Gulabo Sitabo Review: Filmy Adaptation Of “Lalach Buri Bala Hai”

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vijay Raaz, Brijendra Kala, Farukh Jaffer
Director: Shoojit Sircar

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

Gulabo Sitabo is a slightly contrasting to what we have seen in all these years of Indian cinema. Not all directors manage to unfold the intelligently made satires and explore the world of common people showcasing a distinctively tasty flavoured dish just like Lucknowi Biryani. The film is a well crafted satire that discovers a riot of emotions.

By the name of a famous street puppet show extremely popular in Uttar Pradesh, Gulabo –Sitabo the female glove puppets extreme quarrels are a delight to viewers just like the movie.

The film is a story of relationship between a landlord and tenant. Mirza (Amitabh Bachchan) is the landlord of the Haveli which is Bankey Rastogi (Ayushmann Khurrana) and couple of other tenants. Both Mirza and Bankey significantly desire for the same thing the security and persistency of their homes. The film is a not a thought but a perfect adaptation of the fable of cats and two monkeys. Mirza who is 78 year old is despairingly waits for his wife Fatima Begum (Farukh Jaffer) aged 95 to die so that he can fulfil the dream of legally owning the Haveli called ‘Fatima Mahal, Mirza and his wife share an odd age-gap of 15 years. Mirza is a crabby landlord who is hated by everyone but doesn’t cares about it. In a scene when Mirza’s lawyer after meeting Begum’s relatives who hate Mirza to their guts asks him that why is he hated by everyone? To this Mirza spontaneously answers that he doesn’t thinks so. Mirza is obnoxiously desirable to set right on the Fatima Mahal.

The film gives several moments in which viewers get a chance to introspect and think it has scenes packed in its slow pace which are a laughter guarantee. Bankey owns a small impoverished ‘flour mill’ and burdened and takes care of a family of three sisters and a mother. Bankey goes to every level in order to stay in the Haveli.

Shoojit this time has stepped out of his comfort zone with Gulabo Sitabo. Juhi Chaturvedi is brilliant to explore content and bring real life stories to frame and also ensures the touch of ‘Lucknowi zaban’. The setting of the film does not discovers the best of Lucknow but the ‘Fatima Haveli’ which is in such a worsening condition that the breaking of wall by a single kick doesn’t looks surprising.  The Cinematography by Abik Mukhopadhyay is flawless as it makes the exhausted haveli a nice look.

The actors’ profer wonderfully acting performances. Amitabh Bachchan vanishes behind the veil of hunched back, potato nose half-torn old clothes. Ayushmann has become an undisputed king of new and quirky content brilliantly manages to make his pleasant presence alongside Bachchan. Farukh Jaffer is amazingly graceful as Begum she is the salty-suprise element in the film and makes its presence felt. Vijay Razz and Brijendra Kala make their effective presence in their screen-time along with Srishti Shrivastav who plays Bankey’s sister. Shantanu Moitra’s songs fit in the films surroundings.

Shoojit’s direction is stunning and weaves characters in a new sense and focuses on the ordinary people and their existence but somewhere the story loses its pace and feels tiring.

The film is a must-watch laughter ride full of jibes and full of irony and mockery catch it on Amazon Prime.