After a lot of hype and hoopla, Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla's first film together, Gulaab Gang has finally arrived. To watch the two iconic actresses of the 90s coming together might seem like a dream come true for many, it did that for me at least.
Gulaab Gang completely rests on the able shoulders of these two ladies. Madhuri and especially Juhi in her first villainous role have given their career best performances in this film. I was petrified at how well Juhi has succeeded in portraying an out-and-out negative role for the first time in her career. She proves that one does not have to be loud in order to appear menacing. The way she arches her eyebrows and smiles sardonically makes her appear all the more threatening whenever she is about to do something terrible. Her face off scenes with Madhuri, especially the climax scene where only one of them can survive are brilliant. Juhi Chawla takes coldness and villainy to a whole new level in Gulaab Gang.
Madhuri does an equally brilliant job as the hardened leader of a girls' gang who is always ready to fight injustice. One of the best scenes of the movie is when Madhuri along with her protégé goes to a college in order to collect funds for a school she is planning to set up for the needy children. The way she asks the students whether they can introduce a course on hunger management for those children who can't afford to eat at all is wonderfully etched. Her action scenes are mind- blowing and she dances and even sings like a dream.
However, I feel the script could have been well written as there are several loopholes in the plot. The gang breaking out into a song every now and then does stick out like a sore thumb in an issue-driven film like this and the climax seems too sudden and forceful that the impact could not even be felt. I guess it has to do a lot with the fact that it is Soumik Sen's first directorial venture. He fails to give the movie a more proper climax.
I am quite baffled by the mixed reviews that this film got. The film is actually quite entertaining and both Madhuri and Juhi are in their top form here. I guess Sampat Pal disputing that the film is actually based on her life created a lot of bad publicity for the film. Otherwise, it's a brilliantly made film with stellar performances from the two female superstars of Bollywood.
Gulaab Gang completely rests on the able shoulders of these two ladies. Madhuri and especially Juhi in her first villainous role have given their career best performances in this film. I was petrified at how well Juhi has succeeded in portraying an out-and-out negative role for the first time in her career. She proves that one does not have to be loud in order to appear menacing. The way she arches her eyebrows and smiles sardonically makes her appear all the more threatening whenever she is about to do something terrible. Her face off scenes with Madhuri, especially the climax scene where only one of them can survive are brilliant. Juhi Chawla takes coldness and villainy to a whole new level in Gulaab Gang.
Madhuri does an equally brilliant job as the hardened leader of a girls' gang who is always ready to fight injustice. One of the best scenes of the movie is when Madhuri along with her protégé goes to a college in order to collect funds for a school she is planning to set up for the needy children. The way she asks the students whether they can introduce a course on hunger management for those children who can't afford to eat at all is wonderfully etched. Her action scenes are mind- blowing and she dances and even sings like a dream.
However, I feel the script could have been well written as there are several loopholes in the plot. The gang breaking out into a song every now and then does stick out like a sore thumb in an issue-driven film like this and the climax seems too sudden and forceful that the impact could not even be felt. I guess it has to do a lot with the fact that it is Soumik Sen's first directorial venture. He fails to give the movie a more proper climax.
I am quite baffled by the mixed reviews that this film got. The film is actually quite entertaining and both Madhuri and Juhi are in their top form here. I guess Sampat Pal disputing that the film is actually based on her life created a lot of bad publicity for the film. Otherwise, it's a brilliantly made film with stellar performances from the two female superstars of Bollywood.