As a brooding Sanjay Dutt stares into the screen with violence, his voice reminds the viewer 'Mere baare me jo bhi suna hoga, bura hi suna hoga' [Whatever you may have heard of me will only be bad]. It is an eerie coincidence to his own story unfolding in theatres through Rajkumar Hirani's biopic, Sanju (2018), this week. However, the actor himself returns to stake his claim as the eponymous gangster in the third instalment of Tigmanshu Dhulia's franchise, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 (2018).
The trailer begins with a hooded Dutt lording it overseas over Mafiosi, forcing them to kill themselves. Back home, his brother, Jimmy Sheirgill, returns as the Saheb, trying to reclaim his position in the kingdom. The actor looks to have found a balance to playing the rude and arrogant erstwhile nawab. His key opponent in the political game is his wife, played by Mahie Gill. As she charms and seduces both brothers against each other to earn her own political superiority, the two are plotting against her. There are other players too, like Chitrangada Singh, who plays the love interest of Dutt's character to add intrigue to the game.
While a lot more stylish and choreographed than the previous films, the latest trailer seems to suggest a lack of visceral intensity that defined Dhulia's project. While the trailer manages to deliver a teasing glimpse of the politics and personal hubris, it seems to have given way for Dutt's stardom. The actor rampages the screen at the end as the shotgun wearing gangster, shooting his way through a battle. Whether Dhulia's film sticks to its personal machinations or gives way to the commercial element remains to be seen. However, Sheirgill seems to have a more active presence in the trailer suggesting a more dominant character in this instalment.
The film will be released on 27 July.