Coronavirus-induced blockade has led to the closing of cinemas. For the past three months, not a single star-studded movie has been released. But finally, GULABO SITABO is set to air on a digital platform starting today, and this movie has been noticed thanks to the pairing of Ayushmann Khurrana and Amitabh Bachchan. Also, it is directed by Shoojit Sircar, who has given memorable movies like VICKY DONOR [2012] and PIKU [2015] with the two actors respectively. So does GULABO SITABO manage to be as memorable as the aforementioned movies? Or can’t it attract? Let’s analyze
GULABO SITABO is the story of the rivalry between a tenant and a landlord. Mirza Chunnan Nawab (Amitabh Bachchan), 78, is married to Fátima Begum (Farrukh Jafar), who is almost 17 years older than him. Begum owns a palatial mansion more than a century old called Fatima Mahal in Lucknow, where she resides. But since she is quite old and also a little delusional, Mirza takes care of haveli. A part of Fatima Mahal is delivered to the tenants, one of whom is Baankey Rastogi (Ayushmann Khurrana). Baankey’s family has been residing in the haveli As tenants for years and Mirza now wants to evict Baankey and his family as they only pay Rs. 30 as monthly rent.
Mirza’s demand to increase the rent always meets strong resistance from Baankey, further infuriating the former. In the absence of finances, Mirza cannot even renew the haveli and it is in a completely ruined condition. The condition is so bad that a simple Baankey kick leads to the breakdown of a toilet wall. Mirza demands that Baankey pays for the damage, while Baankey makes it clear that maintenance is the responsibility of the owner. The matter comes to the police who tell them to bring this dispute to a civil court. At the police station, Gyanesh Shukla (Vijay Raaz) from the archeology department hears his commotion. He follows them and realizes that Fatima Mahal is a heritage property.
He starts clicking the images secretly, but Baankey catches him red-handed. However, Gyanesh tells him and other tenants that the haveli is of heritage value and can also collapse at any time. He recommends that they allow Fatima Mahal to be turned over to her department, which will then renovate and turn it into a museum. In return, it will give them a decent-sized flat with all the amenities. Mirza, on the other hand, meets with an attorney, Christopher Clarke (Brijendra Kala), who suggests that the former sell the mansion to solve the tenants’ problems once and for all. In the deal, you will also get a good amount.
However, it is Begum who owns the property and, in addition, his brothers could also have the property. As a result, Mirza sets out to discover who is alive on Begum’s side and whether they can give him a Certificate of No Objection for selling the mansion. What happens next forms the rest of the movie.
Juhi Chaturvedi’s story is promising and novel. We have read and watched movies about the horrors tenants face. But the fact that the owner is unfairly harassed is also a reality and this is a rare film to focus on that aspect. Juhi Chaturvedi’s script, however, does not do full justice to the concept. The movie is mixed with some interesting characters and settings, and a lot could have been done with them. Juhi, however, misses the opportunity. Juhi Chaturvedi’s dialogues are conversational and simple, and few of them are quite sharp and witty.
Shoojit Sircar’s management is decent. He had a weak script in hand and therefore not much he could have done anyway. However, we have seen the charm of its execution in movies like VICKY DONOR and PIKU. GULABO SITABO is also in the same area, but his address leaves a lot to be desired. On the plus side, it captures the essence of Lucknow beautifully. On the big screen, experiencing it would have been interesting. It also draws great performances from its actors.
On the other hand, humor is lacking and would have made a big difference. Also, some developments are puzzling and this is especially regarding Mirza’s character. For one thing, he’s supposed to be quite smart and money-minded, which made him marry Begum in the first place. But then again, he’s also pretty dumb and didn’t even know the proper value of the items he used to sell and even haveli where he has lived for many decades.
GULABO SITABO begins on a decent note, introducing the characters (including the mansion), the relevance of the title, and the world in which they reside. The background score and even the situations give the vibe of a comic prank, but there are hardly any funny moments in the movie. It is only when Mirza wakes up in the middle of the street that the movie really does finally get a laugh-worthy sequence.
Fortunately, things get better from here as they are introduced to Gyanesh Shukla and Christopher Clarke, and this adds a lot to the game of superiority between Mirza and Baankey. Although the movie keeps him glued, one misses something exciting or even fun that happens with the characters. That happens only in the last 10-15 minutes. The twist in the story is definitely unpredictable, and while not entirely unconvincing, it ends the film on a high note.
Amitabh Bachchan offers a sensational performance. Her makeup is perfect and is believed to be the way she totally gets into her character’s skin. He has an impact only through their expressions. In this sense, two scenes that really stand out are when he wakes up on the road and when he looks curiously while Vijay Raaz inspects the mansion. Ayushmann Khurrana is also quite entertaining, but his screen time is shorter than Amitabh’s. This is the second time in a row that Ayushmann has settled for an extended supporting role, after SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN. [2020].
Farrukh Jafar plays an important role and leaves a great mark. In fact, she shows the show in two key sequences in the second half. Vijay Raaz and Brijendra Kala are reliable as always. Srishti Shrivastava (Guddo) is quite confident. Others like Poornima Sharma (Fauzia), Annanya Dwivedi (Neetu), Ujali Raj (Payal), Sunil Kumar Verma (Mishra ji), Jogi Mallang (Munmun ji), Rajiv Pandey (Police Inspector) and Behram Rana (Abdul Rehman) as well They do it right.
The music of Shantanu Moitra, Abhishek Arora, and Anuj Garg does not have a shelf life. The theme song is catchy and works well. Madari Ka Bandar It is another song that is synchronized with the theme of the movie. The rest of the songs like ‘Kuya Leke Aayo Jagme’, ‘Kanjoos’, ‘Budhau’ etc are not memorable at all. The background score is quirky and much better.
Avik Mukhopadhayay’s cinematography is excellent and captures Lucknow and especially the ruined mansion. Mansi Dhruv Mehta’s production design also adds a lot to the realism of the film. The same goes for Veera Kapur Ee’s outfits. Neither character looks remotely glamorous and that goes in the movie’s favor. Pia Cornelius’s prosthetic makeup design is excellent and increases impact. The Chandrashekhar Prajapati edition is passable. Although the movie is only 124 minutes long, it seems pretty slow.
Overall, GULABO SITABO is a decent artist to see at home. Despite the lack of humor and an average script, the movie mostly works due to the performances, the Lucknow stage, and the twist at the end.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.