Gulaab Gang

Too many jumps doesn't let the story flow in a linear manner. I understand that there are a lot of by stories that need to be established but the jumps are way too many and the first foray in watching the film is that of disjointedness.

And why the delay in embracing the protagonist? And when finally she emerges from behind the veil, the entry lacks voltage.

And then comes in the antagonist and she doesn't fail. And the face off well that doesn't fail either. Both stand their ground and it's electrifying.

It's not a question of who had the meatier or glamorous role but JC over shone MD. JC was the character and vice versa. I was seeing Sumitra in each frame through all her mannerisms whether it was biting her lower lip or having that clove (atleast that's what I think it was).

Considering that the film is all about the leader of the GG, the magic, passion and the rawness just don't emerge. She excels in what she's the most graceful at but otherwise she just sparked intermittently.

There was more than a kernel of a story and considering its the directorial debut of SS, a good effort. Much will be expected in the second outing though. The reason why I couldn't add in a better adjective is because of a number of reasons. The number of songs and their reasoning for them to be? And what's with the shoddy editing? Storytelling is an art - why butcher it?

All in all it was a valiant effort and as I mentioned earlier given the sheer talent of SS, one expects a whole lot more.

GULAAB GANG is a political thriller directed by Soumik Sen, starring Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.

The film revolves around how a woman named Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit) started the Gulaabi Gang, who fight to prevent injustice to women, and teach education to children for free. However, the Gulaab Gang gets compromised with the entrance of the corrupt politician, Sumitra Devi (Juhi Chawla).

Gulaab Gang had gone through a lot of controversy near the release date, and in addition to that, the trailer and soundtrack hadn't quite pleased the critics. That being said, the film was only recognized due to the fact that two of the most iconic actresses in Bollywood were sharing the big screen together.

And Gulaab Gang pretty much delivered what we expected in terms of acting. Madhuri Dixit gave a stellar performance but Juhi Chawla clearly overpowers her, playing the film's antagonist. But the film does have many flaws. Firstly, the plot isn't very steady as it tries to focus more on how the Gulaabi Gang operate without having any real plot to help the audience refer to what's going on. It is that same reason why we aren't really on the edge of our cinema seat, wondering what is going to happen next. Juhi Chawla is only introduced a few 20 minutes before the interval, and it is only then where the real (I think) plot begins. One more problem was that Juhi Chawla didn't quite have much screen time compared to Madhuri Dixit. That being said, she is STILL able to overpower Dixit's acting, but there should have been equal screen time for both the lead casts. Since the film is dedicated to women's rights, you could see it does quite live up to the main reason why the film was made, however, the plot could have been better. Also, the film tends to be a bit slow, so everyone may not like it for the way it drags its story.

So, in conclusion, GULAAB GANG is quite an okay movie. If you're a die hard fan of political flicks, you might just find this movie good. If you're a die hard fan of Madhuri Dixit or Juhi Chawla, you too might enjoy, purely because the acting keeps this film together. The film tries to be original, but at times, you do tend to feel that it is one of those masala flicks trying to be serious but ends up not being. The film had a lot of potential, which you could say was quite wasted... however, it being dedicated to Women's Day, I will give this film credit for trying to get the message through that women are people and not objects, except in a more violent way to attract all types of audiences.

GULAAB GANG- 5.5/10

Soumik Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' released amidst some controversy especially the lawsuit it faced from real Gulabi Gang leader Sampat Pal. After seeing this mess of a film I completely understand why. Of course, when the lead actress Madhuri Dixit describes it as her 'Dabangg' (another overrated awful movie) one pretty much knows what to expect: that this wouldn't be a film that intends to depict the Gulabi Gang and tell their story but just another meaningless good versus evil 'masala' flick masquerading as something that depicts and supports women's rights. Even the producers shamelessly throw in the disclaimer that the movie is entirely fiction. Okay.

There are several songs (ranging from mediocre to awful) and dances. Yes, Madhuri does dance and I doubt she'd ever do a film where she isn't required to dance. After all, she's a much better dancer than actress and here she fails to have an effect. Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' (should have been titled Madhuri's Gang) are all good looking thin women with nice makeup. Occasionally, they swing their hips to music, stand erect looking indifferent or jump around with domestic weapons. Madhuri also gets to do some Kill Bill-Matrix style action sequences (which are mostly shot in slow motion because Bollywood thinks that's cool).

Moreover, the references to Madhuri Dixit the star (and her steamy numbers from 80s movies) are painfully evident. This film was supposed to be about the real Gulabi Gang and not Madhuri the hero. But enough on that. Even otherwise, it's all done so over-the-top. A shootout final? Really? Is this 'Sholay'? The sequences of Rajjo's childhood are laughably bad. Alphonse Roy's cinematography is decent but Sen's script and direction are messy. The film lacks a consistent narrative. The tongue in cheek dialogue appears forced at times.

The only interesting thing about the movie are the Sumitra's sequences especially those with Rajjo. In fact, the Sumitra character is way more interesting than the formulaic (super?)hero. It makes the viewer wonder about her background, what made her into this ruthless power-craving monster. She's clearly a sociopath who's managed to get away with so much all those years.

And of course, Juhi Chawla is transcendent as she steals every scene and is the only reason why the film is even watchable (despite limited screen time). Of the supporting cast Tannishtha Chatterjee and Priyanka Bose stand out. Divya Jagdale is quite loud. Overall, 'Gulaab Gang' is silly. It, very noticeably, tries to milk on Madhuri's former stardom and the growing recognition of the real Gulabi Gang, with it's supposed 'feminist message'. No.

By showing women empowerment as a solution to thwart the patriarchal anarchy prevalent in some (many) parts of the country. Based in Uttar Pradesh, Gulaab Gang goes on to talk boldly about the times of the original Gulaab gang, a vigilante group concerned with achieving righteousness through violence.

The plot conveys quite a good message, two of which can be absorbed: one, that women power is the need of the hour to help the oppressed & two, that even women can get corrupted by power. Madhuri Dixit's portrayal does a greater impact on-screen, while I am disappointed with Juhi Chawla who decided to flash her white pearls throughout the movie defining a stupid air as a minister.

While the action sequences are good enough to entertain, the writing is flawed. It only shows the moments of culmination. What about the terrible lives they themselves lead? No insight into the inside story of the gang members. Showing just two instances of a rather unbelievable side-story troubled me.

But, I'm not complaining. The writers also had few good ideas that is visible; the dialogs are bold but Bollywood still hasn't learned to edit their songs properly. What, 4 or 5 songs? That is too much. I could get bored, but the fast-paced story-line kept me hooked.

BOTTOM LINE: A watchable crime drama, showing relatively new characters, and at least snubs the age old fashion of having a male lead protagonist. It works.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

Violence: Very Critical | Alcohol/Smoking: Very Strong | Nudity: Very Mild | Gore: Mild

Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, two big stars of the late 1980-90s, vied for top slots in an industry which has a common habit of pitting one star against the other. But they actually were so different. The former is a huge megastar, quite a cultural icon, charismatic and sincere in her screen portrayals, a stupendous dancer and amazingly beautiful. The latter is quirky, very beautiful and attractive, a natural performer known for her bubbly personality, and above all a gifted comedienne who later upgraded her talent with phenomenal performances in offbeat films. While later decades saw rivals of sorts often act together in films (see the famous Preity Zinta-Rani Mukerji pairing in many films where most of the time the former somehow got better parts), Dixit and Chawla never worked together.

And you would expect that when the time came to cast them together in a film, these two formidable ladies would be given something at least as good as much of the stuff coming out today in Hindi cinema. But sadly, the filmmakers took these two stars and, in a weird sort of choice, decided to keep the film in the 1990s in terms of both style and narrative as well as stereotypes that come with it. Gulaab Gang is supposedly based on the real-life vigilante female group Gulabi Gang. Now, I know that many consider this group of women quite heroic, but I wouldn't think of turning them into wild action stars on film. While the film has some great colour and cinematographic work, it is amazingly regressive in terms of filmmaking and the ladies can't help it enough. Or maybe they can? Well, partly.

So, Dixit's charisma is undoubted, and she sure is an actress who knows her stuff. She is very good here but then she is clearly not very good at picking her films. In an age when contemporaries have been able to enjoy the benefits of the changing face of Indian cinema and experiment with better roles, she picks a part which is supposedly based on a real-life figure but eventually is just a recap of countless roles played by Hindi film heroines in the 1980s and early 1990s. The action sequences are really ridiculous in their absurdity. It almost feels like Hindi cinema went a few decades back in a weird tribute to the horrendous films made back then. Worse even is the quality of the dance numbers, which do not exhibit the real dancing skills of the great dancing queen that is Madhuri Dixit.

Juhi Chawla, on the other hand, is tremendous. It's amazing how brilliantly she manages to maintain her famous, lovably vivacious persona while playing a monstrous woman so immoral and drunk with power, and make it feel so real. Her every expression is a sight to behold, and the hidden intentions in her smiles are quite chilling. It's a feat that only a natural performer like Chawla can achieve, of being both enjoyable and quite intimidating in this otherwise stereotypical part, and she is doubtlessly the film's ultimate star whose absence from the screen makes the show almost worthless. Between the fake action sequences and the clichéd proceedings, she becomes Gulaab Gang's sole redeeming quality. You almost love to hate her. Watch this film for her ceaselessly entertaining villainous turn.