Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Movie Reviews

The film is a must-watch for two reasons. First, because it is heavily imbued with atmospherics and mood which creates a whole new world that's somewhat familiar yet totally intriguing. The Sahib's world is a sepia-stained picture you may have seen so many times, while visiting museums and empty palaces. The film may be a finely crafted drama, yet it unfolds with thriller pace, keeping you on the edge of the seat till the very end. Enjoy the experience of a revised and re-mixed story, well told.

Tigmanshu Dhulia pays tribute to one of Hindi cinema's most poignant films in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. It can't really be called an adaptation, and surely not a remake. Dhulia makes the film distinctly his own, a tad irreverently perhaps, purely taking inspiration from the central plot of Bimal Mitra's novel, Shaheb Bibi Golam. It's somewhat similar to what Anurag Kashyap did with Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's material in Dev D.

WRITER-DIRECTOR Tigmanshu Dhulia, who made the brilliant Haasil and not-so-exciting Shagird, has outdone himself with the retelling of the Meena Kumari-starrer Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. He takes Bimal Mitra’s story of a dead marriage in fading aristocracy and spikes it with desperate characters who give the film edge and bite.

The film may be a finely crafted drama, yet it unfolds with thriller pace, keeping you on the edge of the seat till the very end. Enjoy the experience of a revised and re-mixed story, well told.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster draws you in at the very start, keeps you hooked throughout, and ends on a high. In other words, you have very little reason to miss the film. Don’t.

This film can’t be missed.

Either way, game-changers in movies aren't necessarily the commercial successes of their years. Back in 2003, Bhardwaj's Maqbool was a good example of that: ignored by masses at large, adored by film-buffs, it is considered a classic among connoisseurs already. This one is admirably inspired, is almost a sophomore effort. As you'd know, that's a pretty hefty compliment to pay.

On the whole, SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER is a well-made film that works for its powerful plot, engaging script, commanding dialogue and super performances. Tigmanshu Dhulia has had the guts to do something unusual within commercial parameters and the effort needs to be lauded.

It's fascinating to see how Dhulia doesn't succumb to the idea of doing this as an expose film on the hypocrisy that breeds within royal mansions; neither does he develop the crime angle, a move that partially subverts this film's obvious direction towards the crime genre. Instead, he plays it straight with single-minded focus on the development of his characters and the impact they would have on the plot.

Randeep Hooda stands out for his brilliant performance. This guy definitely deserves more such roles. Jimmy Shergill is also very good. Mahie Gill, however, fails to really excite given that she has some fantastic bold scenes to show off her acting skills. No doubt she looks hot, but she ends up giving an average performance. But the superhero -- I must reiterate and stress on this again -- is the script and its fantastic dialogues.

The story gives you an amazing adrenaline rush as it stirs up a blizzard of raw emotions – love, intrigue, betrayal, ambition and lust. But it’s the page-turning script that steals the show, written impeccably by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sanjay Chouhan. Gripping, edgy, gritty yet logical in its flow, it keeps an intelligent viewer riveted.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is made with the production values of the 90s. Such films ought to create a sense of mystique, if not larger-than-lifeness. Maqbool was classy because Bhardwaj made excellent use of mood and setting, and took his time to introduce elements into the plot.

On the whole, SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER is a well-made film that works for its powerful plot, engaging script, commanding dialogue and super performances. Tigmanshu Dhulia has had the guts to do something unusual within commercial parameters and the effort needs to be lauded.

The manner in which Dhulia brings into play the murky, sleazy politics of Uttar Pradesh is remarkable for the fusion of lies and truth with the borderline between the two extremes simply blurring. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is an audacious tongue-in-cheek homage to Guru Dutt's timeless classic Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Don't believe the director's protestations to the contrary. Dhulia's film even opens with an unabashed tribute to Guru Dutt's film with skeletons being dug out during an excavation.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster creates a world far removed from Guru Dutt’s classic, and yet the two works are miraculously joined at the hip. Almost every character from the Guru Dutt film is replicated if not parodied in Dhulia’s film.

I'm going with two-and-a-half out five for Tigmanshu Dhulia's Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster - it's inspired by a classic, but let down by its own triteness. Not a perfect film, but one that has its moments.

it’s inspired by a classic, but let down by its own triteness. Not a perfect film, but one that has its moments.

Tigmanshu Dhulia, after the forgettable and plain bad films he made after his debut, is back showing us that he can do better. There’s atmosphere. Characters that are not cookie-cutter. And a stab at a story.

`Sahib Bibi aur Gangster’ is one of those films which occasionally slides smoothly into top gear, but the ride overall bumps over traversed terrain.

Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster review by Komal Nahta Biz rating: 2/5 stars. What’s Good:The performances; excellent dia...