The Bold and the Beautiful

A damsel in distress,a power-hungry sahib and a love-struck,guitar-strapped gangster — the television and the internet are going viral with snapshots of the protagonists of the movie Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster. While a direct comparison is being made with Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam,director,scriptwriter and casting director,Tigmanshu Dhulia insists that there is no connection with the plot of the 1962 hit. “It is not an adaptation,” says Dhulia,brandishing all rumours. The 45-year-old filmmaker adds,“The similarity is limited to the three characters — sahib,biwi and the ghulam — from the Guru Dutt starrer.” However,the circumstances are different. So if in the classic,Meena Kumari was a hapless,beautiful bibi,who pined for the sahib,Dhulia’s biwi,Mahi Gill,is conniving and has selfish motives. If Guru Dutt as the wealthy sahib was an alcoholic and philanderer,the new-age nawab,Jimmy Shergill,is power-hungry and wants to revive his lost glory. The naive gangster,Randeep Hooda,falls for the biwi,but the ghulam was an ambitious architect who had a platonic relationship with the choti bahu.

To be released on September 30,the film is in news for bold scenes shot between Gill and Hooda. But Dhulia insists that the scenes have been “aesthetically shot” and adds,“sex has been used as a tool to achieve a goal. It is not for titillation. My films are intense,but not dark. SBG is bold and I have focused on drama. In fact it is funny in parts.”

Known for critically acclaimed films like Haasil,Charas and Paan Singh Tomar,Dhulia points out that little time was spent pondering over the casting. “I have worked with the three actors earlier. They were my first choice,” says Dhulia. Meticulous about each detail,he was scouting for locations much before the script was in place. “For me,the location is the biggest character in a film,” he observes.

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The filming was not without its share of hiccups though. While a leopard visited them on the sets in Baria,Gujarat,the crew was also attacked by a swarm of bees in an old haveli in the same district. “There were at least 30 beehives and the unit was attacked twice. Fortunately,my actors were spared,otherwise the shooting would have stopped,” he says.

With the promos and songs receiving a positive response,Dhulia feels that half the battle is won. “After editing and putting the background score in place,I feel the film is satisfactory. This form of drama will be seen on-screen after a long time and will set a trend,” he says.

Will Bollywood’s current fascination with the classics continue? Dhulia feels the phenomenon is here to stay. “As filmmakers,we get attracted to classics because they are interestingly layered. The fact is that whenever you see them,you get a new dimension. They were probably ahead of their times and seem relevant even today,” he states.