Gulabo Sitabo

Gulabo Sitabo

Year: 2020

Runtime: 124 mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Shoojit Sircar

Echo Score: 70
ComedyDramaCrude humor and satireBollywood emotional dramasShow All…

Gulabo Sitabo is a comedic social satire set in modern-day Lucknow, India. The story revolves around Mirza Chunnan Nawab, an eccentric old man residing in a crumbling mansion, and Bankey Rastogi, one of his tenants. Their unusual relationship and the events unfolding within the decaying house form the heart of this quirky and humorous tale.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Gulabo Sitabo (2020)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Gulabo Sitabo (2020). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Lucknow, Fatima Mahal

Fatima Mahal sits in Lucknow's old city, a run-down mansion with tenants occupying its rooms. The crumbling walls and crowded living spaces reflect the tension between long-standing owners and their poorer residents. Lucknow's blend of old-world culture and modern development pressures provides a backdrop for the property dispute at the heart of the story.

🏛️ Historic city 🏚️ Dilapidated Fatima Mahal 🧭 Urban development pressure

Last Updated: October 14, 2025 at 04:02

Main Characters – Gulabo Sitabo (2020)

Meet the key characters of Gulabo Sitabo (2020), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Chunnan 'Mirza' Nawab

The stingy, scheming owner of Fatima Mahal, Mirza treats the mansion and its tenants as opportunities for personal gain. He resents Begum's independence and views the property as his inheritance to control. His pursuit of wealth drives him to manipulate heirs, forge documents, and attempt to evict everyone. His cleverness is shadowed by greed, which blinds him to consequences.

💰 Greed 🕰️ Old-world arrogance

Baankey Rastogi

A poor tenant who runs a wheat mill shop and lives with his mother and three sisters. He is quick-witted but financially strapped, always failing to pay overdue rent. His temper flares at Mirza's harassment, sparking a chain of events. Eventually he teams up with others to resist the threats to their homes.

💸 Financial struggle

Fatima Begum

Owner of Fatima Mahal, a woman 17 years older than Mirza who holds the property's fate in her hands. She embodies independence and agency within a chaotic household. Her move to elope with her lover and sell the mansion foreshadows the twist that preserves the building as heritage, leaving Mirza and Baankey without their original plans.

👩‍💼 Property owner

Gyanesh Shukla

An archaeologist working for the government who sees historic value in Fatima Mahal. He pushes to declare the site a heritage property and to vacate tenants under the banner of preservation. His plans catalyze the conflict, pitting heritage against the tenants' livelihoods.

🏺 Heritage

Christopher Clarke

A local lawyer hired by Mirza to secure ownership through inheritance. He forges fingerprints and tries to broker a sale to a developer. He introduces Munmun Singh and uses clever legal moves to advance Mirza's interests, showing a pragmatic, morally ambiguous side.

⚖️ Legal manipulation

Munmun Singh

A wealthy builder-developer who arrives with a plan to demolish Fatima Mahal and build a modern housing complex. He represents the push of development against established residents. He offers money to the tenants and to Mirza as part of the proposed deal.

🏗️ Development

Abdul Rehman

Begum's old lover who reappears as the buyer of the mansion for a nominal rupee, a twist that preserves the property from Mirza's grasp. His appearance reframes the fate of Fatima Mahal within the community.

🕊️ Love history

Last Updated: October 14, 2025 at 04:02

Major Themes – Gulabo Sitabo (2020)

Explore the central themes of Gulabo Sitabo (2020), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚖️ Law & Inheritance

Legal maneuvering over ownership and inheritance drives the plot. Forged fingerprints and strategic filings show how law can be bent to serve personal greed. The conflict centers on who has rightful claim to Fatima Mahal and how tenants are affected by power.

💸 Greed

Mirza's obsession with money and control over the mansion exposes how greed can corrode relationships. The pursuit of a lump-sum payoff pits self-interest against the welfare of tenants. The narrative uses wit to critique avarice within a domestic setting.

🏗️ Heritage vs Development

Developers and archaeologists collide with historic tenants when the site is deemed a heritage property. The plan to demolish and replace the mansion tests loyalties and reveals the social costs of modernization. The film uses this clash to explore what a community values as heritage.

Last Updated: October 14, 2025 at 04:02

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Gulabo Sitabo Summary

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Gulabo Sitabo Summary

Gulabo Sitabo Timeline

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Gulabo Sitabo Timeline

Gulabo Sitabo Spoiler-Free Summary

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Gulabo Sitabo Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Gulabo Sitabo

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