Gulabo Sitabo: Of greedy men, smarter women

Heritage as the underlying aspect of a commercial film is a very unique way of presentation. As far as vintage buildings go, Lucknow, which has a fair share of royalty even today, fits the bill perfectly. Hence, putting together a cracker of a combo – Amitabh Bachchan playing the caretaker of a rundown haveli and Ayushmann Khurrana as a tenant – director Shoojit Sircar takes off smoothly with his tale of a mansion.

It is seemingly the centre of attraction, as there are many who are keen to benefit out of its demolition or sale. Yet, the human drama of greed, one-upmanship, smart behind-the-scene countermoves of one party versus the other makes it a social, dark comedy of a venture.

Despite the over-the-top prosthetic make-up, Bachchan retains his ability to keep the audience hooked on his screen presence for the nth time. His acting competition is chiefly from Vijay Raaz and the younger protagonist Ayushmann in that order as the Lucknavi dialect flows easily from the first two stars.

A super performer is Farrukh Jafar as the Begum who stands up to the men and delivers big time. The 2-hr film moves well, despite a sedate beginning and is a great addition to the OTT entertainment which is now slowly gaining centre stage.