Gangster (2014 film)

Gangster
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Aashiq Abu
Produced by	Aashiq Abu
Written by	Ahmed Sidhique; Abhilash Kumar
Starring	Mammootty; Nyla Usha; Sekhar Menon; Aparna Gopinath; Alexx O'Nell
Music by	Deepak Dev
Cinematography	Alby
Edited by	Saiju Sreedharan
Production; company	OPM
Distributed by	Aan Mega Media (america
Release date	11 April 2014; ; ; ; ;
Country	India
Language	Malayalam
Budget	₹8 crore

Gangster is a 2014 Malayalam gangster film directed by Aashiq Abu.^[2] Mammootty plays the lead role,^[3] along with Nyla Usha and Aparna Gopinath as the female leads.^[4]^[5] The film also features John Paul, T. G. Ravi, Sekhar Menon, Kunchan, Alexx O'Nell, Hareesh Peradi and Dileesh Pothan in supporting roles. The film was written by Ahmed Sidhique and Abhilash Kumar, with music by Deepak Dev. The film released on 11 April 2014.^[6]

Cast[edit]

Mammootty as Akbar Ali Khan ^[7]
Nyla Usha as Sana Ibrahim
Sekhar Menon as Anto
Aparna Gopinath as Lilly
John Paul as Uncle Sam
T. G. Ravi as Hajikka
Kunchan as Mani Menon
Alexx O'Nell as Tom
Parvathi Menon
Hareesh Peradi as Michael
Dileesh Pothan as DYSP Vithura Chengalath

Casting[edit]

The film was expected to have Fahadh Faasil^[8] and Meera Jasmine^[9] or Rima Kallingal^[10] to play major roles with Mammootty.^[11]^[12]^[13] Later, Nyla Usha was cast to play the female lead opposite Mammootty.^[4] Also, Aparna Gopinath was roped in to play another female lead.^[5] Mammootty reportedly have lost 10 kg and later the director confirmed it as a fake news. to play the role of Akbar Ali Khan in the film.^[3] The film also features John Paul,^[14] T. G. Ravi, Sekhar Menon, Kunchan, Hareesh Peradi, Dileesh Pothan and Alexx O'Nell in supporting roles.^[2]

Production and release[edit]

Gangster was scheduled to be shot after the completion of Aashiq Abu's Salt N' Pepper,^[15] but was postponed several times^[16] to finally start shooting from 15 December 2013.^[17] The movie completed shooting in 50 days in the locations of Kochi, Mangalore, Goa, and Rajasthan,^[18] at a budget of ₹8 crore (US$1.2 million).^[1]

In an online poll conducted by One India, Gangster was voted as the most awaited Malayalam film of the year.^[19] The film was released on 11 April as a Vishu release^[20] with the date being adjusted due to national elections.^[21]

Reception[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

The film received negative reviews from critics,^[6]^[22] criticising the script which was described as "poor" and "unimpressive",^[6] with positive comments about the background score and cinematography.^[6]

Veeyen of Nowrunning.com rated the film 2 out of 5 and said, "The even sag that painfully persists throughout, the mindless gunshots and blood splatter and the sodden predictability together blow up this film beyond recognition. And no amount of crashing and crunching can salvage an entertainer from the massive debris that it leaves behind.""^[23] Raj Vikram of Metromatinee.com said, "Gangster proves to be a half baked, shoddily made and unimaginative film. Without a speck of novelty it ends up as a routine revenge drama devoid of thrills. Painfully paced and lacking in an engaging plot the film huffs and puffs into a disappointing end".^[24]

Padmakumar of Malayala Manorama rated the film 1.5 out of 5 and concluded his review saying, "With all its thunderous background score, dramatic slow motions, white-skinned cons, wowing locations, flamboyant frames and sleek cars, the film never fails from disappointing you to the core."^[25] Tony Mathew, also from Malayala Manorama, gave the movie a negative review and said that "Gangster is a disaster".^[26]

Ajin Krishna of Oneindia.in said, "The movie Gangster works only for its different style, performances, music, visuals and the engaging climax sequences. Rest is pretty much average."^[27] Sify.com's reviewer said, "Gangster is perhaps an act of impudence, with scant regard for the time and money of the viewer. It's not easy to sit through this boring film even for a hardcore Mammootty fan."^[28]