Media Magick

Yasir Nawaz is one of those filmmakers who are consistently supporting the Pakistani Cinema by producing films since 2015; with Wrong No. he debuted as the filmmaker and then in his second venture Mehrunisa V Lub U he faced quite a backlash from the audience and critics but his third venture Wrong No. 2 was a giant leap as a filmmaker, actor and writer. The good thing about Nawaz is that he teamed up with different actors in most of his films, in the film industry like Pakistan’s, it is worth appreciating to work with new actors in different projects. Chakkar features Ahsan Khan, Neelam Munir, Yasir Nawaz and Ahmed Hassan in key roles. The film is a thriller; let’s see what the film has to offer to its audience.

Trailer – Chakkar

Before starting the review, I must put a disclaimer “Support Pakistani Cinema”. The story of Chakkar revolves around two sisters Zara and Mehreen (both played by Neelam Munir); one is a superstar with super-tantrums and the other is a housewife (married to Kabir played by Ahsan Khan). One day, both the sisters try to exchange their lives and what comes forth is an unfortunate event that no one thought of. What happens next is what Chakkar is all about.

“Support Pakistani Cinema”

Performance-wise, Chakkar is a potpourri of loud performances and overacting – when you think you cannot witness another act of loud and hamming performance, you are shockingly served with another one. Neelam Munir hams in most of the scenes, in the theater audience laughed hard when she had to play a very intense scene where she had to look shattered and shocked. It’s sad to see an actor like Mehmood Aslam playing such characters, he is one of the legendary actors that we have, but the poor direction and poorer script ruined his character.

“Support Pakistani Cinema”

Ahsan Khan seems strictly okay in a few scenes; else he hams too in Chakkar. The boardroom scene where he lashes out at his colleague is hard to believe and looks so unnatural and lousily conceived. You cannot and must not question sensibility while watching Chakkar. The role-switch is so lame that the audience fails to relate to that. The sudden approval from Mehreen without setting up a decent premise and rationale looks like an amateurish act.

“Support Pakistani Cinema”

Yasir Nawaz, the actor, looks good and carries his character well. Perhaps, Nawaz is the only actor who stands out in a few scenes from the lot. Ahmed Hassan is effective but his character is also ruined by the baggage of loudness that he carries – poor character conceptualization is the biggest reason. As an actor, Hassan shines in a few scenes.

In thrillers, editing and fast paces, storytelling are the most essential elements but Chakkar showcases none of these. Editing is choppy, scenes are stretched, motives are forced, just like a few characters (like of Shamoon Abbasi, Tipu and others). They don’t add any substance or connectivity of any sort. Chakkar seems like a rushed affair. It had the potential but just like Wajood (another thriller released a few years ago) lost the impact and sensibility check somewhere.

Chakkar offers a ‘hahal’ item number, a multi-starrer song and a romantic song. The biggest disappointment of Chakkar is its climax – it’s very predictable, slow and ineffective. Chakkar is a thriller where the element of surprise is missing big-time.

“SUPPORT QUALITY PAKISTANI CINEMA”