Motichoor Chaknachoor Movie Review: Last week, we saw a quirky rom-com about a balding man from Kanpur and a beautiful TikTok star in Bala. This week, we see a 36-year-old man from Bhopal with no Greek God looks fall for a 25-yo girl with a fair complexion in Motichoor Chaknachoor. No matter how unconventional your love story, there has to be one person who needs to campaign for Fair & Lovely! Thankfully, like Bala, Motichoor Chaknachoor is a sweet film with a likeable premise that invokes the spirit of Hrishikesh Mukherjee brand of cinema. So all is fair, I guess. Nawazuddin Siddiqui On Motichoor Chaknachoor: I Take Up Roles That Are In My 'Un-comfort Zone'.

Ani urf Anita (Athiya Shetty) has one goal in life -- marry a guy working abroad, go there and post an update about it on "internet". Having rejected 10 boys for this reason, her parents (Navni Parihar and Vikas Mishra) are finding it difficult to get a suitable groom for her, as her name is now spoilt in the arranged marriage market.

With no options left, Ani sees her only ray hope in her neighbour's eldest son Pushpinder (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), even though he is shorter and much older than her. Pushpinder, who works as an accountant in Dubai, is desperate to get a wife, but thanks to his mother's (Vibha Chibber) dowry demands, he can't get one. When his latest alliance fails, Ani entices Pushpinder to marry her with their parents' knowledge. But when that happens, Ani realises the real conundrum -- she isn't in love with her husband. Also, he doesn't have a job in Dubai anymore!

Motichoor Chaknachoor, directed by Debamitra Biswal, has a whimsical premise about a mismatched couple trying to work a romance between them. And like with the trend these days in such movies, the protagonists are flawed, but not to the point of being unlikeable, which makes them easily relatable. If Ani is wrongly ambitious and superficial, then Pushpinder is meek to a fault and hides the status of his job, even to the girl he just married.

But I have to add here, that there is a bias in which the film treats its two leads. The vain, opportunistic Ani has her 'Taming of the Shrew' moment, but Pushpinder is let go lightly for the fact that he lied to everyone that he is not working in Dubai anymore. Wasn't the Dubai tag the reason why he was supposed to be 'hot property' in the marriage market? Instead, after an initial outrage, Pushpinder turns things around and makes it about the selfishness of his mother and wife. Yes, they are both selfish, but that doesn't absolve Pushpinder of his misdemeanour.

That gender bias and a stretched, occasionally cumbersome second half that leans on predictability aside, Motichoor Chaknachoor succeeds in being a sweet and spicy film with enough humorous moments. The scenes of Ani with her playful mausi (Karuna Pandey), and her trying to woo a desperate Pushpinder are funny. After that serious lull in the second half, the climax takes a humorous turn and ends the film on an expectedly happy note. Even a couple of emotional scenes get you. Like when Pushpinder laments about the difficulties he faces in the marriage market, while beating up his brother for rejecting a girl for him. Or that lovely scene where he explains why he doesn't need the compensatory dowry that Ani's father is offering him. Athiya Shetty Birthday Special: The 'Motichoor Chaknachoor' Actress is a Fashionista Who is Ever Ready to Roll (View Pics).

At times, the film takes potshots at old and overweight people, which in current times, is hugely objectionable. But then considering that the fallacious mindsets of the characters here -- who are all about dowry, vanity and looks -- then such apathy is expected from them.

Watch The Trailer of Motichoor Chaknachoor:

I wish, though, that the dialogues could have been funnier, since it is the cast which makes most of the lines work here. There is also a lack of a visual gloss in the film, and the editing is pretty average. For some reason, an incredulous randomly inserted advert shot of some 'Vishal Mega Mart' should have been excised from the film.

The Performances

The surprise package of the film, as the trailers suggested, is Athiya Shetty. Stuck in thankless roles in her first two films, Athiya gets to show here that, given good material, she can be a very capable performer with a good sense of comic timing. There are rough edges in her act, like her accent isn't always convincing, but it is still a revelatory performance from the young actress, who hopefully goes from strength to strength here. Her character, though, should have been written in a better way in the second half, especially her softening towards her husband.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui's comic cameo in Housefull 4 was one of the most absurd things about the film. In Motichoor Chaknachoor, his comic timing is put to good use. He snugly fits into the character of the desperate man, who is controlled by his mother's stern glance, but wants to lose his virginity as quickly as possible. There are a couple of sequences where we get to see the pain of loneliness of the character stuck in a foreign country for years. And Nawaz, the wonderful actor that he is, performs brilliantly in those scenes. Moreover, despite that oddness in the pairing, Nawaz and Athiya share good chemistry.

The supporting cast is also really good. Vibha Chibber, Vikas Mishra, and Navni Parihar are perfectly cast as the leads' parents. Karuna Pandey as Ani's spinster mausi is an absolute scene-stealer, and one of the best things about the film. The scenes where she corrects her elder sister's English are hilarious. Abhishek Rawat also managed to elicit chuckles, especially in the portion where he tries to read a letter from his brother's company.

Yay!

- Nawazuddin Siddiqui

- An Improved Athiya

- The Supporting Cast

- A Delectable Premise With Fun Moments

Nay!

- A Weaker Second Half

- Predictable Turns

- Needed Better Editing

Final Thoughts

Motichoor Chaknachoor will appeal to the movie buffs who have grown up on dosage of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee movies. The movie is funny, charming and well-acted, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in great form and Athiya not disappointing. Do give it a chance!

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 14, 2019 10:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).