Director: Vikas Bahl, Nitesh Tiwari

Cast:  Irrfan Khan, Sanath Menon and Naman Jain

Chillar Party is the finest example of how to take a very promising script and turn it into a fantastically drab, ordinary movie.

The film has an interesting start with each and every single character getting introduced individually by their character traits and the reason behind their names. However, after that, there are only the occasional witty dialogues or some exceptional acting by Naman Jain which keeps you from walking out of the theatre.

Chillar Party is a fine example of a film which will probably do well and get decent reviews from most film critics, just because the entire story revolves around children. However, after watching Stanley Ka Dabba, every single actor in this movie seems boring and in serious need of acting lessons from Amol Gupte’s son, Partho. Barring, of course, Naman Jain, who is quite splendid in each scene. If you thought it was only the children’s acting which is a disappointment, let me tell you, the adults are far worse.

The cinematography is just plain dull, and there is absolutely nothing in the movie which sets it apart from the innumerable other films which are released every year. The script is half decent, but tries involving everything from class discrimination to caring for others and loving children, even to the extent of fighting for animal rights. What it ends up becoming is an utter mess!

The height is reached, when the actors on-screen start reading out lessons about values and ethics from their moral science text books, citing even the page number and paragraph. This is the time when you feel like throwing your popcorn, glass of coke, or any other thing near your hand at the screen and walking out. It is about time film makers realise that the Indian audience is not half as stupid as them. When in need of moral science classes, they are well aware of which spiritual guru or shrink to contact. If one is at the theatre, clearly that person is done with his shrink’s appointment for the day and in the mood for some entertainment, and not a re-run of his previous two hours of frustration and boredom.

However, there are certain things which work for the movie. One, it reminds us of our own childhood, watching children playing cricket and plotting against adults, who are always considered to be the enemies. Also, the background score is nice, in keeping with the dialogues and pace of the movie. Some of the songs are interesting, and it is Mohit Chauhan’s voice which makes 5 otherwise unbearable minutes of the film, bearable. Some of the dialogues are nice. Also, there is a sense of apathy which is very well created at one point of the film when the dog disappears, but like the rest of the film, it too is overdone to the point of irritation.

The item number at the end of the movie makes up for a certain portion of the movie. The song is not out of the ordinary, but watching Ranbir Kapoor shake his leg to a few pretty fancy moves in the traditional Sallubhai style is a treat to watch after two hours of monotony.

With this movie following the release of Ready, Salman Khan has let out a very clear message to the audience. Not only does he act in movies which make you regret spending your money on them, but also, the films that he produces, aren’t much better.

Chillar Party has a sense of innocence attached to it. But overall, it still fails to make a mark as a good cinematic experience. The film definitely has its heart in the right place. However, I’m still trying to figure out where its mind is.