I am from Lucknow and have heard this in a lyrical style as a kid. The puppetry was a big thing and who knows it may get a kick and revive. I was quite keen on watching the new release on Amazon with the same title. To my little scientific understanding, I do understand that protagonists were the ‘reel life’ Gulabo Sitabo for all the verbal spats and humour. The story starts well, and we are in the alleys of old Lucknow, the camera rolls on, and you are thrown in the crowd, walking beside the paan spat walls, and the humdrum of the vestiges of the tottering haweli and the Luckhnawi tehzeeb.
What worked and what didn’t?
The talaffuz is well, and the details are all spot on. The let-down is the protagonist himself; I wish more work was done on creating the substance, the ‘person’ than the sheer external props, and the undesirable crooked walk. The character was self-centered and twisted, but why do we need to make a person so weird in physicality to justify that? It’s the essence and nuanced acting that was required here, alas! There is a thin line when an artist is portraying a character and pulling a caricature that satisfies few variables based on the location, age and geography.
The saving grace is the old Begum who brings in the charm, the naughtiness and the subtlety. You look at her speaking and can so strongly relate to the old ladies with a submissive fascination with the changing attires and fashion. Ayushmaan Khurana could have been utilized even more and seriously if someone could just ‘let him be’ than ‘make him be’! Vijay Raaz, you have never let us down, and the same goes for Brijendra Kala, and Guddo and the gang are alright to a great extent.
Take home….
A bit more homework on the culture, better acting from the lead actor, I think you know who I am referring? This regurgitating based on the script was avoidable, and I wish we could have a better version! If you can differentiate between a biryani and pulao, I am sure you will understand ahem!
