Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns - Review

Review - Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns

Cast: Irrfan, Jimmy Shergill, Mahie Gill, Raj Babbar and Soha Ali Khan      

Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia

In Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, Tigmanshu Dhulia takes us back the modern day royalty of UP which he created in the first part Saheb Biwi aur Gangster. But one doesn’t have to cross reference to its predecessor as this movie is a standalone piece. As it was the case in the first part, even its successor has the same background where the relationships are sacrificed at the altars of power and money.

Set in Uttar Pradesh where all moustaches are twirled up with flair, Saheb aka Aditya Singh (Jimmy Shergill) is wheel chair bound from the earlier part while his Biwi aka Madhavi played by Mahie Gill is elected MLA. Saheb wants to humiliate everyone around him and his wife, Madhavi who is a drunkard but also looks to seek her husband’s attention who is in love with Ranjana (Soha Ali Khan). In comes the third protagonist – The Gangster played by Irrfan aka as Inderjit Singh who loves Ranjana but has a past that fuels his ambitions of taking on the Saheb - an ancestral feud.

The biggest asset of the movie is in its writing.  The screenplay and dialogues both done by Tigmanshu are par excellence. There are many dialogues for applause and seetis like “humare gaalion pe bhi taaliyan padti hai” and when Saheb tells his Biwi – “ Bahut sasti ho chuki ho tum. Tumhe dene ke liye humare paas chiller bhi nahin hai”.

There is intrigue at every door and a lot of twists and turns which makes a riveting first half. The characters are detailed. The second half tends to get a bit heavy with unnecessary songs ( especially the item song featuring Mugdha Godse).

From performance point of view, Jimmy Shergill as Saheb gets his act right and oozes royalty. Though bound on wheelchair his spirit is sky high. He deserves full marks for playing a subtle yet fiery character where most of his emotions are conveyed through his eye and expressions. Mahie Gill gives another terrific performance and rises above the expected drunk act and lights up the screen. Irrfan is the trump card of the movie and takes it to another level. This is fourth association of Irrfan with Tigmanshu post Haasil, Charas and Paan Singh Tomar and he doesn’t disappoint at all. He strikes the right note as a desperate royal who is seeking vengeance. It was good to see Raj Babbar back on big screen after a sabbatical and he fits the role and sinks his teeth into the character.

Despite a bit of downfall in post interval section with songs looking completely out of sync with the movie, Dhulia delivers a winner with an engaging movie and a brilliant climax.

I am going with 3.5 out of 5 for this tale. Might not be the best work of Tigmanshu post Paan Singh Tomar but watch it for a supreme storytelling and terrific performances from everyone.