The After Hours review: 'Chaalis Chaurasi'

Film: Chaalis Chaurasi
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Kay Kay Menon, Ravi Kissen and Zakir Hussain
Director: Hriday Shetty
Rating: ** 1/2

Over a period of time, Bollywood has developed its own genre of comedy. Bheja Fry, Golmaal etc have all received the thumbs up of audience especially because of its comic timing and also because of their sheer ability to make you laugh. Some of the films of this genre are far removed from reality and the humour sometimes borders on the outrageous.

But who cares? It doesn’t matter as long as you drop a few pop-corns on the floor when you burst out laughing. This film might not make you burst out in laughter but it surely has a few giggles in store for you. This film is all about its comic timing and quite a few hilarious situations. But above all, it’s about watching four powerful actors in full flow. Pity these kind of films don’t receive much share of the limelight these days.

The best part of the film is its starcast. When you have powerful, experienced and talented actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Atul  Kulkarni and Ravi Kissen in the starcast, they are bound to make good for all the lapses in the script. That is exactly what has happened here. All the above three (Zakir Hussain has also received a lot of praise lately) have formed an entertaining threesome who keep you engaged throughout the film.

The story of Chaalis Chaurasi is about four men who seem to be bluffing all around about committing a crime. They talk about raiding a place to rob it of Rs20 crores and becoming rich overnight. But these bluffs turn into their worst nightmare. But soon the story gathers pace as the men encounter a real cop and ordered to do an encounter with a criminal.

The film is neat and Naseer and Ravi Kissen show some interesting comic timing. Kay Kay Menon is also good when it comes to his trademark comic expressions – showing how confused and bewildered he is (remember the Bheja Fry sequel?). There is also one hilarious moment of the film – a remix of the song yesteryears hit Hawa Hawa. The story slacks in between but it gathers some pace after the interval. Nasseruddin Shah is the obvious pick of the lot who has put up a good performance with some fantastic comic timing.

On the whole this film is a good option in a week which has no big releases. Go in there and have a good laugh.