Bollywood is an industry that is changing and Gulabo Sitabo is an example of the changing styles of making movies in Bollywood. Three-hour musical melodramas with singing and dancing and fabulous sets, jewelry, and fashions will always be a part of Bollywood. But neo-noir films like Gulabo Sitabo are also part of the success story of Bollywood in the 21st century. This short film is based in old city of Lucknow and is a story that involves around landlord and his tenants and can be termed a drama-comedy.
The movie is a metaphorical approach towards the harsh truth of Life with the Legend of Gulabo Sitabo Puppetry in background.
The Legend of Gulabo Sitabo Puppetry became popular in Uttar Pradesh some centuries ago. In this Puppetry, two women named Gulabo and Sitabo continuously fight over one invisible character who happens to be Sitabo’s Husband and Gulabo’s Lover. In the movie, Amitabh Bachchan plays Sitabo, Ayushman Khurrana plays Gulabo and the Haveli named ‘Fatima Mahal’ happens to be the Lover aka the Husband over which Gulabo Ayushman Khurrana and Sitabo Amitabh Bachchan fight continuously.
The Look & Style of the Film
One of the major attractions of this film is watching Amitabh Bachchan, the Bollywood hero for decades as a hunching old man who mumbles. The film is part of the trend in Bollywood that shows average small-town people with middle class or lower-income backgrounds. These types of films are funny, dramatic, and have become popular with different types of audiences in India in recent times. The set and cinematography of the movie is marvelous.
Plot of Gulabo Sitabo
Gulabo Sitabo is a story that revolves around Fatima Mahal, which is an old crumbling mansion in Lucknow that is owned by the landlord, Mirza played by Amitabh Bachchan. The landlord has many tenants and has been at war with them for a long time, especially is hostile towards Baankey played by Ayushmann Khurrana. Mirza is an elderly landlord who wants Baankey out of his mansion as the tenant is paying a grandfathered-in rent of Rs. 30 but Baankey refuses to leave without a fight. As the war between the tenants rages on, many characters take sides and some female characters are shown on the sidelines of the story. There is an epic war about who pays for the broken bathroom wall and there is also a lawyer and archeologist involved to make matters worse.
Gulabo Sitabo – A Different Bollywood Film
Nowadays, small indie-style films are becoming popular in India with smaller budgets and changing audiences. This film because of the COVID 19 pandemic was released on Amazon Prime Video on June 12th 2020. This is a film by an acclaimed director Soorjit Sircar who also famously worked with Amitabh Bachchan in Piku. This is a film with star power but is set in very humble settings making it ideal for the small screen.
Gulabo Sitabo is a type of film that is different from the song and dance romances that Bollywood is known for. Many audiences are enjoying such films these days as Bollywood begins to change with the changing times.
However, when we talk about Shoojit Sircar, our expectations shoot to stars. Perhaps, that is why Gulabo Sitabo fails to satiate the hungry audiences. The Shoojit Sircar feeling which we had got accustomed to, thanks to Piku, Pink etc., was missing from the movie. A tad bit of entertaining thrills could have done the job. Nevertheless, it is a good Family movie to watch and reminisce your childhood puppetry memories.
