Film

Gunday

Name: Gunday
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Released: 2014
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Irrfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla

Gangster

A stylish Bollywood crime thriller set in Calcutta's underworld, following two charismatic gangsters whose partnership fractures when a woman enters their world. Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor carry a film that's less interested in plot coherence than in swagger, action sequences, and the complicated loyalty between men. It's pulp elevated by performance and craft.

TMDb rating

2.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like loud, big-hearted buddy crime stories where two outlaws' bond matters as much as the gunfights, and you don't mind melodrama turned up high.

Skip it if you find excess tiresome, since at over two and a half hours it leans hard on sentiment, swagger and big set pieces.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a long, sprawling ride with a slow-building opening, a mood that drifts from swagger toward something more sombre, and plenty of sentiment to sit through.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Dhoom 22006

A heist film where style and spectacle matter more than logic. Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan create a dynamic that crackles; the action is inventive and the world-building is generous. Bollywood blockmaking at its most confident.

But It's long, the plot meanders, and some sequences feel weightless. The tone swings wildly between silly and serious.

Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 12012

A full-blooded crime epic that does everything Gunday attempts but with grittier stakes and deeper narrative architecture. Anurag Kashyap's direction is assured; the violence feels consequential. An Indian gangster film that justifies its ambitions.

But Brutal and relentless. Some viewers find the regional setting and dialect off-putting, and it doesn't court you.

Raees2017

Shah Rukh Khan in a similar space—a charismatic smuggler whose empire and morality unravel. The film has genuine thrills, a strong cat-and-mouse dynamic, and moments of real character depth beneath the action.

But The plot hinges on coincidences that strain belief. The second half sacrifices nuance for sentiment.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gunday

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

In the Mood for Love2000

Both films are fascinated by style as a form of truth—the way men and women move, dress, speak. Both prioritize mood and image over narrative momentum. Where Gunday is propulsive, this is stillness, but the engine is the same: surface as substance.

Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece about two neighbors falling in love. Every frame is composed like a painting; the mood is melancholic, sensual, and hypnotic. It's what happens when visual style becomes emotional language.

But Glacially paced. Nearly no plot. Shot in a language some don't speak. The beauty demands patience; it won't rush for anyone.

Drishyam2015

A tightly plotted thriller about an ordinary man protecting his family by outwitting the law. Ajay Devgn is superb; the screenplay is clever without being flashy. It respects your intelligence.

But Confined, deliberate pacing. If you're hungry for action spectacle, you'll feel the absence.

Special 262013

A heist film about con artists pulling off elaborate jobs against the government. Akshay Kumar and Rajesh Khanna have excellent chemistry; the schemes are intricate and fun, and the twists land.

But The last third loses some momentum. The female characters are underdeveloped.

Natrang2010

A Marathi film about a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with classical theatre, eventually consumed by the very art form that awakened him. It's beautifully acted and deeply human; a story about passion and its costs.

But The pacing is slow and meditative. In Marathi with subtitles. Some might find it too internal.

Badlapur2015

Varun Dhawan in a dark, patient revenge thriller. The film takes time to explore obsession and the damage it does. It's a mainstream Bollywood film that trusts its audience.

But Slow-burn by design. The violence, when it comes, is shocking and won't sit well with everyone.

Jai Bhim2021

A Tamil legal drama about a lawyer fighting for the wrongfully accused. Suriya is excellent; it's a film about justice that doesn't rely on spectacle, just conviction and clarity.

But It's a social drama, not an action film. Heavy subject matter throughout. Subtitled.

Ratsasan2018

A Tamil crime thriller about a schoolteacher turned filmmaker investigating a serial killer. The storytelling is clever and the mystery genuinely engages. It's lean and purposeful.

But The dubbed versions can feel flat. The ending is ambiguous in ways some find unsatisfying.

The Godfather Part II1974

Both explore the transformation of young men into gangsters, but Godfather II is interested in the *cost*. It's what happens when you keep watching the story Gunday only tells in fragments—the choice, the price, the ruin.

Coppola's parallel narrative of Vito's rise and Michael's decline. It's a gangster film that uses that architecture to ask fundamental questions about family, power, and what we inherit. Astonishing on every level.

But It's three hours and twenty minutes. Slow in places. Requires real attention. The violence, though depicted clearly, is shocking.