Sanket’s Review: “Chaalis Chaurasi (4084)” is incoherently entertaining.

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Zakir Hussain, Ravi Kishan, Shweta Bhardwaj, Atul Kulkarni.

Director: Hriday Shetty

Length: 1.55 hours approximately

Writing a script is not an easy task, especially when it has to be smart. This new outing CHAALI CHAURASI (4084) was one such story which had enough potential to be a smart one, but at the end it just remains entertaining-in-bits-and-spurts film. The incidents are not organised well in the narration resulting in faulty screenplay. Although Hriday Shetty sets some amazing sequences post-intermission, but takes too much of screen time in establishing the base.

While its said to be a comic-thriller, the film has neither of the two in first half. The first half is so long that you cringe in embarrasment, despite there are few genuinely good dialogues and few decent scenes. Director induces the past track of our four protagonists and wastes the time cooking it. Also the three item songs pops out unnecessarily, without taking the story a half-notch ahead. The screenplay is so conventional in pre-intermission proceedings that you could do nothing but open your mouth shaping yawns. All in all, its colossaly disappointing first half.

Very few films bounces back in the business after the first half, and CHAALIS CHAURASI (4084) is that rare exception. The second half is so humorous and thrilling that you come over many lapses of first half. The film automatically becomes pacy and the director keeps his command on the momentum. There are moments which are devoid of any rationale, logic, but as long as they are entertaining, its neglectable.

The hotel scene in second half is sharply executed without a single dull minute. Where as the climax has some bring-down-the-house moments where you want to forgive many of the negatives you witnessed in the preceeding hour. The songs are mediocre, where only “Hawaa Hawaa” stands apart. The script could have been better, while the screenplay has too many mistakes in first half. Hriday Shetty has good direction skills and has made this film a decent time pass. It has its share of incoherency in this otherwise entertaining package.

Naseeruddin Shah misses something which would have turned his acting into a better than the present one. Ravi Kishan is natural. Kay Kay Menon is the best among all and does a very good job. Atul Kulkarni acts well, but hams up in his video footage. Rest no one has enough scope in the film to comment on their acting.

To cut the long story short, it is not totally entertaining, but a fairly engaging comic thriller.

Rating- 2.5/5 (Above Average)