Film Review: Special Chabbis

It's not everyday that I leave aside all my assignments and rush to the cinema hall to watch a film. Because it's not everyday that a film like Special Chabbis is made. Neeraj Pandey makes a comeback after the 2008 drama-thriller 'A Wednesday'. Surely, a lot of expectations were riding on Pandey. People wondered if he will be able to recreate the magic of his debut film. Finally last month, I got a chance to watch the trailer of this film. With a stellar cast like Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, Jimmy Shergill among others and Akshay Kumar leading the pack, I had mentally prepared myself for another marvellous piece of work. And boy, was I impressed!

Image Source: GalleryOne

The trailer was clear and crisp. Hence, it was not very difficult to understand the film's main plot. The story of this film is based on a real incident. Ajju (Akshay Kumar) and his team - P K Sharma (Anupam Kher), Iqbal (Rajesh Sharma) and Joginder (Kishore Kadam) dress up as CBI officials and con people in broad daylight. Most of their victims are politicians or businessmen, who have hidden black wealth and are reluctant to file an FIR with the police. It is clear that the mastermind Ajju is extremely intelligent (in terms of conning people, of-course) and his team is very smart. One after the other, they conduct successful con-raids and walk away with all the loot, until one day their case is brought to CBI inspector Wasim Khan (Manoj Bajpayee). What follows is an amazing roller coaster ride, filled with some fantastics twists and turns.

Throughout the film, I couldn't help but notice the amazing details in the background. Kudos to the production design team and Art Designer Vaishnavi Reddy. While trying to re-create India of the 1980's, one has to carefully look at each and every detail. It's easy for people to find a loophole, and that would have been a huge letdown. But Pandey's team has done a commendable job. Be it Delhi, where Bata and Philips posters in the background caught my attention, along with the 'then' swanky Maruti 800 and Premiere Padminis which dominated the roads in Capital city. Or be it the old BEST stop in Bandra (west), where the advertisement of an old soft drink, 'Thrill', graces the billboard, they have worked hard to take us back in time.

Image source: Page3Bollywood

Performance wise, this film is a winner again. Anupam Kher is mind blowing as always. Both Rajesh Sharma and Kishore Kadam have done complete justice to their roles. Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta are fabulous actors, and they have proved their mettle yet again. Manoj Bajpayee as the honest officer Khan is convincing and does a great job. Kajal Aggarwal is okay. But the film belongs to none other 'Khiladi' Akshay Kumar. It's amazing how he has shed his superstar aura and became a part of the team. He is calm, composed and one could clearly see that he has worked hard to understand the character.

Music of this film is a let down, except "Mujhmein Tu", a romantic song which you can keep humming on the go. All the other songs are average. The background music is fast-paced, which adds a lot of energy to the chasing sequences and raids. The cinematography is top notch. As the story was based on real incidences, Neeraj Pandey did a good job of organizing the structure of the story-line  The screenplay (also by Neeraj Pandey) is very well done.

Image source: koimoi.com

Neeraj Pandey deserves a pat on his back for this well crafted film. He knows how to catch the pulse of today's generation and keep them hooked on. I was sitting on the edge of my seat during the climax, enjoying the surprises as they appeared on screen. He has made a well paced, edgy film which is sure to earn lots of accolades from everyone. For me, this is one of the best films I've seen in months.

Take a bow, Pandey and Team!

Ratings: ★★★★

It's time to announce the winner of 'L'Oreal Paris Total Repair 5' contest. 

A big thank you to everyone who participated. 

There were a few entries which were disqualified, as they didn't follow all the rules.
We have selected one winner using random.org

And the winner is... 
Ishita
Please contact me with your full name and contact details at info@priyaadivarekar.com

Congratulations!