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Ungli

Ungli
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRensil D'Silva
Written byStory & Screenplay:
Rensil D'Silva
Dialogues:
Milap Zaveri
Produced byHiroo Yash Johar
Karan Johar
Starring
CinematographyHemant Chaturvedi
Edited byDeepa Bhatia
Music bySongs:
Salim–Sulaiman
Sachin–Jigar
Aslam Keyi
Gulraj Singh
Background Score:
John Stewart Eduri
Production
company
Distributed byAA Films
Release date
  • 28 November 2014 (2014-11-28)
Running time
114 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget390 million[2]
Box office500 million[2]

Ungli (transl. Finger) is a 2014 Indian vigilante crime thriller film directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar under Dharma Productions. The film stars Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Kangana Ranaut, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, Neil Bhoopalam and Sanjay Dutt.[3] Mahesh Manjrekar, who collaborated with Dharma Productions for the first time, appears in a negative role. The film was released on 28 November 2014.

Plot

4 friends Kalim (Angad Bedi), Gautam (Neil Bhoopalam), Maya (Kangana Ranaut) and Abhay (Randeep Hooda) delve into what seems to be their "first case", having started the Ungli gang, which fights against corruption. Their job is to bug corrupt people and teach them moral lessons quite unconventionally. They target a corrupt minister and become the most wanted people in Mumbai, but also earn respect, affection, and admiration in the media and general public.

Meanwhile, ACP Ashok Kaale (Sanjay Dutt) meets his superior, DCP Shivraman (Shiv Kumar Subramaniam) who introduces him to Police Commissioner Arvind Kaul (Raza Murad) with the task of deciphering the Ungli gang. Later, Kaale travels to another police station where he meets an amusingly frustrated officer, Kaale's colleague and bomb-squad commandant Shishir Mishra (Shishir Sharma), who is disgusted with the "crime" his recruit Nikhil Abhyankar (Emraan Hashmi) has done. Eventually, it goes so: a college was attended to by the bomb squad when there was news that a bomb was planted there. Nikhil took advantage of the situation and met his girlfriend (Rachel White) with whom he shared a kiss, but soon they were caught by the dogs of the Bomb Squad. Later, it surfaced up that the call was made from Mishra's desk, and Nikhil did it. Kaale finds it funny at first and points out the clever act Nikhil made, but when the officer reprimands Nikhil and himself, Kaale visits Nikhil's mother (Reema Lagoo) where she tells him that Nikhil had the qualities of his father, Kaale's colleague Arvind, and that Nikhil was raised by Kaale like his own son. Nikhil, it is shown, attends a disco bar, where Kaale calls him up to discuss matters concerning the "Ungli" gang.

Nikhil begins searching for altruistic opportunities to earn the Ungli gang great fame, once by blowing up the roads in front of a minister's house and accusing politicians and PWD workers of torturing the people by lavishly spending money on renovation of roads directly linked to houses and offices of politicians and corporates alone, another instance by putting up a label of dishonesty on the auto-rickshaw drivers by accusing them of charging high rates and showing reluctance when asked to drive to places close by. Finding him adamant, Maya suggests that Nikhil too has wishes to join the gang, and on certain terms and conditions, the four friends admit Nikhil, and narrate the story behind the gang's formation.

Maya's brother Rajeev Singh aka Ricky (Arunoday Singh) was a great fitness freak and struck a rapport with the four friends quite a time. However, one day, while trying to prevent a scuffle between an old man (Avijit Dutt) and a bratty youngster Anshuman, Ricky tried to defend the old man, but Anshuman struck him hard, landing him straight into coma. The old man later decided to complain to the police, but was advised against it by the police itself, when a hunchback of Police Supremo B.R. Dayal (Mahesh Manjrekar), Anshuman's father, spoke so. The old man was firm, but when his granddaughter, while waiting at a bus stop, was threatened with an acid attack, the old man was forced to swerve from his stand to protect her. This plunged Maya into grief, but Abhay was angry at one of Maya's comments and this paved the way for the "Ungli" gang. Nikhil poses as a law student to illusion the four.

While preparing for a raid, Nikhil sprained his knee, but later called up Kaale when the four left. However, feeling remorseful, he later attacked Kaale to defend his new "friends", but when his identity was discovered, the four friends slammed him with Abhay hitting him hard, and Kaale further hitting him, but Nikhil later chides Kaale for believing the "Ungli" gang as a criminal force. However, when faced with a loss of duty, finding that DCP Shivraman is trying to bribe him into getting a posting of choice to save ends, Kaale agrees with Nikhil, and seeks out the gang to expose Dayal. Meanwhile, Abhay confesses to his co-worker, Tiesta Sen (Neha Dhupia) his love for her as well as his identity of the "Ungli" gang.

Exposing a dirty racquet of money makers in the widely distributed Mumbai police force with a simple chemical trick involving sulphur sprayed over printed notes that would leave a lasting black impressions on the officer's tongue via saliva, Kaale regains duty and is promoted to the post of Commissioner, getting Dayal and Anshuman arrested. Later, Kaale reassures the gang that the city won't need another as long as everything is under control.

Cast

Reception

Mid-day gave the film 3 stars out of 5, highlighting the direction and performances, and said the film would have been "wonderful" except for the dialogues, which it said were sometimes "downright idiotic".[4]

Soundtrack

Ungli
Soundtrack album by
Salim–Sulaiman, Sachin–Jigar, Gulraj Singh, and Aslam Keyi
Released2014
Recorded2014
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LabelSony Music India
Sachin–Jigar chronology
Happy Ending
(2014)
Ungli
(2014)
Badlapur
(2015)
Gulraj Singh chronology
Ungli
(2014)
Aslam Keyi chronology
Ungli
(2014)

The music of Ungli has been composed by Salim–Sulaiman, Sachin–Jigar, Gulraj Singh, Aslam Keyi. The soundtrack comprises five tracks. The song "Dance Basanti" was the first single track starring Hashmi and Kapoor, released on 28 October 2014.[5] The song is sung by Vishal Dadlani and Anushka Manchanda, composed by Sachin–Jigar with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. "Pakeezah", the second single track picturised on Hashmi and Ranaut, released on 3 November 2014. The song is sung and composed by Gulraj Singh, a former music assistant to Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with the lyrics of Manoj Yadav. "Ungli Pe Nachalein", the title track picturised on Hashmi, released on 11 November 2014, sung by Dev Negi and Shipra Goyal, written by Kumaar and composed by Aslam Keyi, who previously scored music for War Chhod Na Yaar.

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Dance Basanti"Amitabh BhattacharyaSachin–JigarVishal Dadlani, Anushka Manchanda3:43
2."Paakeezah"Manoj YadavGulraj SinghGulraj Singh4:25
3."Ungli Pe Nachalein (Title Track)"KumaarAslam KeyiDev Negi, Shipra Goyal3:39
4."Aadarniya Ungli"Manoj YadavGulraj SinghVishal Dadlani, Neeti Mohan3:46
5."Aulia"Amitabh BhattacharyaSalim–SulaimanArmaan Malik3:21
Total length:18:53

Awards and nominations

Award Category Recipients and nominees Result Ref.
7th Mirchi Music Awards Upcoming Male Vocalist of The Year Gulraj Singh – "Pakeezah" Won [6][7]
Upcoming Music Composer of The Year Gulraj Singh – "Pakeezah" Nominated
Upcoming Lyricist of The Year Manoj Yadav – "Pakeezah"

References

  1. ^ "UNGLI (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Ungli – Movie – Box Office India". Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Ungli theatrical trailer and official posters released". 29 September 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  4. ^ Shubha Shetty-Saha (29 November 2013). "Movie review: 'Ungli'". Mid Day. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Shraddha Kapoor's 'Dance Basanti' item number in Ungli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Nominations – Mirchi Music Awards 2014". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Winners – Mirchi Music Awards 2014". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2018.