Director – Hansal Mehta

Cast – Rajkummar Rao, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Saurabh Shukla, Satish Kaushik, Ila Arun, Jatin Sarna

BLUF

Abraham Lincoln quoted in one of his address, “Sportsman is the best Ambassador of the Nation. ”It seems that the Indian society has just woken up to that idea.

 The story of a small-town Physical Training (Sports) teacher in Haryana called Montu (Raj Kumar Rao), a decadent man with the habit of not performing to finish any task that he has undertaken. His life changes when a more qualified teacher joins the school who not only challenges him at work, shakes his fundamental comfort, but also becomes a source of anguish for him when he starts demonstrating fascination for the girl, Neelam ( Nushratt Barucha) whom Montu is in love with.

THE MEAT AND THE POTATOES

 The most endearing part of Chhalaang is the humanity of its characters in the characterization of the protagonists who are not perfect, but people like you and me.

Chhalaang essays Montu (Raj Kumar Rao), a don’t-case-ish with a propensity for giving up on almost every task that he starts.

Montu and his inseparable mentor Shukla ji (Saurabh Shukla) spends the time he is supposed to teach sports by eating samosas under the tree, while the students catch up on their homework. In his mind, as in the mind of the Indian society at large, sports are an optional pursuit. Montu justifies his insouciance to the inference that he is helping the students focus on more productive pursuits.

Dogmatism, chauvinism, and myopia as an integral part of Montu’s character are evidently projected. The twosome is not only stuck in time, but they are also exhibit proclivity towards fossilization.

Chhalaang is one of those extraordinary small-town narratives that evocate a cultural ethos of the place the story is being told about -right down to the accents, mannerisms and the ambience.

Montu devotes his time and energy as a  proud member of a Romeo squad, that visits public places and plays moral police to young couples who may be meeting there or celebrating their love.

He  pursues the school’s new computer teacher Neelu ( Nushrratt Bharuccha) , and openly spates with the more qualified Physical Education Teacher( Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub)  that the school employs as the Government creates conditions for grants to schools to include a functioning  Physical Training curriculum.

Montu realizes then the stakes on the table and what he may have to lose if he doesn’t stop being a loser.

IN THE ZONE

Apart from excellent direction from veteran magician Hansal Mehta (we are still reeling from Scam 92 – The Harshad Mehta Story), the actors are extremely well suited for the roles they portray. RajKumar Rao excels in his portrayal of yet another flawed character.

On first look Nushrat does not seem to be the right choice to a lot of people for the role of a Haryanvi teacher. She disproves all criticism who slot her because of the way she looks or speaks to limit the range of characters she could play. She fits in authentically well and disproves all critics who slot her capability into their perception. Hats off to this persevering lady.

The rest of the brilliant ensemble from Ila Arun, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Satish Kaushik, Saurabh Shukla all add to the authenticity of the small-town society story.

The editing, the screenplay, the customization and the entire cinematography makes a case of a very honest and authentic narrative.

FWAR

Chhalaang is Rajkummar Rao and filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s fifth movie collectively, their previous movies Aligarh and Shahid are both brilliant cinema. As is Chhalaang. Raj Kumar is the actor who gives Mehta the Montu he dreamt of , and we can see that too.

Luv Ranjan, writes an inspiring low key, big impact story that not only tells an engaging story but may also inspire generations of parents to change the way they think about their children in a country where parents imposing their aspirational ambitions on their kids has destroyed many a lives.

In all, the mix of the actors, the small town feel and the journey of the protagonist presents compelling cinema.

WHAT WE LOVED

The actors, the story and the screen play.  Fine cinema.

WHAT WE MISSED

Music- pretty meh, especially after the explosive SCAM background score-missed the music.