Chaddke: Nepali Film Review

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.