOW.

The movie is incomplete, just like a great story is always unfinished.

Its unpredictable, sometimes stupid and seamless in terms of visualization and screenplay.

The movie will suck you in, taking you into the wild-wild west of North India, Meerut and Noida in particular.

Just like Satya defined gangsers from Mumbai, and GOW introduced us to lawlessness of Bihar.. Meeruthiya Gangster will force you to take notice of crazy daredevils from UP.

Highly recommended to lovers of GOW, Seher and Sahab Biwi aur Gangster. (The movie has no bad words, lots of blood and lots of black humor. Please, don't take your kids while watching this..)

Crime of Filmmaking ??

[sandhirflora · 6/10 · 23 September 2015]

Agreed that film MEERUTHIYA GANGSTER is a film for niche audience & cinematically it's not a very polished product, yet it is a content- rich, gritty, quality cinema, one of the better films this season. The Debutant Director has attempted something praiseworthy though nothing new and that is he has not gone into the dark zone of criminal thrillers, instead he kept the treatment light, interspersed with good, realistic comic elements. Plus he attempted to make a crime film that can be viewed with the family ( & i think it is the first time ever in the history of Indian cinema?) Yes, the film has saved itself from cuss words, filthy language, objectification of women, bar dancers-pimps- prostitutes, vulgar scenes, excessive violence & blood shed. Kudos ! I wonder, how come a whole lot of critics went against this film and has given it low star rating. Is it just because apart from Anurag Kashyap as a presenter, there is no big name attached with this film ? I smell a rat.

Sleazy, Lowbrow entertainment

[damagecasek · 7/10 · 29 January 2018]

Clearly Zeishan Quadri wears his influences on his sleeve. Writer of Gangs of Wasseypur gave a perfect tribute to Anurag Kashyap, Ram Gopal Verma, Quentin Tarantino cinema.

The film is less about the story and more about the improvised screenplay. All the characters are dark, sleazy, dirty and perfectly capture the environment of UP. Since Ive interacted with a lot of them in small doses... I could clearly pick the nuances highlighted in the movie.

All the actors played their part perfectly. Mukul Dev gets a special mention since he is very underrated as an actor. Female characters dont get much scope.

The problems with the movie seem like there wasnt a straight direction of storyline. It seems wayward and less focused. Not a lot of effort had to be put into the 'light' comic elements... since we are dealing with comedy of errors thriller here.

In the end I would just point out that I dont know if cinema influences audience or the world influences cinema... but either way... it was sad to see the enjoyment loafers had watching this movie in theaters. Im sure they are somewhat criminal minded just like the characters of the movie. And these kind of movies that makes crime look 'fun' dont teach the right morality to the youth of today.

No heroes and no villains.. highly entertaining !!

[rollingrahul73 · 10/10 · 2 October 2015]

A simple story of students getting little offtrack..Happy with the means,unconcerned with the end. Enjoying all along,there are no punches,but humour is as natural as it can be...

Jatin sarna is excellent as an addlehead and shadab kamal as the maverick.Mukul dev as an eccentric cop carrying all contrasting qualities. In fact all of them are brilliant.

Now the direction is a little sloppy.But for a debutant director who is an excellent scriptwriter, I wish he goes on getting better.

Overall a movie worth watching. Surely to be liked by all those engineering students in delhi NCR who have learnt more about life outside the college...

Low on Budget, High on Entertainment

[Filmaholic_Khan · 7/10 · 11 December 2017]

Meeruthya Gangster is a low budget movie which is shockingly High on Entertainment. Zeishan Quadri is the man to be trusted with a movie revolving around rural gangsters. The right blend of Humor and real depiction of these small town criminals makes this movie a treat to watch. Performances were up to the mark and supporting cast which includes Sanjay Mishra adds great value. The movie is weak when it comes to technical aspects. Poor Cinematography and Sound effects averts this movie to be an excellent one. Maybe the lack of funds was the issue. Zeishan Quadri fans (GOW fans) expected a little bit more from him. Nevertheless his directorial debut helps Bollywood move in the right direction.

It has the raw & realistic feel but the thrill element remains missing, offering much less than expected from GOW's Definite.

[bobbysing · 5/10 · 2 August 2016]

The major strength of Anurag Kashyap's GANGS OF WASSEYPUR series was its writing and electrifying characterization (along with the brutal execution on screen) that worked perfectly with the rustic genre of the film unarguably. So when the talented co-writer and actor of GOW, Zeishan Quadri comes up with his directorial debut written by himself then it obviously raises your expectation to sky high, excitingly looking for many innovative as well as entertaining characters such as Definite (played by himself), Perpendicular, Tangent and a lot more.

However, maybe it was the reputation of a path-breaking triumph achieved in the past or the over-excitement (or confidence) of handling a solo project with an interesting cast, Quadri's MEERUTHIYA GANGSTERS doesn't turn out to be as engrossing and impressive as expected with only few engaging moments towards the end, questionably once again made on an 'all repetitive script' delivering the routine content.

Yes, as a writer he does create many catchy characters giving you the raw feel of a small town gang, their unplanned loots and gang- wars. But fails to infuse any fast paced thrill on the screen lacking that likable charm and finesse in many potential sequences. Clearly accepting a heavy Tarantino influence, the film begins focusing on a group of goons discussing their latest crime (exactly like in RESERVOIR DOGS) with the camera constantly revolving around them in circles creating an avoidable, uneasy feel. And as you get to know more side-characters introduced next (played by some known names), one honestly starts expecting something fresh or never seen before to surface soon in either the plot line or execution coming from the promising Quadri.

Surprisingly nothing of that sort happens in the entire first hour and the film keeps moving without any excitement as such heading towards the same old familiar theme of'kidnapping and ransom scheme gone wrong' offering nothing novel or appreciable in terms of entertainment or return of your money spent.

In short the major saving grace of the project remains its occasional humour and the last 45 minutes when one of them gets shot willfully and the investigations actually begin bringing the viewer in. The second feature that doesn't let you write-off MEERUTHIYA GANGSTERS completely is its performances with all fine actors playing their given roles sincerely including Jaideep Ahlawat, Aakash Dahiya, Chandrachur Rai, Vansh Bhardwaj, Jatin Sharma, Shadab Kamal and Nushrat Bharucha as the only leading lady in the goon's team. Plus providing their professional support to the youngsters are Sanjay Sharma (as Mama ji), Brijendra Kala (as the employer) and Mukul Dev as the rough, arrogant police officer of Meeruth. The film's music department (including a promotional song by cricketer Suresh Raina), its cinematography, art direction and dialogues try hard to convert it into an underdog venture looking for praises, but I seriously wish the team was given a better script to perform on and create the magic.

Anyway, ending it all with the same (circling) camera movement seen in the film's first shot, writer- director Zeishan Quadri certainly displays his exceptional cinematic sparks and is sure to bounce back with something better soon.

Till then you can still watch MEERUTHIYA GANGSTERS, only if you can personally relate to the particular region and wish to see an honest collective attempt that should have been a lot better.