Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster

Director: - Tigmanshu Dhulia

Producers: - Tigmanshu Dhulia & Rahul Mitra

Cast – Jimmy Shergill, Randeep Hooda, Mahie Gill, Deepraj Rana, Deepal Shaw

‘All I really wanted was some of your love. Instead you told me lies when something else was in your mind’.

                                                                                                Anonymous

Tigmanshu Dhulia returns to the silver screen with Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (after a dismal show in ‘Shagird’ which released earlier this year). It is a story that borrows its theme from the 1962 Guru Dutt classic ‘Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam’. Thus, it is pretty much predictable from the beginning. But the small twists and turns keep you glued to your seats till its very end.

          

Jimmy Shergill plays the role of Amar Pratap Singh or Saheb (as he’s addressed by the masses), a rich and spoilt Nawab in the heartland of UP where money and gun decide the law. Those who dare to oppose the Saheb are silenced by his trusted lieutenant Kanhaiyya (Deepraj Rana). Mahie Gill is the Choti Bahu, Saheb’s wife, who is willing to go at world’s end to grab his attention. That is the primary reason for her occasional mental breakdowns. She gets everything except his love. Saheb has ‘maintained’ a mistress and thus the Choti Bahu is sex starved.

Saheb’s influence and power in the political circle has his adversaries worried.  They send Lalit (Randeep Hooda), a short tempered person, to eliminate Saheb. Lalit agrees because he wants to escape a charge of attempt to murder. He enters the Saheb’s Haveli and is assigned the duty to drive the Choti Bahu wherever she wants.  Lalit is mesmerised by the Choti Bahu in his first encounter. Eventually they become sex buddies. Lalit begins to fall for her whereas the Bahu wants to keep their relationship restricted to the bed. Lalit double crosses Saheb’s opponents and wins his trust.  He wants to marry the Bahu at all costs and decides to murder Sahib on his own terms. Does he succeed?? For the answer watch the film.

Jimmy Shergill is back with a bang after a series of flops. He’s able to tarnish his image of an innocent happy-go-lucky person (which was created through Munnabhai series) and set it to that with gray shades. Randeep Hooda is the perfect choice to play Gangster. You hate him yet love him for the methods that he uses to achieve his own agenda. Mahie Gill continues to shed more skin (as she did in Not a Love Story) but is able to showcase her acting skills as well. The character of the Saheb’s stepmother is unnecessarily inserted (she only wants to be respected by the Saheb). Deepraj Rana is brilliant in the role of Kanhaiyya whereas (surprisingly fully clothed) Deepal Shaw provides some elements of fun.

          The film’s USP are its dialogues. Despite having the backdrop of UP the use of foul language is kept minimal. Certain love scenes might seem to be vulgar to the viewer because they are remotely extended. Thus you can enjoy the film as well as appreciate the creativity of the director. Costume selection is pretty decent and there’s no heavy makeup for the Nawab or his wife. Jimmy Shergill could have opted to grow his moustache instead of using a fake one. That’s one flaw for the record.  Else all the technical aspects are flawless. Background music and songs are average but it hardly matters considering the brilliance of acting.

          For a magical script that thoroughly entertained me I am going with four out five and two big thumbs up for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied when you leave the cinema halls. In fact it’s a better option as compared to Force; a lame remake of Goutham Menon’s Tamil hit ‘Kaaka Kaaka’.