Chhichhore Movie Review: Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor and Gang Are No ‘Losers’ in This Amusing, Heartwarming Nitesh Tiwari Film

Chhichhore Movie Review: This Friday will be ruled by two kinds of Losers' Clubs. The first one in It Chapter 2 is terrified by a dancing clown who breeds on their fears. The second one is terrified that they may never get to lose that 'loser' tag. And guess what, both the clubs are likeable enough in their own ways. But let's talk about the Losers' Club in Chhichhore, Nitesh Tiwari's next film after the blockbuster Dangal. It isn't a club exactly, it is more of a hostel wing, H4, in a prestigious engineering college that couldn't excel itself in sports. Once again, studies take a backseat here. But kudos to Nitesh Tiwari for making Chhichhore less of a Student of the Year, and more of an irreverent, funnier and heart-winning mix of 3 Idiots, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar and even Rocky. Shraddha Kapoor's style file for Chhichhore Promotions was Extremely Simple but Charming (View Pics)

Anirudh (Sushant Singh Rajput) and Maya (Shraddha Kapoor) were college sweethearts at National College of Technology in the '90s, when canteens served Gold Spot. In the present, they are divorced, with their son Raghav being the link between them. An engineering aspirant, Raghav desperately wants to crack the JEE, even though his parents are not forcing the idea on him.

When he couldn't get through, a heartbroken Raghav tries to commit suicide and is rendered hospitalised in a serious condition. Wanting to give him the desire to live, Anirudh narrates the story of his Losers' Club, back in the time when he was Anni. The time he used to hang out with his hostel wing mates - the porn-craved Sexa (Varun Sharma), mama's boy Mummy (Tushar Pandey), the jock Derrick (Tahir Raj Bhasin), the acid-tongued Acid (Naveen Polishetty) and the perennially drunk Bevda (Saharsh Kumar Shukla). Not to mention, their intense rivalry with the boys of H3 wing, led by Raggie (Prateik Babbar). How Anni's past helps his son in the present is what the rest of Chhichhore all about.

It is quite interesting how disparate Nitesh Tiwari's last two films are from each other, be it the treatment, characters and the messaging. And yet, they are linked by making sports a narrative device. If sports gave the drive to Dangal's protagonist, in Chhichhore it is more of a tool to get the boys to bond more in ditching a particularly annoying adjective. If Dangal's protagonist was accused of forcing his ambitions on his kids, in Chhichhore, Anni would rather want his son to chill in life than worry about results. In one of the film's best enacted moments, an emotional older Anirudh laments why the parents never tell the kids what to do if they fail. So in quite a few ways, Chhichhore feels an antithesis to Dangal.

And yet when Dangal had a tighter narrative, Chhichhore takes its time to heat up the engine. The first half, while fun especially the hostel portions, is more about moments and skits during the college day portions. The present-day scenes feel lacklustre in comparison, made more jarring by the fact we have to adjust to the old-people makeup that the actors have to wear, which makes them look odd. There is also a suspension of disbelief that we have to put up about certain aspects of the film (which also extends to the second half as well). The Chhichhore Gang Promo Video: Sushant Singh Rajput Has No Clue What His Hostel Mate Varun Sharma Has in Store For Him!

It is the second half that is more enjoyable, when the Losers decide to win the GC cup for their wing, a tournament where they always end up the last. While it threatens to be a clone of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (H4=Model College; H3=Rajput College), Nitesh Tiwari brings a lot of mirth in the proceedings. The psychological means in which the heroes try to undermine their opponents lend to some very comical moments. I was instantly reminded of the enjoyable Tamil film Chennai 600028 series while watching these portions. The film's finest moment is, indubitably, the climax where the Losers' fate is tied with three sports events. While it almost deceives you by teetering on predictability, Chhichhore pulls the rug off your feet in the final moments. It is then you realise the film is truly adhering to its message - that Life is beyond books and results, it lies within friendship and love.

Also, Nitesh doesn't rely on just the biggest names in the cast for the film's better moments, he gives each one of his main cast more than a couple of scenes to shine. The only somewhat exception is it doesn't give the women much to do, including Maya herself. While an amiable character, Maya is almost confined to being a cheerleading girlfriend and later, an angry ex-spouse. We never really get to know her much as a character, apart from how she is viewed by the guys. Also, like with both JJWS and Student of the Year 2, the girls are never seen participating in the sports. The only time we see them do so, they are robbed off their spot in the sun, although that scene was amusingly thrilling.

Watch The Trailer of Chhichhore here:

If you ignore this sexism, then you won't mind enjoying the antics of H4's Chhichhore. The biggest victory of the film is that for every person, who has enjoyed hostel life at any point in their life, Chhichhore is an enjoyable trip down the memory lane for them. Also, special mention to the witty dialogues.

The Performances

The casting is another big asset for the film. Sushant Singh Rajput continues to deliver another winning performance, proving himself to be one of the most adept performers in Bollywood. It is the quality of his skills that Sushant was the most convincing as both the engineering fresher and a father to a teenage boy, despite not belonging to either of the age-brackets.

Shraddha Kapoor pitches in a lovely act as the 'Halley's Comet' of NCT. Even though I wish her character got more to do, she never felt like an odd (wo)man out in this band of boys. Also a special appreciation note for both the stars for being team players here!

Varun Sharma is absolutely hilarious here, with Tiwari making fine use of his comic skills. He gets the best of lines and Varun brings down the roof with his one-liners. Naveen Polishetty's character is more of an extension of what we see him in those viral videos, but the actor plays well to his strengths and turns out a likeable performance. Tahir Raj Bhasin's confidence exudes in his act, and he is very convincing as the leader of the pack. Tushar Pandey, who was also good in the underrated Hum Chaar, is adorable as Mummy, especially stealing the show in the carrom contest. Compared to the others in the main cast, the talented Saharsh Kumar Shukla has a smaller role (and the movie even finds a meta way to justify it). But he scores big in the emotional scene at a hospital, and later in the climax. Prateik Babbar is quite good as the abrasive Raggie.

Yay!

- The Feel-Good Narrative

- The Performances

- Most of the Humour

- The Climax

Nay!

- Looser Moments in Between

- Music

- Some of the Makeup Feels Odd

- Female Lead Doesn't Feel Intrinsic Enough

Final Thoughts

Don't go by the film's very unassuming promotions. Chhichhore is no Dangal, and it never even aims to be that. Instead what Chhichhore promises is to be a fun, feel-good, nostalgic ride that pays ode to friendship and love, and it succeeds at that with more than double the passing marks. Go for this!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2019 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).