A ‘Deep Throat’ Made in India: Netflix Releases ‘Gratuitously Vulgar’ Film ‘Gandu’
- The film, which was banned in India for its depiction of unsimulated real sex on camera, received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
Netflix has released the 2010 controversial Indian avant-garde film “Gandu,” a sexually explicit and boundary-pushing work that was initially blocked from release in its home country due to its graphic content.
Directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee (also known as Q), the black-and-white “Gandu” has drawn both praise for its bold, transgressive spirit and criticism for what many view as gratuitous vulgarity.
The most controversial aspect is a scene that Mukherjee claims featured two actors, Anubrata Basu and Rii Sen, engaging in unsimulated real sex on camera. Other cringe-inducing moments include numerous explicit sex scenes involving Gandu’s mother and her lover, as well as the use of profanity. The lead actor Basu is also shown with his penis fully erect in a sex scene with Sen.
“Gandu,” which translates to a vulgar slur, follows a rebellious teen rapper who goes on a drug-fueled binge after stealing from his mother’s boyfriend. The film’s unabashed depictions of sex, drugs and nudity led to outrage in India, where it faced a two-year delay before screening at a festival in 2012.
“Gandu” was first previewed at Yale University before making its international premiere in October 2010 at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York City. It was an official selection at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival and was also screened at the Slamdance Film Festival.
The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who were divided over whether to praise its bold boundary-pushing style or condemn its excessive vulgarity.
Despite the backlash, the avant-garde work amassed a cult following among some critics. Variety praised it as a “high-energy example of a rarefied genre” and “happily transgressive rhyme-fuelled romp.” User reviews cite its “imaginative” and “entertaining” qualities though acknowledge its “shocking” content.
Film critic Rahul Desai wrote a positive review calling it “a defiant middle finger to mainstream convention” that was admirable in its punk spirit even if it doesn’t all work.
Many reviews noted the film’s striking black-and-white visuals and nonlinear, dreamlike narrative structure. Some praised Q’s daring to depict taboo subjects like drugs, sex, and violence in an unflinching way.
Others dismissed “Gandu” as gratuitous pornography with one reviewer slamming it as “porn! Nothing more, might be less!”
Some found the constant barrage of graphic imagery and obscenities to be gratuitous and off-putting rather than insightful social commentary. Several called it grotesque and pornographic.
A review from The Times of India said “Gandu is undoubtedly pathbreaking but needs a high boredom threshold.” While admitting the film was original and bold, the reviewer felt its shock value didn’t make up for its aimlessness.
On the other hand, a scathing review from The Hindu said Gandu “celebrates mindless rebellion that cares for nothing but inviting shocked glares and revels in its insolence.”
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 50% score based on 8 reviews, indicating very divided opinions among critics.