Media Magick

Some directors are known for their crafts and the subject they select to make films, Hansal Mehta has his loyal audience that he gained with years of experimentation. The journey that started with films like Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, Chhal and Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai (all very dissimilar) to Aligarh, Omerta and the latest sensation Scam 1992 (again very deviating subjects) made him an inspiration for countless budding filmmakers.

Movie Review Chhalaang:

Chhalaang is Hansal Mehta’s latest venture that was supposed to be released in June 2020 but because of COVID 19 the film has now released n Amazon. After collaborating with Rajkummar Rao for 4 times (Shahid, City Lights, Aligarh and Omerta) their fifth alliance is Chhalaang. Hopes are high as whenever Mehta and Rao have worked together audience has witnessed very serious subjects and power-packed character driven performances. Will they live up to the expectations is a serious toughie.

Chhalaang revolves around the life of a Physical Training Instructor Montu (Rajkummar Rao) who is not serious with his profession and has no objective in life. Life, for him, is all about spending time safely without pushing his limits to achieve anything worthwhile. Neelima (Nushratt Bharucha) comes in to his life and he falls in love with her. Neelima is a modern-day girl and understands the difference between loving someone and living a practical life with loved ones. The equation between them gets a little disturbed when Mr. Singh (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) joins the school as senior PTI and Montu is told to instruct him. What happens next is a complicated tale of achieving goals and objectives in life without undamaging respect and dignity.

Rajkummar Rao is a dependable actor; he has proved time after time that he can pull off any character whether it is Omer from Omerta or Pritam Vidrohi from Bareilly Ki Barfi. Rajkummar Rao is apt in the role of Montu and his behavior is accurate. We have seen guys like Montu in real life who want to play safe in life and for that, taking risk is anything but their forte. Not every actor can stand against a performer like Rao so the selection of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub to play the part of an unwavering contender was just perfect. Zeeshan Ayyub has always impressed his audience with his roles, and in Chhalaang he has managed to lie up to the expectations of his fans and viewers.

Hansal Mehta cast two very strong actors in the supporting cast and have given them both very well-penned and structured dialogues; Saurabh Shukla and Satish Kaushik give one of their best in Chhalaang. The scene where Satish Kaushik shares his fathers’ example with his son is nicely penned. Saurabh Shukla has many scenes but the one that stands tall is when he has one to one with Ila Arun shows his versatility and maturity as an actor – one of the best scenes from the film hands down.

No one would have expected Nushrat Bharucha to fit in the character of Neelima but she tried her best and an earnest effort is seen. Jatin Sharma and Rajiv Gupta are there for a few scenes and don’t offer much. Naman Jain is again a talent to look out for; the kid from Chillar Party is only improving with every movie.

A Hansal Mehta film has to have some subliminal messages for the society, the past record says it aloud. Chhalaang is no different. Topics like women empowerment, importance of supporting children’s dreams and challenging society are highlighted in Chhalaang. The writing by Zeishan Quadri and Aseem Arrora is effective and makes the impact on viewers. The climax speech is a tad bit boring and reminds you of many films.

Besides great performances, good dialogues and engaging plotline, Chhalaang suffers from predictability and too good to be true. The element of surprise is missing from the film. Things happen as easily they happen in any typical Bollywood entertainer and what makes Chhalaang a little off watch is that everything seems too convenient. Chhalaang is an old-school feel-good film, can be watched with family.