it’s inspired by a classic, but let down by its own triteness. Not a perfect film, but one that has its moments.

`Sahib Bibi aur Gangster’ is one of those films which occasionally slides smoothly into top gear, but the ride overall bumps over traversed terrain.

The film may be a finely crafted drama, yet it unfolds with thriller pace, keeping you on the edge of the seat till the very end. Enjoy the experience of a revised and re-mixed story, well told.

This one is admirably inspired, is almost a sophomore effort. As you’d know, that’s a pretty hefty compliment to pay.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is made with the production values of the 90s. Such films ought to create a sense of mystique, if not larger-than-lifeness. Maqbool was classy because Bhardwaj made excellent use of mood and setting, and took his time to introduce elements into the plot.

The crumbling sepia-toned interiors and colour tones scream out a message of live and let live. But it’s too late, Dhulia’s characters are felled by their own greed and lust.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster draws you in at the very start, keeps you hooked throughout, and ends on a high. In other words, you have very little reason to miss the film. Don’t.

On the whole, very moderately budgeted Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is a fair entertainer but with a few loose ends in its screenplay. It will do fair business at the box-office in U.P., Bihar and other North Indian territories. Its business in the rest of the country will not be upto the mark. Its dialogues and performances are its biggest plus points – and these can prove to be good for augmenting its library value for sale of satellite rights and other electronic rights.

On the whole, SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER is a well-made film that works for its powerful plot, engaging script, commanding dialogue and super performances. Tigmanshu Dhulia has had the guts to do something unusual within commercial parameters and the effort needs to be lauded.

This film can’t be missed.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster creates a world far removed from Guru Dutt’s classic, and yet the two works are miraculously joined at the hip. Almost every character from the Guru Dutt film is replicated if not parodied in Dhulia’s film.