Chhalaang

The collaboration between Hansal Mehta and Rajkummar Rao is a force to be reckoned with. They've given us great films like Shahid, Aligarh, Citylights and Omerta. Their fifth collaboration, Chhalaang is not up to the mark.

Chhalaang follows Montu, a PT teacher who is very lazy with his job. One day a senior PT teacher arrives and both clash with each other, leading to a sports competition between them to decide who gets to keep their job.

I really like Mehta and Rao's previous works together but this time they decided to do something more mainstream and accessible. The end product is Chhalaang, which is one of the most ordinary and unoriginal films pf the year. The film isn't terribly bad per se but it's nothing special or memorable like their previous films. This doesn't feel like a Hansal Mehta film as all his other movies feel grounded in reality but some of the events that take place in this film don't feel realistic at all. The sports competition is something I've seen countless times and is riddled with all the clichés you can expect. Nothing about it is very exciting or new. It's too predictable. What the film does do well is the authenticity of Haryana. The accents and location help in making the state feel real.

The acting is pretty good. Rajkummar Rao is great as usual. There is a great scene with him and Satish Kaushik drinking during the night and the way he delivers dialogue is really well done. Nushrat Bharucha does well but it felt strange seeing her character wear high heels throughout the movie. Saurabh Shukla and Jatin Sarna provide a couple of laughs and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is pretty good as well.

Overall, Chhalaang is very predictable and forgettable. Nothing new or creative is done with this kind of story and nothing stands out in particular. Unfortunately it's just another basic sports drama...