So Newton is out of the Oscar race. You just dissembled the pangs of your broken heart with a smile for this political satire. Take heart, there’s another ‘social’ movie starring Amitabh Bachchan and Gulshan Grower, that is going to hit the screens today. It may not be as good as Newton but it definitely qualifies for the ‘so bad it’s good’ category.
Someone had rightly said years ago, that there are three kinds of films - good, bad and Gunda. No worthy cult followup has been able to dethrone it. Are you trying to fill the Gunda-shaped void in your life? The Great Leader should be your poison. Dubbed in Hindi from Bhojpuri, it is produced by Bachchan’s longstanding make-up man of about 45 years, Deepak Sawant.
It also reunites Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan on the big screen after their guest appearance in 2016’s Ki and Ka. Tackling the subject of ‘women empowerment’ lines like "Sex sex sex! Chhee! Sex ke baare mein nahi success ke baare mein socho!" and “Nati Sikhaye Nana Ko Kaise Hoe Suhagrat?” seem well, felicitous? These can easily replace all the Bulla references in your lingo.
The loud posturing, Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan looking on, in what look like scenes filmed separately - well everything is pure gold. And with Gulshan Grower in the picture, we can perhaps expect some gratuitous violence too. Accept it! PadMan may be here soon but you’ve missed the BadMan!
We can read your thoughts. Why did Big B do this? This interview where a doting Deepak Sawant sits next to Bachchan with a chest swelling with pride and a cheshire cat grin, has all the answers. Let’s not be so condescending. A film like this one requires a distinct skill set and is ‘art’ of a different kind.
Deepak Sawant has also produced films Ganga Devi, Gangotri and Ganga. Hope this film has the ‘guilty pleasure’ quotient of the trailer!
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