SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS - REVIEW

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns brings back the fascinating tale of power games, love and deceit, clubbed with bedroom politics; set in a royal background. Love is abused and tainted from the very beginning!

Saheb (Jimmy Shergil) is now on the wheel chair and Biwi (Mahie Gill) is now the MLA who cant lift herself from her drinking stupor on most occasions.

Irrfan plays the dreaded Gangster who wants to settle scores with Saheb and is in love with Soha Ali Khan (Ranjana) . But Saheb wants to marry Ranjana.  

So Gangster befriends Biwi who wants to destroy Saheb's power but doesnt want to ruin his health. Meanwhile Ranjana falls for Saheb who wants to exercise his power over the political scene in Uttar Pradesh. Pheww. 

It is a complex web of sub plots that makes the script of Saheb Biwi Gangster Returns powerful. But there are many loose ends in the script which hamper the progress of the movie and makes it irritating at certain junctions.

If detailing can make some movie a masterpiece then SBGR surely is one. Amazing detailing in every scene. The lifestyle of the Royals is the same despite the palace being in a deplorable condition. 

The Scorpio has been replaced by a Fortuner. The minister now has a laptop which he uses to attend meetings via video conferencing and to watch porn. 

For once this movie can be watched solely for the amount of work and effort that has been put to create every scene. But some of these scenes don't necessarily go with the basic premise of the movie and hence dont add any value to the drama.

The cinematography is brilliant. Editing though, is not up to the mark. Background score is gripping and Music by Sandeep Chowta is worth listening. 

The dialogues are very smartly written and are the highlight of the movie. Sample some-

1) Yaha badtamizi bhi tameez se ki jaati hai

2) Unki taaqat ko khatam kijiye, tabiyat ko nahi

3) kaun kehta hai aasman me suraakh ho nahi sakta, ek patthar to tabiyat se uchaalo yaaro

4) Jang hogi. Ghamasaan hogi

5) Ye mard hi kyu milte hai mujhe, shayar kyu nahi
6) Hum abhi zinda hai. Makbara nahi hue hai

Jimmy Shergil gives a towering performance. He is just fantastic. He looks like a king and carries himself in such a manner that one can feel a royal persona around him when he is on screen. He gets to mouth some of the most powerful dialogues and does proper justice to them.

Mahie Gill's performance is probably a major setback for the movie. Her character, despite being unique, becomes repetitive. She has some scenes which are painstakingly long and bores the viewer thoroughly.

As for Irrfan Khan, i dont think words would suffice to praise the genius of this actor. He looks suave and cool without even trying to look so. INKI TOH GAALI PE BHI TAALI PADTI HAI.

His eyes, as usual, conveys more emotion than all the acting stints of Katrina Kaif put together. 

Soha Ali Khan looks ethereal, acts pretty well and holds her front despite having scenes with Jimmy and Irrfan.

Though there is only one scene where the Gangster and Saheb come face to face but believe me, that scene contains acting of some extraordinary level.

The supporting characters lend great support.

Tigmanshu Dhulia creates the enigmatic world of the erstwhile Raj Gharana's, their yearning for power for they also know that their days are limited, and the shady politics that they indulge in to fulfill their motives. 
Tigmanshu had a complex script at hand and he doesn't simplify it. It is for the audience to deduce the implications of certain scenes. This is a good move. But to test the patience of the audience by including sub plots and scenes which are irrelevant, is just a pain for the audience. The steam that he generates ever so slowly and smartly is let to cool down very quickly because of the barriers in the screenplay.

Mr. Dhulia does show his class as a director. The scene where the minister interacts with Irrfan while watching porn is hilarious. 
The engagement scene is just class apart. The viewer can actually feel the loneliness and void that has made up for most of the part of Mahie's character.

But at the end of it all, he is not able to retain the command over the movie.

The movie is 15 to 20 minutes too long.

Mahie Gill's character becomes the most irritating element about the movie instead of being the most powerful one!

The item song is of no use what so ever. Furthermore it is so pathetically choreographed that it is not even watchable.

2 hours and 45 minutes later, when i came out of the theatre, it was just one thought that was running in my head- this movie surely could have been something way beyond what was shown! And that is the sad point. 

(Or probably i had huge expectations from the movie simply because the 1st part was raw and intense or more so because i am a big fan of Mr. Dhulia's work)

Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster Returns is just about there, it is bold in its approach, unique in its style but it somehow does not manage to cross the line of being an average fare!

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! 

**2.5 STARS**

KAI PO CHE- MOVIE REVIEW

We have always read poetry. Heard people reciting it. But to see poetry in motion is truly a revelation of sorts. This is exactly what KAI PO CHE delivers. 

A richly detailed, soothingly emotional and a BRO-MANTIC tale of three friends takes us on a journey which makes us root for every character. 

BROMaNCE has always rocked the box-office. (Dil Chahta hai {DCH}, ZNMD, Pyaar ka Punchnama{PKP} etc) 

Kai Po Che is also doing a fair amount of business at the ticket window. 

The fim is based on Chetan Bhagat's best selling novel 3 MISTAKES OF MY LIFE. 

The movie is set in Ahmedabad and shows the graph of the three friends as they mature from BOYS to MEN, taking into consideration the various events that happened during 1999-2003 and the impact it had on their friendship.

The Cinematography is marvelous. Background score is apt. Editing is crisp. 

(There is a major fault towards the end of the movie. The film makers have shown an absolute green strip of land as the cricket pitch in the stadium. I've never seen any pitch which even closely resembles the one shown in the movie. Though it is a very minor fault but for a movie that partially revolves around cricket, this kind of fault seems like a grave mistake.)

What gives Kai Po Che an edge over films like DCH and PKP is the seamlessly flowing screenplay. De-barred of any jerks or hindrances, the screenplay in itself one of the major reasons to watch this film. Chetan Bhagat helped Abhishek Kapoor with the screenplay and the efforts paid off really well.

There are so many scenes that make you want to stop your breath and savor the magic that transpires on screen. 

One of the most amazing sequence in the movie is the historic INDIA-AUSTRALIA TEST MATCH @ KOLKATA in the EDEN GARDENS in 2001 and its relation to the story. brilliantly depicted.

NOTHING UNITES INDIA THE WAY CRICKET DOES.

The film boasts of some superior performances by the cast.

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT (ISHAAN) is here to stay. He makes a stunning debut. Though his character follows a linear graph devoid of much complexities, he pulls off a stellar performance.

AMIT SADH (OMI) is wonderful. The way his character changes tracks towards the interval is great. He has a good screen presence as well.

AMRITA PURI is fantastic as the vivacious sister of Ishaan. 

RAJKUMAR YADAV steals the show yet again. He excels in the portrayal of Govind. He gracefully portrays his restrain and the scene where he looses his cool on Ishaan is just an example of how talented and hard working this guy is. Hats OFF!

AMIT TRIVEDI has prepared an absolute gem of an album for this movie. I seriously dont have words to appreciate the talent of this gifted musician. The lyrics by Swanand Kirkire are meaningful and fresh, as always.

ABHISHEK KAPOOR strikes the right chord once again after delivering the path breaking movie  ROCK ON (2008).

He has given the movie an identity of its own. There has been a lot of hardwork done behind the making of this movie. And the result is great. He has shown great maturity in dealing with the topics of GODHRA riots and communal tension. Not for once do you feel that the director is taking sides. The whole movie is very well paced. 

This doesn't mean that the film is absolutely flawless. The romantic angle between RAJKUMAR and AMRITA doesn't provide the impact it was intended to provide. Towards the end you do wonder about the relation of this sub plot with the actual plot.

The movie does end abruptly. There is a strong build up towards the climax and everything just falls loose after that.

This BROMANCE is here to stay. I found the movie worth of every paisa i spent on the ticket.

(INCLUDING THE RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF ENTERTAINMENT TAX OF ABOUT 51% ON THE BASIC TICKET FARE)

Go along with your gang of guys, go along with your family and experience friendship all over again.

**3.5 stars**