Saheb Biwi aur Gangster

Saheb Biwi aur Gangster is another of the offbeat films this year (after Shaitan, Delhi Belly, Yeh Saali Zindagi) that prove that you don’t need superstars to keep you fixed to your seats though you may need them for good openings and record smashing collectionsJ.

Directed & co-written by the very talented Tigmanshu Dhulia (Haasil), Saheb Biwi aur Gangster is a quick paced thriller full of grey gun-toting characters that is set in the rustic rurals of UP with the caste politics as the backdrop. So you have Jimmy Shergill as Aditya/Saheb who is a Nawab only by title and has no money to maintain his nawabi lifestyle or his following. A major challenge to Saheb’s power is Gaindha Singh, a rising local goon of the ‘underprivileged class’ who now wants to beat the nawabs at their own game; a task for which he puts the ‘Gangster’ Lalit aka Babloo (Randeep Hooda) among Saheb’s household as his biwi’s driver. The nawab’s ‘Biwi’ (Mahie Gill) suffers from fits due to an incident when her lover was butchered in front of her by Saheb and his loyal one man army Kanhaiya (played brilliantly by Deep Raj Rana). Another character in this entire setup is Mahua (Shreya Narayan) who is the center point in Saheb’s life once there is nothing left between him & his biwi.

As expected, Babloo falls in love/lust with the biwi at first sight and slowly their relationship builds up to serious proportions, at least in Babloo’s mind who begins to plot against his own mentor Gaindha Singh first and then the Saheb. How he uses the rivalry between Saheb and Gaindha Singh to his own benefit and whether he finally succeeds in executing his plot forms the remaining story. The characters are built up quickly and the twists in the story are unexpected thanks to a tight screenplay with some really impressive dialogues which keep you glued to your seats in anticipation.

Though the starcast doesn’t boast of any big stars of Indian cinema and Mahie Gill being the only selling point for the movie, there is not a single dull moment in the entire span of 130+ minutes right from the minute the movie begins. In terms of performances, Jimmy Shergill perfectly fits the role of the new age nawab and in fact makes me wonder once again why he hasn’t seen more success in Hindi cinema though he has earned the tag of being a superstar in Punjabi movies. He is strong and vulnerable at the same time and his run-ins with Gaindha Singh boast of some awesome dialogues. Mahie Gill is good as the unstable biwi who oscillates between Babloo, her fits and her Saheb but can’t decide what she is happy with. Deepraj Rana as the loyal servant of Saheb is sincere and Vipin Sharma as Gaindha Singh is also marvelous though I never expected him in such a role after Taare Zameen Par. Deepal Shaw as Deepraj Rana’s daughter is irritating with her squeaky voice but Shreya Narayan as Saheb’s mistress is pretty good. However, the surprise package of the movie is certainly the gangster Randeep Hooda who does a phenomenal job starting out as a college kid and then slowly maturing into a scheming conniving scorned lover. The dialogues and his delivery of the same is raw and apt for the role that he portrays and at no point of time does he look uncomfortable. His acting skills are definitely a revelation if you compare with his earlier movies and at no point of time is he overshadowed by Jimmy Shergill.

The direction is slick and script is a powerhouse, the cinematography also adds to the entire setting of the movie and infact gives it a totally new dimension of reality. The only drawback of this movie is the lack of promotion and the fact that not many people are aware of who Tigmanshu Dhulia is which was not the case for a movie like Shaitan which had Anurag Kashyap as producer which ensure a good opening for the movie.

Only if some of our so called stars interested in serious cinema made or were associated with movies like this!

My Rating – 8/10
(Script - 9/10; Direction – 8/10; Performance – 9/10; Entertainment – 7/10; Music – 7/10)

Starring: Jimmy Shergill (Maachis, Haasil, Raqeeb), Mahie Gill (Dev D), Randeep Hooda (D, Risk)

Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia (Haasil, Shagird)

Producer: Tigmanshu Dhulia

Writer: Tigmanshu Dhulia (Haasil), Sanjay Chauhan (Maine Gandhi ko Nahi Maara, I am Kalam)

Music: Misc.