Overview
A gripping tale of vengeance and power in a coal-rich town, where honor is everything.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- kinetic
- sardonic
- darkly comic
- crime movie marathon
- bollywood film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an ambitious, sharply written, vividly acted, and highly entertaining Indian gangster epic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Shahid Khan's grievance becomes Sardar Khan's inherited campaign against Ramadhir Singh, establishing a feud that shapes later generations.
The colliery, organized crime, and Ramadhir Singh's authority intertwine to make institutional power part of the gang conflict.
The story's criminal hierarchy emerges from the coal-mining economy and the social world of Wasseypur.
The film combines revenge killings and criminal intimidation with sardonic, exaggerated character behavior and earthy humor.
Films like Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1, and why
Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2
multigenerational organized crime, revenge cycles, and sprawling gangster melodrama
Satya
operatic criminal rivalry, family loyalty, and stylized violence in a culturally specific setting
The Godfather
epic gangster narrative shaped by ambition, betrayal, and violent power struggles
Pulp Fiction
kinetic crime storytelling, dark humor, and intersecting underworld factions
Movie Details
- Director
- Anurag Kashyap
- Release Date
- 2012-06-22
- Runtime
- 160 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (460)
Cast
- Manoj Bajpayee
- Richa Chadha
- Tigmanshu Dhulia
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui
- Reema Sen
- Huma Qureshi
- Piyush Mishra
- Jameel Khan
- Jaideep Ahlawat
- Pankaj Tripathi
Common questions
- What is Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 about?
- A sprawling Hindi gangster epic follows a coal-belt family feud as inherited honor turns revenge into a multigenerational criminal empire.
- What is Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 as graphic.
- What did critics think of Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an ambitious, sharply written, vividly acted, and highly entertaining Indian gangster epic.
- Which films are like Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1?
- Films with a similar feel include Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2, Satya, The Godfather, and Pulp Fiction.
- How long is Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1?
- Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 runs 160 minutes.
