Pocket Gangsters

Pocket Gangsters (Hindi: पॉकेट गैंगस्टर्स) is a 2015 Indian Hindi language comedy drama film written and directed by Hemant Nilim Das, produced by V. M. Shah, and starring Madhur Mittal, Raghubir Yadav, and Mukesh Bhatt.[1][2] Though initially announced to release in July 2013[3] and then re-slated for September 2014,[1][4] the film was finally released January 2015.[5]

Pocket Gangsters
Pocket Gangsters poster
Hindi: पॉकेट गैंगस्टर्स
Directed byHemant Nilim Das
Written byHemant Nilim Das
Screenplay byHemant Nilim Das
Story byHemant Nilim Das
Produced byVikram M. Shah
Starring
CinematographySanjiv Singh
Edited bySunil Yadav
Music by
  • Anupam - Manuj
  • Lucky-Navi
  • Lyrics:
  • Hemant Nilim Das
  • Ankitvijay Mishra
  • Score:
  • Anupam - Manuj
Production
company
Ciemme Entertainment
Release date
  • 3 January 2015 (2015-01-03) (India)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Synopsis

Pocket Gangsters is the story of the world of crime where some criminals have set their goals on kidnapping and making hostage demand ransoms from the relatives or friends of those taken. What begins as drama becomes a comic thriller when they turn their criminal attention toward the daughter of a wealthy man in order to gain millions.[6]

Cast

Production

Inspiration

Kidnapping has become an illicit world-wide business netting 150 billion dollars per year. This film addresses the issue in a darkly comedic fashion. Pocket Gangsters addresses the dark world of "pocketing" human lives, IE: putting a victim's life in grave peril and demanding an obscene amount of ransom from the relatives or friends of the hostage. In the film, a young woman whose family is worth millions, is kidnapped.[3] Director Hemant Nilim Das related that the film "is loosely based on the story of the kidnapping and murder of an NGO-activist Sanjay Ghose" as "a hostage drama cum comic thriller,"[8] and inspired by events centered in Guwahati, an area which has become "the epicenter of child-kidnapping".[9]

Filming

In May 2013, the film was reported to have entered production.[10][11] Playback singer Shalmali Kholgade, known for her multiple awards for Ishaqzaade's "Pareshaan" sang for the "Janiyaa jaaniyaa" track for this film.[12][13][14] Actor Raghubir Yadav held the role of a blind gangster and memorized the entire 127 page Pocket Gangsters script in 4 hours in preparation for his role,[15] as well as having spent time studying students at a school for the blind to educate himself for portraying a blind character.[16] An issue that affected the project was actor Vijay Raz being injured while shooting a combat scene with Madhur Mittal. Being a one-take film, he continued. After completing the scene, he was taken to a clinic and treated for a "minor injury with swellings".[17] The project also dealt with freezing weather. One morning when shooting a swimming pool sequence at Guwahati, the temperature was as low as -4 °C.[5][18]

Controversy

An incident creating controversy was the leaked releasing of a raw and unedited kidnapping and rape scene from the film. This angered the director and resulted in his sending a legal notice to news and content website IndyanNewz.com for their unauthorized leaking of the film's proprietary property.[19][20] That leak resulted in a controversy questioning the rape scene being used for the film's promotion.[21][22][23][24]

Release

The film was initially announced with a slated release date in July 2013,[3] and subsequently re-slated for a release for September 2014,[1][4] but due to delays in post-production, release was postponed until finally being released in January 2015.[4] Being noted as "India's first one-take, one-shot and uncut film", the finished film released January 2015 [1] in over 900 theater screens across India.[4][5]

Awards

Soundtrack

Reception

Times of India praised the project, writing "The plot has numerous twists and turns, the storytelling is highly cathartic and music is romantic. Truly a gangster spirited feature... the film engages you from the beginning till end with shock and awe."[3]

References
  1. staff (14 May 2015). "Pocket Gangsters is India's first One-Take Uncut film: Director Hemant Nilim Das". Mizo News. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  2. staff. "Pocket Gangsters: What's the movie about". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  3. staff (19 May 2013). "Pocket Gangsters". Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  4. staff. "First look: 'Pocket Gangsters' takes you on a mind-boggling journey!". Sify. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  5. staff (23 September 2014). "Shivangi Mehra shoots in minus 4 deg C biting cold for Pocket Gangsters". Haryana Abtak. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  6. staff (24 September 2014). "पॉकेट गैंगस्टर्स की कहानी". Raftaar. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  7. Jadhav, Prathamesh (14 May 2014). "Slumdog Millionaire actor Madhur Mittal to play the lead in Pocket Gangster!". Bollywood Life. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  8. staff (27 August 2014). "First One-Take Uncut Film: Pocket Gangsters". Business of Cinema. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  9. Jadhav, Prathamesh (20 September 2014). "Rapes and kidnappings-'Pocket Gangsters' promises to be an eye-opener!". India.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  10. Shapiro, Dev (1 June 2013). "CIEMME Entertainment's 2nd film Pocket Gangsters moves into post production". Selig Film News. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  11. staff (11 May 2013). "Pocket Gangsters Production news". Box Office India. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  12. staff (21 August 2014). "Shalmali Kholgade croons for 'Pocket Gangsters'". Zee News. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  13. IANS (22 August 2014). "Shalmali Kholgade croons for 'Pocket Gangsters'". India TV News. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  14. staff (21 August 2014). "Shalmali Kholgade croons for 'Pocket Gangsters'". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  15. Misra, Shree (18 September 2014). "Raghubir Yadav memorized the Pocket Gangsters 127 pages script in 4 hours". Times of India. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  16. Vyavahare, Renuka (23 August 2014). "Raghubir Yadav goes blind for Pocket Gangsters". Times of India. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  17. Pandey, Chulbuli (18 July 2014). "Vijay Raaz injured on the sets of 'Pocket Gangsters'". Mid-Day. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  18. staff (23 September 2014). "Shivangi Mehra shoots in minus 4 degree for Pocket Gangsters". India Blooms. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  19. staff (27 August 2014). "Leaked kissing and rape scene from Pocket Gangsters". IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  20. staff (30 August 2014). "Vijay Raaz is new Bollywood serial kisser". North India Times. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  21. Thakker, Namrata (2 September 2014). "Shocking: 'hot rape scene' used to sell a movie". Bollywood Life. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  22. Jadhav, Prathamesh J (2 September 2014). "Rape scenes used to promote Vijay Raaz starrer Pocket Gangster?". India.com. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  23. Talreja, Vinod (3 September 2014). "If a rape scene is 'hot' then our society is doomed: Outrage on social media". Bollywood Life. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  24. staff (2 September 2014). "Rape scene used for promoting film called Pocket Gangster". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
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