This week, one of the interesting releases to look forward to is Bambai Meri Jaan. As its title would doubtless make it clear, this web series, which will stream on Amazon Prime Video, is a gangster story in Bombay. Over the years, countless movies have had gangster movie backdrop, especially centred on Mumbai. It is a delightful genre, no doubt.
So, our focus this week is gangster movies. The only tweak that we have made is that we have chosen the best gangster movies in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada and stayed mostly away from Mumbai/Bombay or even Bambai.
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As usual, the standard disclaimer — this does not lay claim to being objective choices but are merely subjective picks — applies.
Best Gangster Movies from South India
1) Vada Chennai (2003) – Tamil
Director Vetrimaran’s layered narrative captures the gritty, dark bowels of North Chennai like no other. You can call it if you will, a procedural gangster drama that never shies away from showing violence. When the plot unravels, you see characters evolve fascinatingly. The effects of greed, lust and envy on relationships forged to symbolize loyalty make Vada Chennai a terrific film. And Dhanush as the protagonist is terrific. He is always in such movies.
2) Pudhupettai (2006) – Tamil
This is a flawed film, especially the latter parts. But in the portions, it is good; it is spectacular. It is one of the finest pieces of cinema that captures politics and crime and their concomitance. The first half is brilliantly raw, the kind that is rarely matched in Indian cinema. The director, Selvaragavan, shows the horror of the human psyche in ways that only he can. His cinematic approach can get under your skin. Good art always does that. And in his brother Dhanush, he finds an able ally to deliver the ‘Kokki Kumar’ character, a hoodlum, with visceral brilliance. The film is a mood masterpiece in certain segments.
3) Aaranya Kaandam (2010) – Tamil
Aaranya Kandam is among the top movies for a section of Tamil film fans. It sure has a cult following, and maverick director Thiagarajan Kumararaja is even more so. See this neo-noir film — an unheard-of genre when it arrived in Tamil — one wouldn’t believe this is the director’s debut effort. As with his subsequent film Super Deluxe, the film presents a quirky, zany — its humour is never in its idiosyncrasy — view of the life of different people in a single day. The film lacks cliches and presents a kaleidoscopic perspective — rich, puzzling and unpredictable—one for the ages.
4) Siva (1989) – Telugu
Ram Gopal Varma has the right to call himself the father of gangster movies in India. When it wasn’t so much of a genre, the man, with his skill for showing blood and violence unflinchingly, arrived on the scene and made it all his own. His career, especially in Bollywood in subsequent years, reached new heights, but it all started with Siva in Telugu (later remade in Hindi as Shiva). The film is a raw and brutal depiction of student politics and how crime and politics quickly overtake it. The music of Ilaiyaraaja added an extra dimension. Remains a milestone movie in Telugu, one that launched Nagarjuna into superstardom.
5) Gaayam (1993) – Telugu
Again, one from Ram Gopal Varma, the film was co-written by Mani Ratnam. The film brilliantly showcased gangsterism in a relatively small city like Vijayawada. The film gave Jagapathi Babu a much-needed break; to this day, he remains a popular face across languages. The story is simple. It is about a quiet student who turns into a rebel with a vendetta in his heart following the murder of his brother by a politician. Again, the violence is in your face. But that is the director’s hallmark. The film had a sequel that proved to be a dud.
6) KGF 1 and 2 (2018 / 2022) – Kannada
What is there to say about these two films that have already been not written? Perhaps the biggest pan-Indian successes in recent times, the two movies in the KGF franchise have brought a lot of spotlight on the Kannada movie industry. Written and directed by Prashanth Neel, KGF movies are fictional accounts set during the Gold Rush in India. The lead character, Rocky Bhai, played by Yash, is now a household name across Indian homes. The film’s popularity made it a splendid spectacle of action set-pieces and mass masala moments.
7) Bheeshma Parvam (2022) – Malayalam
In a sense, Bheesma Parvam, as one reviewer said, is ‘stylized The Godfather’. Director Amal Neerad’s film has no new plot. But what makes it work is its dazzling style — not seen in Malayalam films of this type — and some solid characters. The always familiar mafia don story with rivalry and greed within the family is given an expansive and glossy treatment. And Mammootty, who is all panache and poise, gives it an extra coat of allure. The film is an indulgence if you will.
8) Malik (2021) – Malayalam
This gritty Fahadh Faasil-Nimisha Sajayan starrer is based on what has come to be known as the Beemapally shooting in 2009 that left six people dead and a trail of distrust in its wake. This film is director-writer-editor Mahesh Narayanan’s interpretation of an infamous episode in which two communities (Christians and Muslims) went after each other. The film lays bare how gangsterism thrives when two communities battle it out, and an unholy network of government, police, bureaucracy and capitalist enterprise add fuel to the fire. It is one of those movies that make you think about what happens in the background and how people become pawns of circumstances.
9) Kammatipaadam (2016) – Malayalam
This is a gangster movie with a difference. The story is about the eponymous Kammattipaadam, a slum locality in Kochi, Kerala, where the Dalit community is forced to give up its lands to real-estate mafias. The film coldly lays bare how the urbanization of Kochi metro-city has happened over the loss to Dalits. The realistic and daring approach of director Rajiv Ravi brings to the fore underlying truth organically. His able ally is Dulquer Salmaan, who brings a rare honesty and intensity to his role—one of the better movies from the Malayalam industry in recent times.
10) Baasha (1995) – Tamil
This has to be the crowd-pleaser. Among the iconic masala hits in Tamil, this Rajinikanth starrer is not a true gangster movie. But it has elements of it. Set in Mumbai, the story is about the dreaded don Manick Baasha, who turns a nondescript auto driver, Manickam, in Chennai. Why? Forget it; you all know it. Just push the ‘play’ icon and start streaming. It never gets boring. It is a must-watch for fun weekends. Rajni, at the top of his game, makes you forget the holes in the plot and tackiness in production.
