Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Mahie Gill, Randeep Hooda
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Rating : 3.5 / 5
Love, Sex, Power and Dhoka…definitely a lethal combination!
-By Priyanka Ketkar
"Jise maar rahe ho use kam se kam dost toh mat kaho" (at least don't call the person your "friend" if you are murdering him) says Saheb and you simply know that this movie is going to be like a meethi-churi (sweet-knife). Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster by Tigmanshu Dhulia… Finally, a movie after which you won't wonder what made you go for it, 'coz this is the kind of a movie you won't regret going for.
Saheb (Jimmy Shergil), a handsome, dashing Raja (King), staying at his ancestor's palace, trying to maintain his King-like stature, trying to cope up with the changing times and a crazy wife… Biwi (Mahie Gill)- his begum, everyone's Choti Bahu or Choti Raani, lonely and dying to get her husband's attention… Gangster (Randeep Hooda), a jilted lover who, to pay-off his debt is working as a double agent at Saheb's palace… "Ye Raja Maharaja apni Tawaifon ko apni kundaliyon mein hi likhwa kea ate hai" (These kings have their "keeps" written in their fate itself) and so does this Raja. Saheb has an "other" woman in his life- Mahua (Shreya Narayan) and she is increasingly become like an addiction to him. Biwi feels unloved and wants this Mahua out of Saheb's life to get back her dignity. Biwi is no less, if Saheb has his muse, so does Memsaheb. Biwi's muse is the gangster- Babloo aka Lalit, her new driver.
Now, Saheb is distressed, as he has to maintain his dignity and stature, run for the upcoming elections, keep his enemy at bay, keep his wife loyal and his mistress happy. Biwi is trying to get back her dignity, bring back her husband and at the same time, till then, she tries to find solace and satiate her physical need through Babloo. Babloo, once a jilted lover, trying to get his love back in any case, suddenly again falls for this beautiful Memsaab; for whom he is nothing more than a toy. The story starts to unravel and the more it does, more it goes entangled and more twists and turns start appearing. This story of Love, Lust, Sex, Power and Betrayal is straightforward, yet so complicated. There is no point revealing much, you simply have to see it to understand it perfectly.
Apart from the strong performances by the main trio, Jimmy Shergil, Mahie Gill and Randeep Hooda, the rest of the cast has done an equally brilliant job. Jimmy Shergil, from what he was in 'Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai' to what he has become today, is like a huge transformation, and that too for better. Mahie Gill is superb as a reckless, neglected wife and this is probably her best performance (she has acted, instead of just the skin-show). Randeep Hooda is no surprise. He is perfect for the role and has done complete justice to it. Deepraj Rana as the trusted right-hand of Saheb is apt. It is nice to see Deepal Shaw back after a long time and she brings a lot of cheer and life on screen through her performance. Her naughtiness and style of calling Babloo- Ba ba loo… is fun to watch. Shreya Narayan is expressive, pretty and a lady with a lot of potential. Tigmanshu Dhulia has managed to extract such great performances; so natural, so perfect... it is simply amazing. One may want to draw parallels between this movie and Saheb Biwi aur Gulam when it comes to the characterization but really this one is much different from the old Saheb Biwi Aur Gulam.
The only problem with this movie is its pace in the second half. The first half, even though a bit slow, takes time to establish and build each and every character perfectly right from Saheb to the Minister. The second half moves in an even slower pace, which is kind of a bit irritating. Though this spoils the rhythm of the movie, the excellent performances and superb dialogues compensate for it. The music is also good and suits the entire setting really well.
The movie is slow, but patience is a virtue and the climax of the movie will make you realize that this saying is true. After a long time, I was actually enjoying the movie a lot and applauded along with the others on a few dialogues and also once the film got over... This is very rare! All in all, a movie definitely worth your time and money!