Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns REVIEWS - Page 2

Critic Score71

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With Tigmanshu at the helm of affairs, be assured, you are in for a treat as far as performances are concerned. In fact, not just the title leads, but each and every actor in the cast delivers top-quality performances. At the same time, the characters are so well penned that no one deprives the limelight from the other. Irrfan is simply outstanding. The magnificence that Tigmanshu and Irrfan created in HAASIL, CHARAS and PAAN SINGH TOMAR is evident in SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS as well. Jimmy is commanding yet again, pulling off his performance with remarkable ease. Mahie plays the scheming wife with accomplishment. The various shades in her character provide her ample scope to excel yet again. Soha looks the part completely and despite the presence of powerful actors, she stands out with a solid performance.

70

RECOMMENDED

Flush with vibrant colours and cinematic flourishes, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns is a riveting and buoyant film that, despite being nearly two and a half hours long, manages to keep the viewer interested in the strange, strange ways of men and women bent upon pressing the self-destruct button.

The dramatic narrative core of the film is suffused with a delirious quality that is both delightful and disorienting.

70

RECOMMENDED

Mahie Gill – the Bertha Mason-ish Biwi – who shoots a gun with as much ease as she does her glances, is terrific – for want of a more intense word. She packs her performance with extreme poignancy on the one hand and shrewdness on the other. Nobody can even afford to neglect either Mahie the actor or Madhvi the character. While you can't help not admiring her accomplishments with the brain, you end up feeling sad for this woman who can stop short at nothing in her quest of getting her Saheb back.

80

RECOMMENDED

The performances are unanimously strong. Irrfan, with several quivers full of the dialogues he likes, is a riot at first, and then a delight to watch gradually unravel. Mahie is intentionally exaggerated but performs with significant flair, and makes sure her barbs sting. Soha has the stateliness for the part but plays naive in almost childlike fashion, which is great. Raj Babbar and Pravesh Rana are very well cast. And we must also single out Rajeev Gupta as the film's funniest character, the theatrically inept politician, the tomato.

80

RECOMMENDED

Mahie takes off from where she left last. In a daze, she moves around with a purposeful intent, unknown to Saheb. While I can say that it is not on par with her earlier portrayal, she limits herself within the confines of the new plot to steer away from being repetitive. And it is here where she scores big time. Clearly, she is moving steadily to occupy the top slot. Vidya Balan is going to have company as far as talented company is concerned at the top.

60

RECOMMENDED

Tigmanshu Dhulia has created an intriguing world with rajas fighting for their kingship; politicians watching po*n, gangsters sleeping with the enemy, and women unapologetic about adultery in the ballroom and bedroom. The setting and story is vibrant, dramatic, dark and humourous at the same time. Once again, he scores with his characters - intelligently sketched, with dichotomous layers - dark, brooding, loving and lustful. The editing and the screenplay in the second half lose steam, and the item number (courtesy Mughda Godse) punctures the pace. The climax passively surrenders without the satiating feel of bittersweet revenge.

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RECOMMENDED

The incredible Irrfan plays this part. It's not that he always gets the best roles or lines. It's the icy coolness with which he casually delivers them that inevitably sets his character apart. He's also on home turf here. Irrfan was first widely noticed as a UP college politician/goon in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Haasil (2003). One of his best roles was in and as Paan Singh Tomar (2012), which is also Dhulia's last film. The filmmaker had a better story to tell there. No leap of faith or fiction can match an honest, inspiring real-life journey such as that.

60

RECOMMENDED

Inspired writing, cracking dialogues, strong and well defined characters, and an ability to show the viewers what the insides look like in a scenario where kings, gangsters and ministers all try to outdo each other for power, the movie is clever and ambitious and keeps you glued. It seeks blood, yet it's funny too. The humour is dark, sensible and in good taste. Even the smallest of characters make a great impact – right from the illiterate, masochistic politicos from the hinterlands, to the faithful Luca Brasi like bodyguard who always lingers on the periphery, protecting his master.

80

RECOMMENDED

If you have watched the 2011 movie Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster there is absolutely no reason you want to miss the sequel. If you haven't, note this "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns brings to you the raw truth of a hunger for power, love and lust; watch with gaping eyes as pride, politics and love takes one to a different zenith." Tigmanshu Dhulia has done it in the past and doesn't disappoint. Though it's practically a war brewing inside this Bollywood Flick, Tigmanshu ensures that the movie remains elegant and classy in its own way. His characters, style of narration, and the pace of the story will keep your eyes glued on the screens the whole time.

70

RECOMMENDED

How politics and lost glory and intrigue and the greed for power mesh together, tempting and corrupting everything they touch, is the theme that runs though the film, just like in the earlier one, which was fashioned as a tribute to the classic, 'Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam'. Saheb is more concerned about holding on to his seat than tend to his needy wife, nor be mindful of the younger woman's feelings. Both Gill and Ali Khan and their surroundings are sketched with vivid, bold strokes, and Gill is more in control in this than she was in the earlier ( she does a good job with staggering just slightly, the mark of a practising alcoholic ), but the latter comes alive only occasionally.

60

RECOMMENDED

Tigmanshu is excellent in making us feel the Hindi heartland for those 2+ hours on screen no matter in which ever part of the world we come from and from where we are watching this film. highly commendable..

Tigmanshu's grasp over this particular medium of power, politics, small town is tremendous.. the writings over here is brilliant especially the dialogues which adds to the glory of the characters especially Mahi Gill and Jimmy Shergill.

70

RECOMMENDED

It's an intricate plot but Dhulia never loses the thread, the structures are cohesive and it's a pleasure to watch each layer unfold. The director has selected a brilliant cast ensemble and it is impossible to sympathise with their brazen manipulation and scheming. Every character in this intriguing tale is grey; they have their own selfish motives, their own insecurities and their own internal conflicts to resolve. Such a complicated story is handled with minimal melodrama, it's the subtlety of this story that is hugely commendable.

70

RECOMMENDED

The films biggest asset is not the ensemble but the writing. The screenplay and dialogues are par excellence, giving the film a remarkable flavor, seductively drawing us into the lives of these characters. There is enough fodder to draw applause and whistles with lines like 'hamare toh gaaliyon pe bhi taaliyan padti hai', or the explanation as to why men uses bad words, 'kyunke woh rootey kam hai!'. Dhulia doesn't waste much time in setting the ball rolling.

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RECOMMENDED

Like the first film too, this sequel thrives on being a cerebral tease. Tigmanshu's cinematic style has always banked on subtlety. The twists, no matter how audacious, invariably creep into the plot silently, often with a hint of black comedy. There is a sense of irony that defines Tigmanshu's vision, evident in his past works. That bit wholly benefits the suspense quotient in his new film.

70

RECOMMENDED

Dhulia creates an authentic world of intrigue and hardly puts a foot wrong. A good story is well complimented with a strong screenplay. The cherry on the cake is the excellent dialogues, capturing the irony and humour of situations perfectly. What is especially applause-worthy is that the dialogues do not stoop to cuss words or vulgar language to make an impact. A special mention must be made for the costume designers who have attired all the characters just right. On the downside, a couple of scenes in the second half needed to be better explained. The music is bad and songs act as irritating speed breakers - especially the Mugdha Godse item number which is tasteless and totally unnecessary. However, these are small complaints when compared to the positives.

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RECOMMENDED