Gulaab Gang – Movie Review

At a recent talk show, Juhi Chawla went on record and admitted she had refused Yash Chopra’s ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ because she didn’t want to play second fiddle to Madhuri Dixit after having the spotlight to herself in the Director’s ‘Darr’. Both of them were also in sync when one said they were never close friends and neither were they arch rivals. The latter   may or may not be true but followers of cinema do know about the much talked about competition between the then reigning queens of Bollywood – Sridevi, Madhuri and Juhi. Debutante Director Soumik Sen (who has also written the script and composed the music) brings two of them together for the first time pitted against each other – one is good, the other is bad. Sounds fun! Although the makers claim ‘Gulaab Gang’ is a work of fiction and not inspired by Sampat Pal and her Gulabi Gang in Bundelkhand, anyone can guess they want to avoid any further controversies. After a terrific documentary on Sampat Pal which released two weeks back and the lady having filed a case against ‘Gulaab Gang’ at the Delhi High Court two days before its release, the movie has hit the screens.

A young girl in a village who is insistent on studying but not allowed by her wicked step-mother grows up to run a primary school for little girls. Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit) who is fondly called Didi by the village folks also provides a shelter for beaten and deserted women. These are now women clad in pink sarees who fight against injustice in and around the village. Rape or injustice against women or even corruption is all sorted out by the gang through violence. A cunning manipulative corrupt local politician, Sumitra Devi (Juhi Chawla) extends a hand to the popular Rajjo for partnership during the upcoming elections. Having realized Sumitra’s wrong intentions, Rajjo decides to stand against her.

‘Gulaab Gang’ is yet another example of a good opportunity gone waste. The cast is talented and perfect. There is a scope of good dose of women empowerment and its release is during Women’s Day. Yet the movie falls very short of expectations. Blame it on the Director because it is so evident in every frame what a lousy debut he has made. The movie is nothing but a poor commercial movie where we have a hero and a villain. The only difference – both the parts are essayed by two talented leading actresses coming together for the very first time. It is just another Good Versus Evil story sloppily scripted and very lazily directed, not to forget the unnecessary tuneless songs – all for which Soumik Sen is credited. Yes – there are a few scenes which stand out but they are too few and far between. The first half moves at a snail’s pace and you expect some movement in the second half but alas! Even the dialogues are very ordinary and the accents sound forced. Women beating up wrong people (mostly men) could have been an enjoyable sight but the action looks out of place and unrealistic. Madhuri with a sickle in her hand swinging in the air doesn’t really work and you can’t really take the gang seriously since they sing and dance too often; they weren’t into nautanki, were they?

Madhuri Dixit doesn’t get the accent too right and there is a certain discomfort you think she might have had while playing Rajjo. It isn’t a poor performance but perhaps, what could have been a challenging pivotal role doesn’t turn up as well as it should have. The choreography (Saroj Khan) isn’t good here so, there is no scope for her lovely dancing. Juhi Chawla in a negative role has a juicy role and makes the most of it and yes, she is better than Madhuri here. But then again, the role is so predictable that it doesn’t hook your attention for a long time. The face-offs between the two are nicely done. The supporting cast is adequate.

Watch it or not: Only if you watched… say… ‘Zindagi Ek Jua’ for Madhuri and ‘Radha Ka Sangam’ for Juhi. Never heard the names? Never mind! Don’t even bother to watch this one! Their staunch fans can give it a try.

At the Box-Office: Flop; not because woman-centric movies rarely do well (we have some good exceptions now) but because it is a poor movie.

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!