‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns’ Critics Review: A Worth Watching Sequel

"Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns" is a Bollywood romantic thriller drama film. Tigmanshu Dhulia's directorial is a sequel to his 2011 flick "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster". While Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill are reprising their roles, Irrfan Khan and Soha Ali Khan are new additions to the cast.

The film has received mixed to positive reviews from critics upon its release.

Here is what critics had to say about the film:

Ananya Bhattacharya of Zee News said: "There are times when you are so overwhelmed by a film that you need some time for it to sink in. This is one such film. Director Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster Returns' is nothing short of a miracle. It pervades the senses, lets you clutch your sides out of laughter, leaves you in tears, makes you gape at it in wonder - all in a mere span of 145 minutes. And that bit of time too flies away at an indescribable pace. Before one knows, 'Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster Returns' captures one to the limit of their last blink, mesmerises one and leaves them with a plethora of inexpressible emotions. If its prequel 'Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster' was a terrific film, this one is twofold so. Or maybe manifold.

"Tigmanshu Dhulia's film is a call to the masses to return to the real India of the hinterland; the place where earthy, solid stories exist. Places where the women can unabashedly say, "Hume mard hi kyu milte hai... Shayar kyun nahi milte!" (Why do we get just men... why not poets!)

"Four stars from me for Tigmanshu Dhulia's masterpiece. Do NOT miss this one!"

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said: "SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS is a sequel in the truest sense. The backdrop of aristocracy remains integral. But romance is notches higher this time. Also, politics, jealousy, revenge, betrayal and deceit are integrated in the screenplay, besides drama and sensuality, of course. However, unlike the first part, sensuality is toned down considerably this time. Ready for fireworks? 

"Tigmanshu is synonymous with power-packed drama and he transports you to the forefront of the murky political games people play in SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS. The gluttony for power is evident at the commencement itself and the venomous games these characters play add effectiveness to the premise. Rest assured, even if you haven't watched the first part, you are likely to absorb the story like a sponge because the raconteur is narrating a brand new account this time, while retaining the characters/setting of the first part. 

"On the whole, SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS is a twisted tale with a riveting first hour and inconsistent post-interval portions. This film may not be Tigmanshu Dhulia's finest work, but it has moments that prove his supremacy as a storyteller. Watch it for the intriguing characters and terrific performances!"

Mukul Kr. Sharma of Koimoi.com said: "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns kicks off from the same note where its prequel was put off. Saheb (Jimmy Shergill) and his shadow Kanhaiya (Deepraj Rana) survive the murderous attempt on their life by Babloo (Randeep Hooda). As put in Saheb's words, "Hum jee rahe hain. Makbara nahi huye hain abhi tak." Though Saheb is left crippled by the attack, he is determined to get back on his feet at the earliest.

"Tigmanshu Dhulia sure knows his audiences. The script has twists unrolling at a pace which will certainly keep the audience's interests alive till the movie ends. Different from movies where one can simply predict scenes, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns will surprise you more than just once. The dialogues are indeed a treat to the ears. It is witty yet simple in its own way. For one "Aap chaahte ho na yeh jung ho. Hogi! Ghamaasaan Hogi! Aapki Kasam!" will make you swoon over Irrfan Khan.

"Bored of the regular masala flick which almost every other new release turns out to be? Try Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns. You are sure to enjoy the insanity."

Gaurav Malani of The Times of India said: "Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns is one of the quickest made sequels in Bollywood. Moreover it isn't typically thematic in treatment like almost all sequels but takes the characters and chronicle from the prequel ahead. One wonders then if the film is more of a commercial consideration but the tag of Tigmanshu Dhulia that comes along gives a certain sense of assurance on content. And while the sequel may not be as imaginative and immaculate as the original, it remains true to the genre and holds enough promise of its own.

"Overlook a few technical tortuousness and you certainly don't mind returning to Saheb Biwi aur Gangster under Dhulia's direction. As for another swift sequel, the story continues to have, both, possibility and potential!"   

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV said: "A revenge drama with a dash of political satire and a double love triangle dovetailed into a dark thriller, writer-director Tigmanshu Dhulia's follow-up to Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster is an intense, effervescent and eventually melancholic film. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns is littered with many such allusions to the ground realities of the land. It isn't, however, just a political film. 

"The feudal power structure is the scaffolding around which the director builds a tale of individuals who are too hopelessly out of touch with the nation's democratic norms to really care about, let alone understand, what they might be losing out on.

"You are talking like a democrat," the saheb protests vehemently when a fellow royal dithers on the former's offer to take the latter's daughter as his second wife. "I am a King. I can afford an extra wife." You cannot miss the delicious irony of the situation when the same "King" asserts that the government may have divested him of his powers, but his regal traits can never be snatched away from him. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns is a story of lust and lies, power and pelf, and lost glory and desperate measures that plays out in a strangely neutral milieu where political affiliations really do not matter and elections are only referred to in stray snatches of dialogue.

"As for the film as a whole, there can be no room for any doubt. It is recommended unequivocally."