Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana much awaited flick has finally hit the web after much speculations and deliberations. Directed by Shoojit Sircar of Pink and Vicky Donor fame, the movie premise is set in Lucknow. Amitabh Bachchan plays Mirza who owns an old haveli. Khurrana plays his tenant Baanke who just won’t vacate the place. Baankey. Of all the people who are tired of his go-to excuse, "Main gareeb hoon.''
The duo's peppy fight is what forms the crux of the main story. Bachchan's perfect Urdu is what makes the movie a worth watch and his effortless body language makes his character let alone successful. Meanwhile, Ayushmann Khurrana as Bankey perfectly polishes his craft of playing a small-town UP man. Juhi Chaturvedi has penned a story that is intelligent and witty. There are many comic elements of Mirza and Baankey’s clashes, both of whom are cash-strapped and frustrated.
On the face of it, Gulabo Sitabo is about a bunch of people fighting over a mansion but it addresses the issue of greed prevelant in the human minds. Chaturvedi's script also introduces a number of other characters who get lesser screen space but make their mark nevertheless. Raaz and Kala are standouts. The film perfectly captures the old world charm of Lucknow, especially with the Urdu words woven into the dialogues. Meanwhile, Shantanu Moitra's music gives the film the much added flow wherein a specific musical vocabulary and thematic concerns in the lyrics are to be found across all the songs. Holding them together are the lyrics which is unlike anything you have heard in recent times. Gulabo Sitabo is the first Hindi film release on a digital platform owing to COVID-19 lockdown. Gulabo Sitabo is now available on Amazon Prime Video.