Of delusional maharajahs and erotic maharanis, twisted politicians and violent gangsters, of love in its many shades- Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster Returns is a worthy sequel indeed. Director Tigmanshu Dhulia presents a master class in direction, screenplay, cinematography, art and costume design and of course a story acted out in equal class by modern legends.
Picking up from 2011's Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster's ending which left a crippled, wheelchair bound Saheb (Jimmy Shergill), an alcoholic, estranged Biwi and a dead Gangster (Randeep Hooda), this time round Saheb is looking for a second wife and unilaterally selects Ranjana (Soha Ali Khan)- daughter of rival politician Raja Birendar (Raj Babbar) arm-twisting his approval in the process. Ranjana though is in love with gangster Raja Bhaiyya (Irfan Khan) who has personal scores to settle with Saheb. Battle lines are drawn, and Saheb seems to be cornered. But of course Dhulia has a script of Machiavellian proportions- as in the first movie all the characters are brutal and scheming, so twists and turns galore will keep you guessing what the next move will be for each of the characters.
While Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster Returns may not be as original as the prequel, Dhulia masterminds a coupe through a script that has oodles of dark humor. One would expect this is a Irfan Khan movie, but no, it is a Jimmy Shergill movie- it has taken him 16 years (since Maachis in 1996) to get a leading man status, and here as the cruel, calculating Saheb he is towering. Mahie Gills is delightfully caricatured as the alcoholic wife- looks ravishing and wears a sari as if it were made just for her. Irfan is chameleon like as usual – slips into the role of a gangster madly in love with élan, while Soha Ali Khan is adequate as the innocent Ranjana, the polar opposite of Mahie's character. The side characters are even more colorful- Raj Babbar is effective, Pravesh Rana is actually incredible as a corrupt cop, Rajeev Gupta as the idiotic, porn loving, tech-unfriendly chief minister just rocks.
So there it is- not a big, bang hollow action flick, but a nuanced, intelligent thriller straight from the heartland of India. Romance, revenge, politics, adultery, jealousy all rolled in one fine effort. Watch it when in the mood for some quality cinema, you will come out smiling. 8/10
Picking up from 2011's Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster's ending which left a crippled, wheelchair bound Saheb (Jimmy Shergill), an alcoholic, estranged Biwi and a dead Gangster (Randeep Hooda), this time round Saheb is looking for a second wife and unilaterally selects Ranjana (Soha Ali Khan)- daughter of rival politician Raja Birendar (Raj Babbar) arm-twisting his approval in the process. Ranjana though is in love with gangster Raja Bhaiyya (Irfan Khan) who has personal scores to settle with Saheb. Battle lines are drawn, and Saheb seems to be cornered. But of course Dhulia has a script of Machiavellian proportions- as in the first movie all the characters are brutal and scheming, so twists and turns galore will keep you guessing what the next move will be for each of the characters.
While Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster Returns may not be as original as the prequel, Dhulia masterminds a coupe through a script that has oodles of dark humor. One would expect this is a Irfan Khan movie, but no, it is a Jimmy Shergill movie- it has taken him 16 years (since Maachis in 1996) to get a leading man status, and here as the cruel, calculating Saheb he is towering. Mahie Gills is delightfully caricatured as the alcoholic wife- looks ravishing and wears a sari as if it were made just for her. Irfan is chameleon like as usual – slips into the role of a gangster madly in love with élan, while Soha Ali Khan is adequate as the innocent Ranjana, the polar opposite of Mahie's character. The side characters are even more colorful- Raj Babbar is effective, Pravesh Rana is actually incredible as a corrupt cop, Rajeev Gupta as the idiotic, porn loving, tech-unfriendly chief minister just rocks.
So there it is- not a big, bang hollow action flick, but a nuanced, intelligent thriller straight from the heartland of India. Romance, revenge, politics, adultery, jealousy all rolled in one fine effort. Watch it when in the mood for some quality cinema, you will come out smiling. 8/10