When Gangs of Wasseypur (GOW) arrived on the big screen on June 22, 2012, it proved to be a full-blown disruptor in Bollywood. Thirteen years later, Anurag Kashyap’s gangster saga is still being celebrated, dissected, memed and marvelled at. Here’s decoding what makes GOW a cult favourite in India.
Storytelling that redefined the gangster genre
At first, Gangs of Wasseypur might seem like just another revenge drama. But it quickly becomes clear that this isn’t your typical gangster flick. The narrative plays out like a gritty Shakespearean tragedy, tracing generations locked in a cycle of violence, politics and power.
What truly set it apart, though, was how rooted it felt. Anurag Kashyap didn’t exoticise the Indian hinterland or treat it with misplaced romanticism. Instead, he gave Wasseypur a pulse. It wasn’t just the backdrop, it was the heartbeat of the story. Rarely had small-town India been captured with such texture and lived-in authenticity.
Dialogues that have become catchphrases
From “Tumse na ho payega” to “Keh ke lenge” or “Baap ka, dada ka, bhai ka, sabka badla lega Faisal”, GOW gifted Indian audiences a treasure trove of catchphrases that have since been absorbed into everyday lingo. The script, penned by Kashyap, Zeishan Quadri, Akhilesh Jaiswal and Sachin Ladia, pulsed with a rawness that felt organic, not manufactured. It legitimised the use of colloquial profanity on screen. The gaalis weren’t punchlines; they were punctuation in a place where power was measured in how loudly you could swear while reloading your katta.
Soundtrack that sounded like rebellion
Sneha Khanwalkar’s unorthodox soundtrack was also revolutionary. Blending folk, experimental, and electronic sounds with lyrics that ranged from hilarious to philosophical, the GOW albums turned into cult anthems. Tracks like Hunter and Womaniya are earworms even today. Keh Ke Lunga, in particular, embodies the film’s spirit of vendetta.
Launchpad for a new generation of stars
Before they became streaming-era icons, Gangs of Wasseypur introduced the world to a generation of powerhouse performers. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s transformation into the brooding Faisal Khan, for instance, was a career-defining moment. Then there was Jaideep Ahlawat, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rajkummar Rao, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Pankaj Tripathi, Huma Qureshi — every actor left their mark.
Women characters with agency
In a genre dominated by gun-toting men, Gangs of Wasseypur made room for its women, not as props or victims but as power players in their own right. Richa Chadha’s Nagma Khatoon was the no-nonsense matriarch, wielding her chappal and authority with equal conviction. Huma Qureshi’s Mohsina was coy in courtship but never a pushover; her calm confidence often grounding Faisal’s chaos. Reema Sen’s Durga, the other woman with a spine of steel, wasn't interested in playing second fiddle. She took what she wanted, consequences be damned.
Rise of the desi noir
Before Sacred Games, Mirzapur, Paatal Lok or the avalanche of small-town crime thrillers took over your binge list, there was GOW laying down the template for desi noir. It brought with it a new grammar of storytelling where caste, crime and corruption collided in dusty bylanes far from the metro skyline. OTT platforms would later capitalise on this formula, but Wasseypur got there first