Ungli

About the film

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. 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.

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".

Soundtrack

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. 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.

Key details