Sahib Biwi Aur Hottie!

What a movie!! After ages, i watched a film that hit all the right spots - erotic, cerebral and emotional. A case of brilliant casting and a script that sizzles with every lush and detailed scene. It's always the script that's the real star - in any memorable film. No script, no film. Not all the big budgets and special effects in the world can make up for a lousy, flimsy script. And here's a movie with a modest budget, but with immense ambition - and the talent to pull it off. Only a gutsy director can come up with such an inspired ensemble cast. Jimmy Shergill, one of Bollywood's most wasted talents, finally gets to strut his stuff as the 'Sahib'. That he does so with delicacy and refinement says a lot about 'what lies beneath'. Mahie Gill as the Biwi, is passable, but is no aristocrat ( fire her stylist, forthwith!). She looks and acts like a wanton village belle, and one can completely understand why the Sahib shuns her. It is really Randeep Hooda as the Gangster who fills up the screen with unadulterated testosterone. As the Biwi's rugged driver "without any class", his supremely assured performance goes from brutal to delusionary, cunning to needy, with the sort of finesse one rarely sees in commercial cinema these days. His 'Bholanath' ( am i getting it right?), is a far more complex creation than the original. But poor Mahie is no Meena Kumari... and is the movie's weakest link. It is Deepal Shaw who is the real surprise package in SBAG. She puts in a convincing performance that goes way beyond her popular image. Unfortunately, the music is weak. But every single person ( i wish i knew the name of the actor who plays Jimmy's trusted aide), including the minister, the mistress, and the stepmother, adds to the rivetting narrative. Tigmanshu Dhulia has once again proved his mettle. A must watch film after a spate of over rated rubbish.