Chrysanthepop Soumik Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' released amidst some controversy especially the lawsuit it faced from real Gulabi Gang leader Sampat Pal. After seeing this mess of a film I completely understand why. Of course, when the lead actress Madhuri Dixit describes it as her 'Dabangg' (another overrated awful movie) one pretty much knows what to expect: that this wouldn't be a film that intends to depict the Gulabi Gang and tell their story but just another meaningless good versus evil 'masala' flick masquerading as something that depicts and supports women's rights. Even the producers shamelessly throw in the disclaimer that the movie is entirely fiction. Okay.There are several songs (ranging from mediocre to awful) and dances. Yes, Madhuri does dance and I doubt she'd ever do a film where she isn't required to dance. After all, she's a much better dancer than actress and here she fails to have an effect. Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' (should have been titled Madhuri's Gang) are all good looking thin women with nice makeup. Occasionally, they swing their hips to music, stand erect looking indifferent or jump around with domestic weapons. Madhuri also gets to do some Kill Bill-Matrix style action sequences (which are mostly shot in slow motion because Bollywood thinks that's cool). Moreover, the references to Madhuri Dixit the star (and her steamy numbers from 80s movies) are painfully evident. This film was supposed to be about the real Gulabi Gang and not Madhuri the hero. But enough on that. Even otherwise, it's all done so over-the-top. A shootout final? Really? Is this 'Sholay'? The sequences of Rajjo's childhood are laughably bad. Alphonse Roy's cinematography is decent but Sen's script and direction are messy. The film lacks a consistent narrative. The tongue in cheek dialogue appears forced at times.The only interesting thing about the movie are the Sumitra's sequences especially those with Rajjo. In fact, the Sumitra character is way more interesting than the formulaic (super?)hero. It makes the viewer wonder about her background, what made her into this ruthless power-craving monster. She's clearly a sociopath who's managed to get away with so much all those years.And of course, Juhi Chawla is transcendent as she steals every scene and is the only reason why the film is even watchable (despite limited screen time). Of the supporting cast Tannishtha Chatterjee and Priyanka Bose stand out. Divya Jagdale is quite loud. Overall, 'Gulaab Gang' is silly. It, very noticeably, tries to milk on Madhuri's former stardom and the growing recognition of the real Gulabi Gang, with it's supposed 'feminist message'. No.

Andre Santhumayor GULAAB GANG is a political thriller directed by Soumik Sen, starring Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.The film revolves around how a woman named Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit) started the Gulaabi Gang, who fight to prevent injustice to women, and teach education to children for free. However, the Gulaab Gang gets compromised with the entrance of the corrupt politician, Sumitra Devi (Juhi Chawla).Gulaab Gang had gone through a lot of controversy near the release date, and in addition to that, the trailer and soundtrack hadn't quite pleased the critics. That being said, the film was only recognized due to the fact that two of the most iconic actresses in Bollywood were sharing the big screen together.And Gulaab Gang pretty much delivered what we expected in terms of acting. Madhuri Dixit gave a stellar performance but Juhi Chawla clearly overpowers her, playing the film's antagonist. But the film does have many flaws. Firstly, the plot isn't very steady as it tries to focus more on how the Gulaabi Gang operate without having any real plot to help the audience refer to what's going on. It is that same reason why we aren't really on the edge of our cinema seat, wondering what is going to happen next. Juhi Chawla is only introduced a few 20 minutes before the interval, and it is only then where the real (I think) plot begins. One more problem was that Juhi Chawla didn't quite have much screen time compared to Madhuri Dixit. That being said, she is STILL able to overpower Dixit's acting, but there should have been equal screen time for both the lead casts. Since the film is dedicated to women's rights, you could see it does quite live up to the main reason why the film was made, however, the plot could have been better. Also, the film tends to be a bit slow, so everyone may not like it for the way it drags its story.So, in conclusion, GULAAB GANG is quite an okay movie. If you're a die hard fan of political flicks, you might just find this movie good. If you're a die hard fan of Madhuri Dixit or Juhi Chawla, you too might enjoy, purely because the acting keeps this film together. The film tries to be original, but at times, you do tend to feel that it is one of those masala flicks trying to be serious but ends up not being. The film had a lot of potential, which you could say was quite wasted... however, it being dedicated to Women's Day, I will give this film credit for trying to get the message through that women are people and not objects, except in a more violent way to attract all types of audiences.GULAAB GANG- 5.5/10

Tejas Nair By showing women empowerment as a solution to thwart the patriarchal anarchy prevalent in some (many) parts of the country. Based in Uttar Pradesh, Gulaab Gang goes on to talk boldly about the times of the original Gulaab gang, a vigilante group concerned with achieving righteousness through violence.The plot conveys quite a good message, two of which can be absorbed: one, that women power is the need of the hour to help the oppressed & two, that even women can get corrupted by power. Madhuri Dixit's portrayal does a greater impact on-screen, while I am disappointed with Juhi Chawla who decided to flash her white pearls throughout the movie defining a stupid air as a minister.While the action sequences are good enough to entertain, the writing is flawed. It only shows the moments of culmination. What about the terrible lives they themselves lead? No insight into the inside story of the gang members. Showing just two instances of a rather unbelievable side-story troubled me.But, I'm not complaining. The writers also had few good ideas that is visible; the dialogs are bold but Bollywood still hasn't learned to edit their songs properly. What, 4 or 5 songs? That is too much. I could get bored, but the fast-paced story-line kept me hooked.BOTTOM LINE: A watchable crime drama, showing relatively new characters, and at least snubs the age old fashion of having a male lead protagonist. It works.Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NOViolence: Very Critical | Alcohol/Smoking: Very Strong | Nudity: Very Mild | Gore: Mild

karan_sunny_5 Nothing like a screen-rippingly pitch-perfect morality tale. Soumik sen casts female protagonists: a vigilante group leader Rajjo and a power-hungry politician Sumitra Devi, as the horn-locking leads and delivers a sucker punch. That it has female leads is sensational only when seen in a narrow context of the stars playing them but their character's causes, aspirations and life-paths are more a product of their personalities. Rajjo's fight for social justice and education is as gender independent as Sumitra's power-trip. It's coincidental that Rajjo's fight rehabilitates more women than men as she is working within a society that heaps double the disadvantages on the females. Just like it's coincidental that Sumitra finds herself working within male-dominated party-offices. Not once did I have to sit through lectures against another gender, and that is the film's first victory. The fight here, for justice and Enlightenment of masses goes beyond gender, as it should be. That Soumik Sen is able to then drop the grid of a massy entertainer on this wonderful post female-empowerment battle of wits and sickles is remarkable. Never does this grid reduce or trivialise the seriousness of the underlying issue, but only scales up the action and renders the vigilante group more intimidating than your standard ground-bound lathi fight. The other frill, the melodic song-breaks, barely last a minute before melting into the background score as the incident-heavy plot progresses. The choreography feels natural and stemming from the camaraderie and everyday work these bunch of self-sufficient ashramites of Rajjo indulge in. There are some other directorial decisions which are masterful: the opening cartoon montage literally spells out the bones of the "story". The point of this movie is both enjoying the how we then see the bones being filled with flesh and blood of this aptly located, arrestingly colour-coded human saga and the message corked within it. Bolstered by a terrific supporting ensemble (Divya Jagdale, Priyanka Bose, a mellow Tannishta Chatterjee, and all the guys) the two leads stand tall and deliver the goods like only they can. Juhi Chawla, cast against type transforms herself into the vile Sumitra Devi, a person who has fashioned herself as the ultimate political scion. Her self-satisfied smug grin at any opportunity to brow-beat and manipulate is as compelling to watch as her intolerance for Rajjo's popularity. Rajjo brings out the worst in her, to the point that she's compelled to smuggle arms for the ultimate face-off and throw her gloved-hand approach she was found carping about for much her screen time. It's a scene seeing her go down and kudos to the director to build her up to be an intimidating adversary with an unpredictable arsenal of "moves". Finally, there is Dixit. Being a hardcore fan, I was left underwhelmed by how emotionally contained and restrained her last two screen characters, in Aaja Nachle and Dedh Ishqiya were. She was beguiling in both, but how I ached to see her bare her fangs a bit. She is again a single crusader here, but Sen lets her rip. She nails those dialogues in close-ups, absolutely convinces in action sequences (who wants to watch a CGI overloaded 300 sequel when you see some awesome, well contextualised wire-fights right here!) but what still haunts me, much after the screening's finished, is how she had completely internalised Rajjo's crusade for education. There is this scene where the masterful camera comes down on her as she reads the approval of the funds and the way she hugs that piece of paper, it just summed everything. Another scene sees the camera slowly moving to her hunched with unwiped tears gleaming on her face and an old man sitting with her. This is after a second murder of one of her adopted girls. She packs in incredible amounts of resilience and is a beautiful amalgamation of the likes of Gandhiji, Tolstoy and the real-life Sampat Pal. In a governance-less land, this story about the reluctant, noble vigilantes with mainstream frills gets under your skin with Dixit as the heart and soul. While self-serious, it never sags, and it's got songs, action and comedy as welcome relief.Finally it's beautiful to see the industrious and the substance-filled real heroes of the world being championed, than the Dons, Gundays, Rowdy rathores, Rajkumars etc that has become the vogue of late. I sat through the end credits silently cheering for those incredible people who bettered not just their lives, but the world around them. It all starts with education.