The second instalment of Anurag Kashyap’s incredible crime saga, Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2 focuses on a new generation in a Wasseypur almost unrecognisable from that in Part 1. With the war between Shahid Khan’s philandering son Sardar (Manoj Bajpayee) and Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia) now a memory – but still a reason for revenge – Sardar’s sons have found new and increasingly sophisticated criminal pursuits. But their sole ambition remains to annihilate Ramadhir Singh.

Where Part 1 delves into the history of the conflict and, to an extent, of post-war India, Part 2 examines a Bollywood-obsessed generation growing up on an inheritance of vengeance. An exhilarating cocktail of carnage and comedy, Gangs of Wasseypur is an extraordinary achievement.

Melbourne International Film Festival