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Critic Review
Gulabo Sitabo (2020) GULABO SITABO is the story of the rivalry between a tenant and a landlord. Mirza Chunnan Nawab (Amitabh Bachchan), 78, is married to Fatima Begum (Farrukh Jafar), who is nearly 17 years older to him. Begum owns more-than-a-century-old palatial mansion called Fatima Mahal in Lucknow, where she resides. But since she is quite old and also a bit delusional, Mirza takes care of the haveli. A part of Fatima Mahal is given to tenants, one of whom is Baankey Rastogi (Ayushmann Khurrana). Baankey’s family has been residing in the haveli as tenants since ages and Mirza now wants to drive Baankey and his family out since they are paying merely Rs. 30 as monthly rent. Mirza’s demand to increase the rent always meets with a stiff resistance from Baankey, further infuriating the former. In the absence of finances, Mirza is not even able to renovate the haveli and it’s in a completely dilapidated condition. The condition is so bad that a mere kick of Baankey leads to breaking of a toilet wall. Mirza demands that Baankey pay for the damages while Baankey makes it clear that maintenance is the responsibility of the landlord. The matter reaches the cops who tell them to take this dispute to civil court. At the police station, Gyanesh Shukla (Vijay Raaz) from the archaeology department overhears their commotion. He follows them and realizes that Fatima Mahal is a heritage property. He starts to click pictures secretly but Baankey catches him red-handed. Gyanesh however tells him and other tenants that the haveli is of heritage value and can also collapse anytime. He recommends that they allow Fatima Mahal to be handed over to their department who’ll then renovate it and convert it into a museum. In return, he’ll give them a decent-sized flat with all amenities. Mirza, on the other hand, meets a lawyer, Christopher Clarke (Brijendra Kala) who suggests that the former should sell off the mansion to solve the problems of the tenants once and for all. In the bargain, he’ll also get a handsome amount. However, it is Begum who owns the property and moreover, her siblings might also have ownership. As a result, Mirza sets off to find out who all from Begum’s side are alive and if they can give him a No-Objection Certificate over selling the mansion. What happens next forms the rest of the film..
Indiatoday.in  (Aug 29, 2020)
Rating:  3.5/5

Gulabo Sitabo was supposed to have a theatre release. But owing to the coronavirus crisis, went for an OTT premiere instead. It works in Shoojit's favour that this film renders itself beautifully to small-screen viewing..

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Rediff.com  (Aug 29, 2020)
Rating:  3.5/5

The course of its parable doesn't always run smooth, but the aftermath of sadness it leaves behind comes from a place of truth..

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Ndtv.com  (Aug 29, 2020)
Rating:  3.5/5

rhythms of the place right - it is a city fluctuating between an unhurried pace and sudden bursts of activity. When somebody, with all the civility at her command, says to Mirza "Aainda apni shakal dikhane ki taqleef na karein (Never take the trouble o.

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Bollywoodhungama.com  (Aug 29, 2020)
Rating:  3/5

On the whole, GULABO SITABO is a decent entertainer for home viewing. Despite the lack of humour and an average script, the film works majorly because of the performances, the Lucknow setting and the twist in the end..

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Indianexpress.com  (Aug 29, 2020)
Rating:  2/5

I missed the zest, the drollness and sharpness, that Chaturvedi’s writing is so full of. Some of that edge shows up in the way the women, old and young, are etched, all happily themselves, never at a loss for words: you wish they had more to do. The nam.

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Timesofindia.indiatimes.com  (Aug 29, 2020)
Rating:  3.5/5

Shoojit Sircar’s ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ cherry-picks one of the seven deadly sins, greed, as its central theme and tells an appealing tale through two quarrelsome but headstrong characters. The message is short and simple: that it’s okay to desire a lot .

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Rated 3.1666666666667 6
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