Gulaab Gang
Starring: Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla
Rated: 6.5/10
It is not surprising that two women-centric movies have been released when the country is celebrating a week-long International Women’s Day. And there is no better way to celebrate it than watch two women — Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla fight it out. But wait. It is not the usual Suniel Shetty or Sunny Deol movie where the hero yells and generally makes it impossible for the villain to carry out his nefarious activities. However, one can’t rule out the fisty-cuffs and a gang of women in various shades of pink saris chasing the goons with lathis in their hands.
Dixit and Chawla fight it out in the most subtle of ways that Indian cinema has seen in recent times. The clash of the titans is at its best — not physical fights or even dialogues — but the most powerful tool that women have, playing mind games. Each time they meet, and these are very few, one can feel rather than see the animosity the two ladies have for each other.
Chawla, who plays a negative role for the very first time needs to be lauded for her performance. She is more evil than your average goon neta. She is manipulative, conniving, shrewd, knows how the game is played and how to turn things to her advantage. In fact, Chawla completely overshadows Dixit on on all counts.
The Dhak-dhak girl, on the other hand, is a village simpleton who gets swayed into agreeing to anything provided it leads to realisation of her dream — a school in the village. But this doesn’t mean that she doesn’t know who her enemies are or that she has been played. Once the realisation dawns, ‘Rod is God’ rule applies. The stunts done by her are great and the understated acting adds to the overall appeal of the movie.