The trend of making a full length feature film based on a famous T.V. series started with KHICHDI – THE MOVIE few months back. And now it goes into its next step with CHALA MUSSADDI OFFICE OFFICE which is based on the hugely famous comedy serial "Office Office" showcasing the problems faced by a common man dealing with the faulty system around him.
The first condition of making a film based on an already popular television series is to put some fresh and new content in its 2 hour long duration which the viewers might not have seen before. But to be straight, CMOO fails on that part. The script doesn't have any new twist or turn in its storyline, which hasn't been exploited before on the small screen. So if you are looking for something inventive in the film then you are heading towards disappointment. But still it has got few plus points which surely make it worth trying, especially for the viewers who are already a fan of its original series.
Director Rajiv Mehra and his write Ashwin Dhir, spin the first hour of the movie at a good speed in which they try to cover more than one department and their faulty systems in our society. The first 15 minutes about the brutal business being done by the doctors in the hospitals is well conceived & projected, which should be shown to every doctor and hospital operating in our country. The other brilliant aspect of this first part of the film is that the director very intelligently doesn't shy away from using the same actors for many different characters of Gupta, Shukla, Usha Ji, Pandey Ji and Bhatia in different situations. That indeed keeps the interest alive till the main plot of the Pension Department declaring Mussaddi dead actually starts, taking the whole second half of the film.
Post intermission it keeps going in a similar way as seen in its various episodes on the television and then ends with a well directed climax which lifts the spirits of the viewers. But truly speaking the fun and laughter element is missing in the whole film and it remains only a good comical satire at the end made around the burning topic of corruption. Though its concluding moments of a court case are appreciable, still it does not hit you that hard since it is quite unrealistic for the court to hear the proceedings at the original India Gate's location. The only song enacted by Makarand Deshpande as a Sutradhar is catchy and also used well in the movie coming repeatedly. The cinematography is fine once again capturing the current favourite city of Bollywood, DELHI, but again there is nothing out of the routine.
Performance wise the movie gives you no complaints. Pankaj Kapoor needs no explanation of any sort for his versatility. The only thing I would like to mention here about him is that Pankaj Kapoor is one of the most under-rated actors of Indian Cinema who keeps giving us memorable performances both at the small and big screen very regularly and yet is not given his due status in the Industry. The famous supporting cast of Office Office is as effective as ever and you love watching them once again in the theater. Gaurav Kapoor as the son is good and Mahesh Thakur brings smiles on your face in the end as the Judge.
So, for the fans of the serial, it will be an enjoyable watch for sure, but for the first timers it might just be an average comic drama. Yet I would like to appreciate the film for its right timing and for showing a fight against corruption, dishonesty and bribery in our country in the days when Sh. Anna Hazare is also doing a collective struggle against these issues in the real life. In fact I would like to suggest that this film should be shown to every employee working in the Government Office at any designation with a clause of compulsory attendance. Further it should also be shown in every Hospital, School and College in order to give them at least a vision to build a better future for themselves and their coming generations.
In the end, I would like to raise the same question which I had in mind while writing about CHILLAR PARTY.
Dear Government Officials of the concerned department, If movies like CHALA MUSSADDI OFFICE OFFICE do not qualify to be a TAX FREE film then kindly let us know that which films do?
