Gulaab Gang

Plot synopsis:
The Gulaab Gang members are activists and vigilantes in Bundelkhand Uttar and Madhya Pradesh. They wear pink sarees and take up issues like domestic violence, the dowry system, rape, electricity matters, and education. Their fierce leader, Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit), locks horns with a conniving and shrewd politician, Sumitra Bagrecha (Juhi Chawla), who uses people.
Rajjo runs a Gulaab gang in the village of Madhopur, where she teaches little girls their alphabet, and grown-up girls how to wield a lathi. Her gang is made up of women who wear bright pink. Rajjo's closest friends in the gang are a tomboy (Divya Jagdale), a woman abandoned by her husband (Tannishtha Chatterjee), and a kohl-eyed woman (Priyanka Bose). These ladies go about standing up for the meek and the downtrodden, and clash against villainous husbands, cops and politicians. The plot gains momentum when Rajjo decides to take part in the local elections against a manipulative and conniving politician, Sumitra Devi (Juhi Chawla). Sumitra does her best to make sure Rajjo is incapacitated during election campaigns by having most of her gang members killed by the henchmen. Towards the end, Rajjo decides to take revenge against Sumitra. During Holi celebrations, when Sumitra conspires to finish off the Gulaab Gang, Rajjo retaliates by chopping off Sumitra Devi's hand as the latter tries to shoot the gang with a machine gun. At the end, Sumitra is arrested and is sentenced to life in prison and Rajjo is also arrested for her violent retribution. However, Rajjo eventually realises her dream of establishing a school for unprivileged girls.

Tags: revenge, violence

Review:
First, i would like to appreciate the director for making movie on gulabi gang.
After watching the movie i started surfing online about gulabi gang and it's leader sampat pal.
when it comes to the movie,you may watch it once for madhuri and juhi.
Soumik Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' released amidst some controversy especially the lawsuit it faced from real Gulabi Gang leader Sampat Pal. After seeing this mess of a film I completely understand why.
Of course, when the lead actress Madhuri Dixit describes it as her 'Dabangg' (another overrated awful movie) one pretty much knows what to expect: that this wouldn't be a film that intends to depict the Gulabi Gang and tell their story but just another meaningless good versus evil 'masala' flick masquerading as something that depicts and supports women's rights.
Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' (should have been titled Madhuri's Gang) are all good looking thin women with nice makeup.
This film was supposed to be about the real Gulabi Gang and not Madhuri the hero.
The tongue in cheek dialogue appears forced at times.The only interesting thing about the movie are the Sumitra's sequences especially those with Rajjo.
She's clearly a sociopath who's managed to get away with so much all those years.And of course, Juhi Chawla is transcendent as she steals every scene and is the only reason why the film is even watchable (despite limited screen time).
Soumik sen casts female protagonists: a vigilante group leader Rajjo and a power-hungry politician Sumitra Devi, as the horn-locking leads and delivers a sucker punch.
Bolstered by a terrific supporting ensemble (Divya Jagdale, Priyanka Bose, a mellow Tannishta Chatterjee, and all the guys) the two leads stand tall and deliver the goods like only they can.
She nails those dialogues in close-ups, absolutely convinces in action sequences (who wants to watch a CGI overloaded 300 sequel when you see some awesome, well contextualised wire-fights right here!) but what still haunts me, much after the screening's finished, is how she had completely internalised Rajjo's crusade for education.
So getting over with its weaker points first, the film's basic plot is now widely known to all after the recent controversy over its title and the court case filed by the original Gulaabi Gang's leader Smt. Sampat Pal. A well made documentary on the amazing social work by this famous women group was released just a few days back.
And though the film is not entirely based on the real life facts, still it is quite evident from where the idea has been borrowed for its basic theme.Directed by Soumik Sen, GULAAB GANG is a sheer commercial adaptation of a serious mission wherein the women power is shown in full force with some well directed confrontation and action sequences along with many punchy dialogues.
Also including a clearly forced HOLI song in the final moments, in which Madhuri starts singing and dancing right after a pretty serious sequence in an utterly silly manner.
So mainly due to this worst feature of the film (i.e. the songs), GULAAB GANG fails to make that desired impact which could have easily been achieved with just a theme song being played repeatedly.The film begins at a very lazy pace coming to the point after a long introduction and the entertaining tension actually commences, once Juhi Chawla enters the scene with her cunning smile.
The reason is that yes GULAAB GANG turns out to be a clear masala interpretation of a relevant theme as expected, yet it gives you something unique and entertaining in few of its well conceived sequences focusing on the powerful clashes between the two veterans i.e. Juhi Chawla and Madhuri Dixit, executed like never before.
Plus the pleasantly shocking Juhi replying to Madhuri's every move with just a playful, teasing smile like a typical shrewd politician.In fact here I would like to admit that though the project was widely promoted as a Madhuri Dixit film in its entire promotional campaign and print advertisements.
Hence as an exciting surprise, here we have the beautiful Juhi in a completely new negative avatar played real well, offering a lot more than the viewer's expectations from the talented actress.
In other words, where Madhuri's decent attempt struggles to make an instant connect due to her mixed language (accent) or all meaningless songs (dances), there Juhi takes the full advantage of this unintentional flaw and emerges as a clear winner in this on screen contest evidently.Now if truth be told then the only person responsible for this visible imbalance in the two key portrayals is the music composer residing inside the body of the director only, who forced him to put so many songs & dance numbers into the film, which actually weakened the entire aura around Madhuri's strong character of a revolting lady ultimately.
In other words, if only this film was made with just a theme song and stressing more upon the balanced depiction of both the clashing characters thoughtfully, it would have surely become a gem of a trendsetter in all possibilities, as it seems.Technically speaking, GG has a splendid camera-work complementing the enjoyable actions sequences of the film superbly and one really keeps waiting for all the tension filled scenes of Madhuri-Juhi together, eagerly.
All the men featuring in their various negative roles are fine, especially the one playing the local politician forced to face the cruel humiliation.In short, do give GULAAB GANG a chance, especially for the two veterans clashing with each other like never before and I am sure you would not regret the decision made, celebrating this year's Women's Day with Madhuri and Juhi together..
Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla shines in this messy political drama..
The early 90's of Bollywood was ruled by gorgeous and talented Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla,Karisma Kapoor who set the screen on fire with their charisma and versatility in acting.
Gulab Gang will blow your mind with powerhouse performance by Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.
Rajjo ( played by Madhuri) leads the gang and fights for crime against women.
The movie is exceptional in the first half with few moments like introduction scenes of Madhuri and Juhi , confrontation between them and shutting down then entire office of local office are definitely applauding.
You will probably remember Juhi Chawla as chirpy and bubbly next-door-girl characters she played in various film but you will be taken in for surprise as she plays the negative role with aplomb.
She emotes expressively through her eyes with devilish charm.Overall, decent flick where Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla shines in this political drama.
RodIjGod. Watch it for the superior women empowerment it covers and terrific performances by Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla!.
Although GULAAB GANG raises a strong voice against years of patriarchal pain and suffering -- one might assume it tilts towards art-house cinema -- the fact of the matter is, Soumik presents the classic conflict between good and evil like any other masala film, replete with high-voltage drama, song-and-dance routine and of course, action sequences.
Additionally, the bravura performances of Madhuri and Juhi add immense weightage to the film.
Madhuri's Gulaab Gang is a film about two key things:1) Women's situation in India and how women can change their fate - through education 2) Good is always > Evil; no matter how 'sexy' doing evil things and saying bad things lookMadhuri Dixit reflected and stood for "Good" and she succeeds in it !
No body I mean no body could have done justice to this role in Indian cinema.Her acting will make you cry, feel proud, and also stand up for other women...Gulaab Gang is a great movie, a must watch for every Indian...
But Gulaab Gang is the only movie where one woman - Rajjo, does everything from acting to singing to dancing to fighting...and it is our greatest actress Madhuri Dixit who portrays this role to the T.She stands for good, fights for good and succeeds in being good - it is a classic tale of good vs.
bad and one more reminder to all of us that we should always tread on the righteous path.That is the message conveyed by the director and Madhuri proves it once again that there is no other actor that can portray this character with such poise and elegance.Make no mistake, even the supporting cast has done a good job.
The protagonist, played by Madhuri Dixit is a very impressive character.
Gulaab Gang - A Special Gift to Indian Women from India's Darling - Madhuri Dixit.
You won't be disappointed !Madhuri Dixit, India's biggest female superstar ever plays the role of a courageous and righteous woman he fights for justice and education, specially girl child.
She faces struggles and hurdles in her way but she triumphs in the end.Madhuri performs outstandingly well - she emotes, expresses, fights, dances, sings and does everything you can imagine in this movie.
The supporting cast including the villain complements Madhuri well and you enjoy the conversations..Direction is OK; Dialogues are good in particular the one's spoken by Rajjo, the lead actor; Choreography is good; Sound mixing is superb and action is outstanding !Go for it guys...proud to be father of three girls...and Madhuri is a true inspiration...Kudos to her !.
Madhuri Dixit's portrayal does a greater impact on-screen, while I am disappointed with Juhi Chawla who decided to flash her white pearls throughout the movie defining a stupid air as a minister.While the action sequences are good enough to entertain, the writing is flawed.
Needless to say, this movie is a must watch for everyone who enjoy good cinema.
Although I planned to watch the movie only for the film's protagonist Madhuri Dixit, I was in for a big surprise.
Madhuri and Juhi do tremendous justice to their roles; but the supporting cast takes the movie to the next level.
Nevertheless, it was a treat to watch Madhuri shake a leg.All in all, an entertaining and enriching movie..
GULAAB GANG is a political thriller directed by Soumik Sen, starring Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.The film revolves around how a woman named Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit) started the Gulaabi Gang, who fight to prevent injustice to women, and teach education to children for free.
That being said, the film was only recognized due to the fact that two of the most iconic actresses in Bollywood were sharing the big screen together.And Gulaab Gang pretty much delivered what we expected in terms of acting.
Madhuri Dixit gave a stellar performance but Juhi Chawla clearly overpowers her, playing the film's antagonist.
One more problem was that Juhi Chawla didn't quite have much screen time compared to Madhuri Dixit.
That being said, she is STILL able to overpower Dixit's acting, but there should have been equal screen time for both the lead casts.
Also, the film tends to be a bit slow, so everyone may not like it for the way it drags its story.So, in conclusion, GULAAB GANG is quite an okay movie.
If you're a die hard fan of Madhuri Dixit or Juhi Chawla, you too might enjoy, purely because the acting keeps this film together.
however, it being dedicated to Women's Day, I will give this film credit for trying to get the message through that women are people and not objects, except in a more violent way to attract all types of audiences.GULAAB GANG- 5.5/10.
gulaab gang is a commercial film,stated soumik sen,but yet it is still intelligent then silly blockbuster and more real to be called commercial,the most violent portrayal of women in Indian cinema,and goddess avatar of our superheroine madhuri dixit,and no way less devilicious chawla, who is tough to fight with.its not a MAIN HOO NAARI type preachy parable,but a social drama about rural women fighting not for liberalisation,but their existence indeed.
its a shame that some male chauvinistic critics have shunned it, who could not digest womens performing hand to hand action sequences, music and background score is classical and folk,and is for different taste,if u r not fond of women centric films,still u can enjoy,bcoz madhuri n juhi r true heroes of GULAAB GANG..
Gulaab Gang is a typical movie with nothing unpredictable and unexpected.
Yes the songs, dance, the gang all are enjoyable and must be watched for entertainment but not as a technically powerful film.New experience to watch two great artists on the same screen, not a big deal though but yet it can serve to aware a tiny tiny fraction of usual folks by a tiny amount to look towards corruption, social injustice and have a hope for something better that is about to come ahead after getting acknowledged about women who are shining in adverse situation..
The acting skills of Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla are well suited to the overall plot.
Madhuri Dixit was too inspirational but the action sequence filmed on her gave a bit clumsy and super hero touch that looked a bit out of reality.
The film is dedicated to women empowerment and nothing could have been a better gift for women on this "Women Day" than "Gulaab Gang".
Therefore, the filmmaker has no choice but to stick to the basic storyline and extract extremely good performances from the star cast to be able to hold the viewers' attention and this is precisely where Gulab Gang fails miserably.
Yes, even with two good box office bets of yesteryears – Madhuri Dixit & Juhi Chawla.The script demanded dialogue delivery of typical Hindi belt.
It is difficult to comprehend why Juhi was given such rustic dialogues when she was so ill at ease delivering them.Coming to Madhuri Dixit, well, sadly for her fans even she couldn't do much to save her Gang.
Cases in point, Smita Patil in Mirch Masala, Meenakshi Sheshadri in Damini, Tabu in Chandani Bar, Vidya Balan in Kahaani and Madhuri herself in Mrityudand (arguably her best performance) and Lajja.Another thing not understood is why it is a prerequisite even in a movie based on a serious/real topic to cast an actress with a beautiful face (even at the cost of acting).
To rule out one thing upfront - except for the Pink saris there isn't much similar between Gulaab Gang and Sampat Pal's life who has been going all out to oppose the release of this film.
That however, is not a good sign for the dramatisation of events in Anubhav Sinha's Gulaab Gang is what takes this film to unfathomable lows of boredom.
Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit) is a messiah for unfortunate or suppressed women who not only provides for basic schooling for girls but also runs a gang of pink sari clad women called Gulaab Gang to stand up against the atrocities on downtrodden women.
In a typically hero vs villain plot, the battle begins between the two women, and needless to mention it's the good that wins in the end.Soumik Sen takes a different approach towards addressing women issues in the Indian heartland but in the bid dramatises the plot to make the film appear extremely boring and banal.
Who would've though actors like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla would come together for the first time after years for a film as indolently written as this?
Both leading ladies appear miscast for a film that requires women who don't get on board with an image that may be far too strong for them to fit into a character that realistic.
However, even at that, it's Juhi Chawla who outshines Madhuri in this film.
There are way too many numbers in the movie which is supposed to be hardhitting and it isn't quite a convincing sight to watch a gang leader such as Rajjo break into jigs or croon away to glory.
After a lot of hype and hoopla, Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla's first film together, Gulaab Gang has finally arrived.
Madhuri and especially Juhi in her first villainous role have given their career best performances in this film.
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.
The film is actually quite entertaining and both Madhuri and Juhi are in their top form here.
Gulaab Gang excels as a movie with empowered women in the lead..
Juhi Chawla as politician Sumitra Devi, in her very first villainous character is very convincing.
The supporting cast Divya Jagdale, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Priyanka Bose, Lata S Singh, Vinitha Menon, Rani Patel, Tanvi Rao are all good and convincing as Gulaab Gang members.
The director Saumik Sen has portrayed Gulaab gang in an excellent manner.
Madhuri Dixit has given voice to a song Rangi Saari Gulaabi.Gulaab Gang, a perfect treat on the eve of International Women's Day..
When the film was announced it caught my attention as it brought together Juhi and Madhuri who never worked together till date.
Also the topic seems bold however the director opts to make it a mix between masala and realism There are too many dance numbers yet the problems and also several dramatic scenes are brilliantly handled, The clash between Juhi and Madhuri is interesting Another problem is that a documentary called Gulaabi Gang was released few weeks before which showed more realistically the story that mars the impact.Direction is decent Music is okay but too many songs and they do look out of placeMadhuri Dixit is fab in the role that demanded an actress, she is superb though her accent may not be 100% but her expressions and acting is spot on Juhi Chawla for the first time in a negative role is simply outstanding, she makes you forget the Juhi we know Divya Jagdale seen in small roles in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam(Ajay's sister) and other films is simply outstanding, Priyanka Bose and others are good.
That shows the kind of lows human beings have fallen to...No surprise there...yet there will always be very few people who will like such movies and cherish them...Go for good ...