Gulabo Sitabo. Review on Gulabo Sitabo

Movie Review: Gulabo Sitabo

Movie Review: Gulabo Sitabo

Of the many things that Hindi cinema has witnessed in the past century that it has been in existence; the identification of a bad script is one of them. The movie Gulabo Sitabo is one of the glaring examples that depict a fact known since decades; that the passage of time cannot upturn the fate of a bad script.

A story clinging on to the two veteran crutches of talent; Amitabh Bacchhan and Ayushmaan Khurana tried to breathe legal humor in a twist of events forgoing an unnecessary two hour four minute time slot. The tale could possibly be a passable one, had it not been for these two central characters; respectively playing landlord and tenant. A stingy landlord who claims to be in love with the monumental Fatima Mahal can do little in the presence of his ailing wife, on whose name the structure stands. A tenant who holds his tenant rights with the sole purpose of spending the rest of his life and even at times; at the turn of events suggesting his childless landlord to adopt him only for staying on. There are subplots too added possibly to breathe in some new life in a dilapidated setting of an ancient ancestral house nestled in the heart of Uttar Pradesh.

The movie drags from the first half itself as if waiting for both the central characters to create some magic. The second half is rushed up much like school teachers rushing up with their respective school portions towards the end of the year. The end although unexpected cannot be marvelled at considering the slow pace it began with. The music in some parts is soulful, but one cannot enjoy the soulful renditions as patience has already been drawn out from the viewer. That said, there are some meaningful lyrics if you choose to justify the reason of watching such a dreadful movie. Overall, most critics would possibly give them a star and a half only for Ayushmaan’s prominent lisp as Baankey Rastogi and a superbly played complainant landlord emoted by Mr. Bachchan. Vijay Raaz and Brijendra Kala are at their best but can't help save a truly bad script.

The director write duo of Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi does not give you much reason to even watch the movie beyond half an hour; only because of the hope of watching a lockdown movie. If the lockdown has frustrated you to no end and you just can’t think of doing anything to do; I would strongly recommend you to watch either a dubbed South Indian movie or even a Thugs of Hindostan for its thrills and Katrina’s moves; else, you are definitely wasting your time.