Chaddke. It
started off pretty well. We had three main story lines headed for a showdown –
a group of young guns, an established gang terrorizing the local populace, and
a dedicated forest ranger (??). The casting seemed quite well thought out. I
settled in to enjoy the show.
Though some
of the dialogue delivery wasn’t up to mark, I wasn't yet put off. The story
seemed to be building up. But the threads started coming apart rather early on.
Let's start with the bad guys. The ominous character that Soli was supposed to
be was pretty much shot to pieces with the super weak kick she threw at the
girl who was dissing her boyfriend / boss. I think she hardly spoke more than 5
complete sentences throughout the movie, instead choosing to intently smoke
countless cigarettes and try – and fail – to look dangerous. Chewang Lama, who
definitely looked the part, was wasted in the role. What could easily have been
the most memorable Nepali villain inspiring fear amongst friend and foe alike turned
into a congenial CEO of Crime Inc., and not too successful at that too. And the
guy showing off his sleeve tattoos was a totally wannabe thug. If he was in any
corporate office, he'd be fired after a month along with the HR manager who
hired him.
Now to the
loss of innocence. Unconvincing. The film asks you to please believe that once
you have a gun, shooting to kill is the most natural thing in the world. The
ringleader – who definitely doesn’t have the charisma to actually be one - smokes in his room (he's staying at his elder brother's home) and uses a coned
sheet of paper as an ashtray. Because bhauju will find his cigarettes
when she cleans his room?? Testo pani gangster huncha? The new dons of Chitwan, after having dispatched of
the reigning kings, are just a bunch of young kids hanging out in the local
pool hall. They're a rowdy bunch of punks that makes you want to reach out and
slap some sense into their heads. Note to director: just riding three chaps in
a bike without helmets and smoking a lot waving a gun around doesn't make
villains. Bindu was the show stealer, charmingly unattractive. The army runaway
was alright, but the US returned 'hero' would have been better suited to take
the bartender job he was offered at the hotel Red Karpet.
The guy
with his heart in the wrong place was impressive. He's done everything the
director has asked of him flawlessly. The only question is, why was he asked to
do it in the first place? It seems the writer wrote half the story with the
best of intentions, and ended it in the worst way possible because he had some
place to be in a hurry. The trailers held a lot of promise, and it was easily
one of the most awaited Nepali movies in a long time. I missed the first day viewing
was aiming for, but managed to squeeze in a weekday evening feature. I'd already
heard that it didn’t meet expectations, but I wasn’t ready for the amount of
disappointment I was in for. If this is the kind of stories that contemporary Nepali
cinema is going to throw at us, I'll need a lot of convincing from the next
fare to actually go out and try it. Maybe a pirated version. Ouch.
If Chaddke
can get away with such a bad … everything, I'm definitely getting away with this
blog.
Final Verdict
Robin Tamang: should be beating people up
Namrata Shrestha: marketing gimmick
Saugat Malla: killer
US returned hero: get some acting lessons
Story : ½ star
Characterization: 1 star
Suspense: 4 stars. The movie keeps
you guessing, even after the end. So many unanswered questions – why did Boksi
kill the guy with the tattooed sleeves? Why did Taate ditch his friends? Who
was the biker taking Soli for the final shootout? Why were the gangsters
throwing their guns away just because they ran out of bullets? How did the
tiger from Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om guest star in a Nepali movie? Why did the
director agree to this project?
Pros: the trailers, Saugat Malla, Bindu (sorry, couldn't find his real name), the 'undertaker' song
Cons: about everything else
Watchable? Sure. Go in with a sense of humour, and its not too bad.
