Suddenly coal is the flavour of the season. Anurag Kashyap’s films on the coal mining mafia of the Dhanbad region in Jharkhand, Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2, have fuelled an interest in the sleepy town, hitherto known only for its coal mines and research institutes.
Agra-based tour operator Ratish Sharma says, “Earlier, I’d get enquiries from students and research scholars, but now people want to visit Dhanbad for recreational purposes.”
Wasseypur residents are amused. Masoom Alam, who lives close to the house of mafia lord Fahim Khan on whom the character of Faizal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur 2 is said to be based, says, “Tourists click pictures of Fahim Khan’s house. They visit the Nayee Masjid, meat shops, and take rickshaw rides.”
Another attraction is Diamond Crossing, where some gang wars are believed to have taken place.
Keeping in mind the sudden spurt of tourists, police have ensured extra security. RK Dhan, SP, Dhanbad, says, “Gang wars in the film have nothing to do with the common people. The residents of Wasseypur are peace-loving people.”
Actor Vinay Pathak, who belongs to the city says, “Gangs of Wasseypur seems to have done for Dhanbad what The Godfather once did to Sicily.”