Review: Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is a rassi bomb of a film

Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Randeep Hooda, Mahie Gill, Deepal Shaw
Rating: ****

The quest for finding lost respect is the wheel this Tigmanshu Dhulia film runs on.

The Saheb is in search of lost paisa. He has rutba (class) in abundance.

The Biwi is in search of izzat lost to the baharwali (courtesan). She has sex appeal in abundance.

The Gangster is in search of ‘class’ he never had. He has attitude in abundance.

It’s a deadly milieu. Set in the badlands of UP, where politics, relationships and anything to do with anyone is only dirty. The sanctity of nothing is preserved, not of the palace, the royal bloodline and even of the marriage of Saheb (Jimmy Shergill) and Choti Rani (Mahie Gill). Irreverence is the order of the day and all those involved unapologetically go about their life, their style.

Biwi loves the Saheb, Saheb loves the mistress. Enter Gangster who now loves the Biwi. Throw in a bit of politics and that’s roughly what SBAG is about.

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia etches out his characters with care. All well-fleshed out, none overshadowing the other, ever. There are some characters in the periphery too, Deepraj Rana as Kanhaiya, Shreya Narayan as mistress Mahua, Vipin Sharma as Genda Singh and Deepal Shaw as (I don’t remember her name). All make the most of the screen time they’re given to pack in good acting and dialogue delivery. Deepal Shaw can act and proves yet again she’s left her item girl past far behind.

What Jimmy does in SBAG make me desperate to see more of him on screen. Directors, please take note. He’s suave and rugged at the same time, a desirable yet undesirable royal.

Mahie’s character gives justification to all those betrayed men and their hatred for womankind. She is naturally bitchy and cunning while Randeep is one bad guy you want to love. They follow the director’s vision to the T, to take you through a ride you enjoy from the beginning to the end. A journey so charged with varied emotions, you can’t help but wonder ‘Dude, how could s/he he do this?’. But you always end adding ‘WOW’ to that sentence.

Tigmanshu’s script is most engaging, peppered with witty dialogue, wry humour, supported by an assortment of actors who take their roles very seriously.

In an interview I read, Tigmanshu said his film was “not a frivolous sex film”. No doubt passions run fast, the need of love and revenge run faster. He is of course allowed to take his liberties on how much sex he wants to show in his film and I can blame my discomfort on my conservative Catholic upbringing. It’s convenient that way.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is recommended viewing, explosive and appealing. Go have a rassi bomb of a time!