5/10
Entertainment - Yes; Logic - No.
30 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This "episode" in the series is perhaps the weakest of the trilogy. Firstly, it will be gibberish for those viewers who have not seen the previous 2 films and are not familiar with the SBAG "universe." For those who are familiar, like me, I notice a lack of continuity and quite a few bloopers.

Firstly, this series was supposedly based on the badlands of the state of UP, where royalty (or ex-royalty), as well as gunmen, fleece the general rural populace, aided by a corrupt political system. This male dominated society also gives rise to frustration among the females living within the confines of the ruined palaces. Fair enough. It is another matter that the badlands of UP were not depicted too well - right from the language of the protagonists to the general landscape in SBAG I and II. I understand that the shooting of the first 2 films was done in a ruined mansion somewhere in Gujarat. OK, fine.

For some inexplicable reason, SBAG III has shifted to Rajasthan. The language, culture, the forts, palaces and landscape are now all Rajasthani. WTF. Poor editing ensures that few number plates of vehicles show UP... few also show RAJ... Once Rajasthan comes in, then the issue of turbaned ex-princes running hotels and acting as major domos to their guests comes up. The home of the Sahib and Biwi has also shifted to Rajasthan. Everything is different. The spectator is confused.

We all know that Sanjay Dutt is a label - simply to draw viewers. That he does, even though he has no role to speak of. He is incongruous in the film. And of course, he is no gangster in the first place. Plus the fact that he looks really aged now. Soha also looks aged and heavy.. she is the comatose second wife of the Sahib. Her father (Bunny) is no longer Raj Babbar but Zakir Hussain. Her end is not quite explained. Perhaps she will rise like a phoenix in SBAG IV.

As in the previous films, it is Mahi all the way. She is a bundle of contradictions. She is haggard. But remove her, and the series will collapse. Jimmy is handsome with a cruel charm, but gets dominated by Mahi, which is expected. Kabir Bedi (what is he doing here in the first place?) looks like an Egyptian mummy devoid of his bandage strips. He delivers his lines with a slur. He is unpleasant to watch. We also see a bloated Deepak Tijori, a senseless, confused Nafisa Ali and also, Chitrangada Singh, with a strangely stiff upper lip. Has she taken the help of prosthetic surgery also? Can't say for sure. The murderous Kanhaiya is a shadow of his former self. We now have Pamela Bhutoria as Deepal, Kanhaiya's daughter, who is full of attitude, but what exactly is her purpose and role? We see a random sex scene of the Sahib with a lover, played by Rishina Kandhari. But who was she, and where the hell did she appear from? There is talk of guests in the palace-turned-hotel should not be disturbed. At the climax scene, there is a massacre with loud gun shots. Not a single guest appears.

All these plot-holes, bloopers, not-so-good looking people masquerading in Rajasthan left a sour taste in my mouth. I expected a story line. I got a masquerade. But it was entertainment, no doubt. If one leaves continuity and logic behind.
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