Chhichhore (2019) [Movie Review]
Dir: Nitesh Tiwari
Starring: Sushant Singh
Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Sharma, Prateik Babbar, Tahir Bhasin, Naveen
Polishetty, Tushar Pandey and Saharsh Shukla
Dur: 2 hrs 23 mins
Genre: Drama
Rating: 6/10
PG: Foul language, drinking,
smoking.
Chhichhore was the last film of Sushant released during his
lifetime. Watching the film, I felt that he somehow missed the plot. The crux
of the film is about not losing hope despite adversity and realizing that life
is far more valuable than anything you can achieve. It’s ironic to me how a
person who stars in a film that revolves around the theme of suicide can end up
falling into the trap himself. I cannot bring myself to accept how someone who
makes a powerful film to deter youngsters from giving up on life when faced
with failure could end his own life.
Anyway, coming back to the film.
It is a lovely coming-of-age story that centres around the character of
Aniruddh (Anni) played by Sushant who retells the story of his college days in
order to give hope to his son, Raghav who attempts suicide after failing to
score a good rank and make it to a prestigious college. The story is full of
wisdom nuggets and truth statements that emphatically deliver the message that
life is more than academic success. While the story is tailored to the Indian
audience it has lessons that are universal. Anni has married his college
sweetheart, Maya (Shraddha) and has also divorced her (something unconventional
in Indian cinema). Over the course, of the story he realizes his mistakes and
is led to reconcile with Maya. Maya with some help from Anni’s friends is able
to reflect on their marriage and also reconciles with Anni. We are not told how
things turn out finally but we see a united couple in the ending scene.
The life of a student in India is
tough; perhaps, a lot tougher than in other parts of the world. The pressure
that parents put on their kids to study and deliver good percentages is
ridiculous. Now, this might no more be the case but for generations like mine
which have come from that system, the tension is relatable. Besides, the values
of relationship, family and life in general, the film brings out the incredible
power of friendship in shaping character and bringing about positive change.
Having said all this, the film hardly
rises above the level of mediocre Bollywood cinema. While the story is replete
with values, which is something remarkable and encouraging, it does a poor job
of portraying real life and real experience. Let me start with the characters.
I understand that the characters were carefully chosen to instigate comedy but
they also glorify the negative characteristics and personalities that one might
find in a professional college. Seeing them having so much fun despite their
immoral ways can become an unwanted source of inspiration to college students
today. The characters while possible reflecting a reality, offer a frightening
glimpse into the cultures of our higher educational institutions. It is amazing
that the film focuses solely on sport without a single scene involving
academics. Not once are we told how Anni and his friends fare in their academic
life. The film slowly turns into a funnier version of Student of the Year. It doesn’t help that one of the protagonists
looks a lot like Siddharth Malhotra!
Chhichhore for all its values and comedy remains for me an
indifferent story. If it couldn’t impact the hero, it did not serve its
purpose. Of course, each of us can be impacted and influenced in different ways
and I hope that every young person watching it is impacted positively. I
enjoyed the humour but I didn’t like the choice of characters (not actors!) and
how the story was developed. The plot had great possibilities but I was
disappointed with the end result.
P.S.: The cinematography
throughout the film is excellent but nothing compares to the way the mid-credit
dance scene. Don’t miss it! It’s a true cinematic marvel.
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