Chaalis Chauraasi
wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list (?)
A crime-cum-situational comedy that starts out with witty one-liners and some awesome comic timing by the finest of performers fizzles out after the first half hour. A decent basic plot riddled by need for item numbers and long-drawn scenes that make the writers look clueless.
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Chaalis Chauraasi - Preview
Chaalis Chauraasi's trailer says pretty much zilch about the film. You sort-of kind-of make out that the four characters are probably acting like police officers to pull something off. What? We don't know. Our assumption, that they are acting like officers and aren't really cops, is on shaky grounds too. All we know is they have no plan for whatever it is they are planning on doing.
But, and a good enough 'but', it is, what we know is that we have an awesome cast. Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon,¸Atul Kulkarni, and Ravi Kishan. Sure, Ravi Kishan isn't someone you always look forward to but he's entertained every once in a while. That makes it 3.5 out of 4 for actors! And Chaalis Chauraasi supposedly has 26 principal actors.
I haven't seen any of the films by director, Hriday Shetty, but I shall derive my sliver of hope from the fact that he seems to not approve of his step-brother, Rohit Shetty's style of film-making. I'm looking forward to the film based on just these two facts - the cast and a certain peace that there's a chance it won't be like a Shetty film.
It is a week of small films and I have a film festival to look forward to. So, even if it doesn’t work out there might be some other film that will work.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Recall a movie that you've thoroughly enjoyed. Remember the feeling of excited and gleeful anticipation for the next line because you are enjoying every bit of whatever is unfolding in front of you. That would be very close to what I experienced in the first 20-25 minutes of Chaalis Chauraasi. And then I tried to fight the boredom coming from a flat narrative and I lost the battle.
There is still the foursome Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni and Ravi Kishanwho try to keep up the energy and chemistry they had generated earlier on. But their effort has to be too manifold to make up for the deteriorating pace of the narrative.
The downfall starts with the flashbacks of the characters. In hind sight, not only are the backstories a hindrance to the flow, they are also unnecessary. Nothing is made out of those histories in the rest of the film to justify the screen time they eat up.
Same goes for the item numbers. Though they have cute lyrics and it's fun to watch Naseeruddin Shah use his dancing skills in an item song, the variety wears out by the second song. It’s a shame that a director, Hriday Shetty who could be doing better things had to resort to the regular "commercial" modes. At the most, one song can be accepted as a part of the script, the others are all forced.
I know, I could copy-paste the earlier paragraph in almost every review I write (which is why I usually avoid any mention of songs, unless they are extremely good or bad.) But I choose to elaborate here because this film could have hit bull's eye if it were not for such intrusions. It had the cast, the slightly off-center style of direction, the off-beat story going for it. A potentially quick, zany, crisp film has given way for a plot that lost itself on the way to home run.
It’s a shame because there are very few films which have a good story line from start to finish. And Chaalis Chauraasi is one of them. The problem is what they chose to fill it up with. The comedy of errors loses its charm almost as if the dialogue writers lost their inspiration and the director felt over-inspired to elongate every other scene a little more than was necessary to keep the audience interested.
Yet, I'd look forward to Hriday Shetty's next film. It just feels like Chaalis Chauraasi was his attempt at finding his footing. Here's hoping he has.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Martin D' Souza, Glamsham.com : ...The Hawa Hawa and Setting Zala, songs add to the tempo with small flashbacks thrown in to give you the complete picture. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Mayank Shekhar, Hindustan Times : ...The drama is set in stretched real time... full review
Thumbs up, by K N Gupta, SmasHits.com : ...Zakir Hussain and Shweta play their given roles very well and lend support to their co-stars. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...Go, enjoy a refreshing new genre of comedy. ... full review
Thumbs up, by SpiceZee Bureau, Zee News : ...Add to that actors like Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Zakir Hussain and Ravi Kissen, and you have a delectable dose of entertainment even where the recipe is amiss!... full review
So-So, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...However only Rajesh Sharma shines in his small but powerful role and he is really fast emerging as a dependable actor for the directors.... full review
So-So, by Charu Mahesh, Buzz in Town : ...despite the fact that the protagonists churn out a yummy dish sans a sound recipe.... full review
So-So, Daily Bhaskar : ...the plot loses threads due to a dragged screenplay as soon as the writer starts sketching their characters. ... full review
So-So, by Sanjukta Sharma, Live Mint : ...Shah gets the most meaty role and he delivers effortlessly, even charmingly, though he plays Pankaj Suri, a former professor of English who has lost everything because of a past mistake. ... full review
So-So, by Shubha Shetty Saha, MiD DAY : ...The cast is near perfect, especially Naseer as the alcoholic leader of the group and Kulkarni as a failed singer-turned-colourful pimp are brilliant.... full review
So-So, by Mansha Rastogi, Now Running.com : ...he songs except the remix of Hawa Hawa are all needless and tackily shot. ... full review
So-So, by Preeti Arora, Rediff : ...The director takes a huge risk in casting these amazing actors as buddies. If any one of them had tried to outdo the other, the result would have been complete disaster. But these four veterans, with impeccable comic timing, don't just manage to keep us involved they manage to make us laugh. ... full review
So-So, by Ruchi Mehta, Roochster : ...a movie guys will enjoy watching more than girls! ... full review
So-So, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...Two risqué dance numbers that have our not-so-young protagonists shake a leg are unnecessary and jarring. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...But the sequence of events that unfold are of the run of the mill variety... full review
Thumbs down, by Rony D'Costa, Desi Martini : ...ooking at this film I feel he requires a good script and not stars if he really wants to showcase himself as a worthy director.... full review
Thumbs down, by Kshitij, Desi Martini : ...The screenplay is shoddy as it goes back and forth just for the sake of it & thinks that replaying redundant scenes is some stylish way of storytelling.... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepa Deosthalee, Film Impressions : ...Yet, you smile benignly now and then because Naseeruddin Shah is charming in a campy sort of way, Atul Kulkarni has moments of pure insanity that belie his image as a serious performer, Kay Kay Menon displays a canny sense of comic timing and Ravi Kishen proves that whatever film you put him in (Raavan included), he's sure to create an impression... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepa Gahlot, Film Impressions : ...the director goes for a realistic treatment, but then the acting is over the top, some characters are caricatures (Sir’s employers) or plain annoying (the gangsters guarding the stash)... full review
Thumbs down, by Fatema H Kagalwala, India Entertainment : ...The film is a caper film which keeps the narrative run-time as short as a night’s dilemma but includes reels of flashback that doesn’t give the impression of tightness. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...`Chaalis Chaurasi’ is like an empty vessel, which rattles round noisily to no effect. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes : ...The basic premise sounds interesting enough but the actual culprit of this crime-comedy is Yash-Vinay's humdrum writing that fails to excite after the initial reels. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Komal Nahta, koimoi : ...All the four main actors act brilliantly and make the drama more engaging than it is. ... full review
Thumbs down, Movie Talkies : ...The non-linear narrative of the film, with the film starting in the middle of the story, frequently interspersed with cheesy video interviews of the foursome, does little to hold the audiences interest. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Karan Anshuman, Mumbai Mirror : ...In retrospect -because the film has cut back at an interesting point in the first thirty minutes — it’d just have been less tedious if the story were told linearly. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Namrata Joshi, Outlook India : ...Naseer sleepwalks, Kay Kay and Atul ham and Ravi is sleazy as usual... full review
Thumbs down, by Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Reuters : ...Together, the four have a good chemistry on screen and their camaraderie is evident, but Shetty’s direction plays spoilsport. ... full review
Thumbs down, by K K Rai, STARDUST : ...Naseeruddin Shah, one of the finest actors of bollywood who enacts the part of Pankaj Suri alias Sir in the Van, is average at best. But this is not his fault and underutilizing of his talent is visible everywhere.... full review
Thumbs down, by Mr Care, Upper Stall : ...Uninspiring cinematography, amateurish editing, and a background score from Hollywood in the 80s (with a track that goes "this is a hell of a ride" or something to that effect) complete the ruins. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Kunal Guha, yahoo! India : ...It could’ve been way tighter if the director could’ve sacrificed about 12 songs in the final cut but then that would cut down Shweta Bhardwaj’s role by 98%.... full review
sonamshukla: kal mene 4084 police pic dekhi.bhoot achi thi.sadda addda bhi thik thi lik pyaar ka pancchnama.jyada achi thi.
smita_das: Chaalis Chaurasi a fun movie, Kay Kay is jst suberb alng with naseerudn shah. Much betr thn stupid films claimg 2 be 100 crores
SirExtraCheese: Chalis Chaurasi is already been annouced as flop.. ...#epicfail ....it deserves a MUST WATCH tag
Salilacharya: Just saw #4084 .. Really liked the movie ..ravi kissen is hilarious .. And he isn't trying to be so .. Ahhaha lives in my building too
RamaniSumit: In an unrelated news, heading to watch #4084 for the second time :-)
psyturbo: #chaalis chaurasi is off beat humor. totally wht i had expected.. chaos and laughter. atleast nt the typical bollywood movie
parthpunter: 4084 must watch...Atul Kulkarni class apart!!
Nandini_M: Just saw #4084...thoroughly entertaining movie #must watch
mshaikh7: 4/5 Review on Chaalis Chaurasi Movie by ajeet15 : An Honest Attempt http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Chaalis-Chaurasi-Movie-review-axkaonoson via @MouthShut ROD ..!!!!!!
MrPradeepSethi: Democracy mein karta koi aur hai, aur lagti kisi aur ki hai - "Chaalis Chauraasi" - A must watch movie
mr_sukhi: 4084... Awesome movie.. It remember me "Ek chalis ki last local"... Good acting by Naseeruddin & Ravi Kishen...
mithilakulkarni: Nice movie #Chaalis Chaurasi..second half is hilarious, thou first half stretches on a bit
Main_Khuda: Kay Kay Menon + Naseeruddin Shah! FTW! :D #4084
iKapilGupta: Watched #4084 again & liked it again @memyselfshweta
Bh_Harsh: My take on 'Ghost' and 'Chalis Chaurasi' :P do watch the latter! http://anythingbutareview.wordpress.com/ #Ghost #ChalisChaurasi
Bakhtiyar30: Watched "Chaalis Chauraasi" last night. Very entertaining movie. Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Ravi Kissen were very good. Thumbs UP !!
amitagl27: 4084....good movie.....acting....सुभान अल्लाह :-)
vikramsinhnaik: 4084 is saved from mediocrity coz of the starcast..Doesnt bore but nothn gr8..dont kno y tries 2b funny towards end..fun film nonetheless..
JDHISTREET: 3 STARS TO CHAALIS CHSURAASI ---- WORTH A WATCH http://fb.me/19Ot1dZ1S
dgr8onerip: Chaalis chauraasi is a decent one time watch but the actors were under utilized.. It could have been much much better
bapna_raunak: Just saw 'Chalis Chaurasi'. Not quite the Naseer-ud-din Shah types. Entertaining flick, nonetheless.
vivek_kt: A pornographic movie will have a better story and execution than Chaalis Chauraasi which I watched last evening.
tcajayant: Just wasted 2 hours on the worst movie ever - #4084 aka chaalis chauraasi.
roushan84: 4084-It ok if you happen to watch or if u are a fan of the lead actors.. if you still haven't, better stay away.. :D
rmanish1: 4084 is very average and thandi film @Navjotalive
Navjotalive: 4084 Could have been a brilliant film if not for the lazy writing by the same writers who gave us..hold ur breath. CASH!!!!! #enoughsaid
JokesDostiEtc: #SaddaAdda was actually more entertaining than #4084 ..which shows that experienced actors like naseer and KK can do bad movies too
extendulkar: 4084 the. movie is like this Indian tour of Australia.. makes people wonder whether senor guys like Naseer shudder retire
No readers have rated this movie yet.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: Lots of shooting
- Language: Use of foul language a few times.
- Nudity & Sexual content: Sleazy bar dances and many references/direct mentions of cheating/prostitution etc.
- Concept: 4 criminals get together to commit a crime together and a comedy of errors occurs.
- General Look and Feel: Not your regular bright comic texture. More on the sepia/darker side.
![[Facebook page of Chaalis Chauraasi]](/static/images/icons/facebook_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Wikipedia page of Chaalis Chauraasi]](/static/images/icons/wiki_small.png){kind=icon}
![[IMDB Page of Chaalis Chauraasi]](/static/images/icons/imdb_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Naseeruddin Shah twitter account]](/static/images/icons/twitter_small.png){kind=icon}
Comments (1)
A good movie needs a good story and damn good actors to get successful. and I think Chaalis Chauraasi got all the masala a perfect bollywood film should have. Characters played by Naseeruddin Shah and Atul Kulkarni seems interesting. Sometime some unexpected movies win the race and Chaalis Chauraasi seems one of those. Good work done by Director Hriday Shetty.
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