It is a truth universally acknowledged that an Indian man’s true love, after his mother of course, is his male best friend. From as early as ‘Andaz’ (1949), this has been a recurring theme in Indian commercial cinema, and ‘Gunday’ is the latest incarnation.
Set largely in ’80s Calcutta (now Kolkata), this colourful film follows two orphans, Bikram (Ranveer Singh) and his best buddy Bala (Arjun Singh). The pair migrated to Bengal following the displacement of thousands in the aftermath of India’s third war with Pakistan in 1971, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.
Bikram and Bala grow up to become the region’s biggest ‘gundays’ (outlaws), virtually controlling the black market. These often semi-nude boys are inseparable: they share a bed, enjoy mud baths together, urinate a deux and sing endearing songs (‘let’s celebrate the joys of love’) to each other. It comes as a surprise then when both fall for the charms of Nandita (Priyanka Chopra), a cabaret dancer. Meanwhile, tough cop Satyajit Sarkar (Irrfan Khan) sets out to put an end to their illegal activities.
There is much to enjoy in this shameless masala potboiler. The period setting is just a convenient plot device to recreate the kitsch of a bygone era, with the three beautiful leads delightfully hamming it up in camp and colourful costumes for the sizzling songs. Riddled with clichés, twists and recycled motifs from key classics, this is nevertheless an entertaining bickering buddy bromance.