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Writer's pictureWise Movie Reviews

Gulabo Sitabo


 
  • Genre: Drama (Satire)

  • Language: Hindi

  • Release Date: 12th June, 2020

  • Platform: Amazon Prime

  • Age Suitability: 16+

  • Runtime: 124 minutes

 

Synopsis

Gulabo Sitabo depicts a tale of people's love for their own place and moral values. Gulabo Sitabo is folklore of Uttar Pradesh which speaks about two heroines in a show: Sitabo, the worn out, overworked spouse; and Gulabo, the scintillating mistress of the same man. The use of the name 'Gulabo Sitabo' as the title of the movie is quite significant. The movie revolves around a 78-year-old Mirza (Amitabh Bachchan), who is the owner of a Haveli and his tenants. Ayushmann Khurrana's character 'Baankey' is the most difficult tenant to handle for the landlord. The movie continues with the conversation between Mirza and Baankey. An unexpected change of events completely changes their lives. What are those events? How do the events impact the life of both Mirza and Baankey? The answers to these questions form the crux of the movie.


Direction and Script Analysis

The director Shoojit Sircar has tried to capture the feel of old Lucknow with a simple and heart-warming storyline. Unfortunately, the script by Juhi Chaturvedi does not allow Shoojit to reach the level of 'Piku' or 'October' this time. The movie starts at a very slow pace. The director has taken his time to set the tone for 'Fatima Mahal'. The pace of the movie does not pick up till the end of the first hour. The climax of the movie is interesting, and it will certainly satisfy the audience; however, by the time the audience will reach towards the end of the movie, they are already feeling disconnected with it because of the confusing and clueless screenplay. Although the director has tried to keep the comedy as subtle as possible, it has failed to work as expected in 'Gulabo Sitabo'. Few dialogues are well-written, but most of them fall flat throughout the movie.


Performances

The performances are the main USP of this film. Amitabh Bachchan has pulled off the character of 'Mirza' effortlessly. From dialogue delivery in proper UP accent to all other mannerisms of the character,


Big B has nailed it once again. The character of 'Baankey' has not been easy for Ayushmann Khurrana either. The main focus has always been on Amitabh Bachchan. Another powerful performance by Ayushmann Khurrana proves why he is considered as one of the frontrunners in the Bollywood industry currently. The scriptwriter Juhi Chaturvedi has etched the women characters beautifully. The audience will certainly fall in love with the character of 'Begum' played brilliantly by Farrukh Jafar. Srishti Shrivastava is a revelation in this movie. She plays the character of the elder sister of Baankey. Two brilliant actors Vijay Raaz and Brijendra Kala are under-utilized in the movie. You can watch 'Gulabo Sitabo' for the performances of each and every actor in it.


Technical Details

Editing

The editing of the movie is another reason for its letdown. The movie is typically slow-paced, and the scenes get repetitive and boring at times. Few scenes lack continuity which is a rare phenomenon in Shoojit-Sircar films.


Cinematography

The cinematography by Avik Mukhopadhyay is brilliant. He has brilliantly set the tone of the movie. The colour tone used in the film perfectly depicts old Lucknow.


Music and Background Score

The background score created by the music director Shantanu Moitra is decent; however, no song will stay in your hearts after the movie ends. The songs have not helped to keep the pace of the movie either.


Overall Review

It's impossible for a batsman to hit a six on every ball he faces. The same thing happened with the director Shoojit Sircar. 'Gulabo Sitabo' falls in the category of 'law of average'. Still it's worth a one-time watch because of the wonderful performances and brilliant camerawork. The makers have taken a good decision to release the film on an OTT platform. This film will certainly be loved by a particular kind of audience but a theatrical release might have given it a 'flop' or 'average' verdict at the box office.



WiseMovieReviews Rating: 3.0/5.0

  • Performance: 4.0/5.0

  • Script: 2.5/5.0

  • Screenplay: 2.5/5.0

  • Music / Background Score: 3.0/5.0

  • Cinematography: 4.0/5.0

  • Editing: 2.5/5.0


Review Credits: Soumik Datta

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