Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
2011 · Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia
Original language: Hindi
- drama
- action
- thriller
- crime
- romance
The story
After the death of his first wife, wealthy Raja Aditya Pratap Singh, re-marries another woman, simply known as Chhoti Rani, who subsequently becomes mentally unstable. His father's former mistress, Badi Rani, controls the wealth, while he himself has a mistress. Unable to procure contracts through Mantri Prabhu Tiwari, he decides to stand for elections, while his rival, Ghenda Singh, recruits an assassin, Babalu, who is also the nephew of Sunder, Chhoti Rani's chauffeur, to kill Aditya. After Sunder is unable to drive due to an injury, he recommends Babalu, and Aditya hires him. Babalu settles down in his new job, attempts to get accepted by everyone, including Chhoti Rani, who he finds attractive. He soon finds out that she, too, has feelings for him, and then starts making plans of not only carrying out his assigned task but also becoming the next Saheb.
What it’s like
Dusty, sun-scorched small-town India in the Hindi heartland, with heavy haze, warm amber interiors and dim, shadowed havelis lit by lamps and slanting daylight through shutters. Tigmanshu Dhulia's camera favours tight, roving handheld work in crowded lanes and close, sweaty faces in cramped rooms, then pulls back to wide dusty plains and bright, glaring courtyards. The soundtrack mixes Hindi film songs with raw, percussive bursts and sudden silences, so the mood swings between languid decay and jolts of violence. Its vibe is sultry, corrupt and darkly comic, a slow-burning simmer that tips into sharp, brief bursts of gunfire and blood, with some sexual tension and suggestive scenes. The pacing is leisurely and character-driven, the emotional register bitter and ironic, and its people drift from bored complicity toward desperate, self-serving ambition. Best for viewers who want a moody, morally grubby crime drama with a streak of melodrama, not something gentle or light.
More films like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Saheb Biwi Aur Gangsterand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
