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!

I am Kalam review

Film: I Am Kalam
Director: Nila Madhab Panda
Cast: Harsh Mayar, GulshanGrover, Pitobash Tripathy
Rating: ***1/2

Answer these questions, one by one.

Who is your idol?

Did you love to go to school? College?

What games did you enjoy? How did you treat your pet?

How many times have you taken for granted your education and position?

How sensitive have you been to the needs of those less-privileged, seeking you help without asking for it?

Chances are you may write me off a Catholic convent-educated oldie brainwashed to put the world before yourself.

I Am Kalam is one of those films which asks you questions of your own upbringing, how many times we value it an dhow many times we take it for granted.

Eight-year old Chhotu (and endearing Harsh Mayar) is sent away by his mother to work at his uncle Mamasa’s (Gulshan Grover) dhaba in the desert of Rajasthan. The boy is bright, friendly and most importantly willing to learn so he can change the circumstances he’s thrown in. His idol is India’s former President APJ Abdul Kalam. So inspired Chhotu is by Kalam’s own inspiring story that he rechristens himself Kalam, a beginning of much bigger dreams coming true. He loves reading and depends on patrons of the dhaba to learn words of foreign languages. All this he does with ease, a big smile and eager eyes.

His choice of idol and ambition is in stark contrast with that of his uncle’s assistant at the dhaba. Laptan (Pitobash Tripathy) dreams Bollywood, adores Amitabh Bachchan and wants to be paired with the industry’s best heroines. An anti-hero in I Am Kalam, Laptan’s greatest enemy is Chhotu’s hunger for education, a better life and willingness to work towards realising these dreams.

Director Nila Madhab Panda has a heartfelt and simple story, which he peppers, very subtly with social messages that get the audience thinking. A strong comment on the differences in modern society, how one’s karma can upstage one’s kismet and how one man’s story can change the outlook of the many following in his/her footsteps.

Mohana Krishna’s cinematography captures the barren lands of Rajasthan perfectly, juxtaposing it with the fertile mind of Chhotu. Harsh Mayar is a gem, his eyes expressive, his acting skills natural. The background score minimal, while the running time is just about perfect.

Watch this one for a heartfelt account of what happens to those who dare to dream. No one can come between you and your dreams, not even fate, is what I Am Kalam conveys, subtly and beautifully. A must watch, touching and inspirational.

Delhi Belly review

Delhi Belly has the gift of the goo

Cast: Imran Khan, Shenaz Tresurywala, Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapoor
Director: Abhinay Deo
Rating: A 4 full of shit

Man this Kunaal Roy Kapoor or Nitin of Delhi Belly is a sweet bum (no pun intended). He’s made my love for shit and all things shitty grow fonder, stronger, and unbreakable. And he even has the gift of the goo, oh sorry, gab.

[An inside story: At home at least 96% of all our conversations (esp. between my sis and me) involve hagovni (hug-ova-nee), hagvatoss (hug-way-toes), and all things goo a.k.a shit. And when a movie with shit as a protagonist shows up in a theatre near our house, my joy couldn’t give a shit]

I watched Delhi Belly first day first show (like most movies I don’t get to watch for free at press screenings). And it was right after a session of Yoga, no breakfast and half a dump. I know all these non-events don’t really matter and all you want to know about is what Delhi Belly is about.

So yeah, Tashi (Imran), Arup (Vir) and Nitin (Kunaal) live a dumpyard, yes that’s exactly what most bachelors’ “home” looks like. Water’s always running out, the ceiling threatening to call it quits, pet cockroaches ever grateful for half-eaten pizzas, and a devil of a landlord always ready to throw you out any instance.

Journalist Tashi deals with bimbettes as with murder mysteries, art director with “talentless Bong art director” for a boss and cute, cute Nitin deals with a Delhi Belly. Mind you that’s a lot of work. Running in and out of the loo, with a flush that’s waterless is a lot of work.

A turn of events involving Tashi’s fiancé Sonia (Shenaz), a Russian doll and a bottle full of gooey, watery excrement is what takes you on a fun ride that’s Delhi Belly.

None of the actors are ever over-the-top and yet manage to keep you hooked and happy throughout the interval-less 96 minutes of the film.

I’m confused who is the best of the cast. I think it’s a tie between villain Vijay Raaz and Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Vijay for his understated yet effective acting and Kunaal for his one-liners and bang on comic timing. Imran strips that boy-next-door image to show his funny side and impresses beyond expectations. Vir Das the Weirdass is logically in a comedy after splitting peoples’ guts with his stand up comedy. Shenaz reminds me of my school days. She used to be a VJ some years back, disappeared mysteriously thereafter and has appeared as mysteriously again. Never mind. She’s good enough in DB and that’s what matters. Oh how can I forget Poorna Jagannathan who plays Menaka, Tashi’s colleague, fresh and expressive face with loads of acting talent. Even Vijay Raaz’s sidekicks offer kicks enough to keep your interest live throughout.

DB’s story is simplistic but its treatment, music and talented cast make the difference. A chase sequence is just more enjoyable because of ‘Bhag DK Bose’, while Vir’s ‘Ja Chudail’ has made getting dumped attractive. Aamir Khan’s item number when end credits roll is the added award.

Upbeat, shameless, unapologetic and unrelenting. Abbey ch**ye bahut ho gaya. People have got the point.

Need I say more? Dear potty, I will stand by you forever. Someday we’ll make a shit of a film together. Just like DB.

PS: Weirdass for Vir Das is not original. His company’s called Weirdass Comedy.

The cons of being “intelligent”

Many things happen with us during the course of our lifetimes. Many leave happy memories many leave sad ones. Whatever they leave behind, we try to get into the thick and thin of the issue to decode it in every way we can. We rape the issue so much that we fail or overlook the fact that the issues have had some impact on our minds. We the so-called “intelligent” species strive to always get to the “core” of anything that we come across. Let me explain with an example.
I recently watched the Delhi 6. And yes, I did like it. May be cause I was able to decode it ‘my way’ and understand what I thought the director to convey through the film.
We had a huge debate over lunch one afternoon in office. A senior had watched the film too and thought it was pathetically horrible and without any message. She insisted on how she could make no head no tail of the existence of the kala Bandar in the movie. I insisted and tried explaining how it was just a metaphor for all that does not exist (exactly like the kala Bandar that did not exist at all) and we yet believe that it does! The kala Bandar, I felt was the dark shades of human nature that we don’t like to bring to surface yet harbour within us. Religious intolerance, suppression of women, rumour mongering etc etc. were some of the underlying topics touched upon in the film, with religious violence taking precedence over all. Another senior supported me by saying that only English Literature students can decode work of art better than the rest as for them everything is open to interpretation. I am not yet an Eng Lit student. Hoping to be very soon though.

The senior kept arguing how, as projected in the movie, (actually only the mind’s manifestation) the kala Bandar killed/attacked many, not a single murder was shown. I countered saying that that was exactly the whole point of the film wherein something does not exist yet we have it in our heads and blow it out of proportion, leading to loss of life and property many a times.

The whole idea of discussing the argument was, why do we have to be/act intelligent all the time? Why don’t we take things (sometimes) in a way somebody wants us to see them? Why do we always have to decode something so badly in order to know where it stemmed from? May it is because of this tendency to decode life that directors and other creative people pay heed to minute details in order that other so-called intelligent people can decipher what they are actually trying to say.

I’m not against questioning something you don’t understand or don’t approve of. All I’m saying is why don’t we just appreciate the beauty of some things the way they need to be witnessed?
Another example is the film Dhoondtey Reh Jaaoegy, which is simply leave-your-brains-home entertainment. I laughed generously throughout the film, thought I could appreciate silly, stupid humour along with a like-minded friend. But, another friend, who is the more intellectual kinds thought the movie was a total waste of time cause she found nothing funny about it. We are definitely entitled to our opinion, but does that mean we don’t laugh at things, really asinine stuff? Anyway I’m no one to judge who should laugh at what, and may you will think my sense of cinema sucks, I don’t care any which way!
Intelligence is not always the coolest thing, so I think. Laughing at myself, once in a while, only does me good. Buuhahahhahah