Like the title suggests, Motichoor Chaknachoor is sweet and slight. Director Debamitra Biswal follows the standard beats of these films. But, the film has modest aspirations and it never soars above them because the writing isn’t strong enough.
Watch Anupama Chopra's review of Motichoor Chaknachoor, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Athiya Shetty.
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Like the title suggests, Motichoor Chaknachoor is sweet and slight. A 36-year-old man Pushpinder
is desperate to get married. So desperate that he
tells a prospective partner aap ladki hain hum ladka hain,
vivah ke liye kafi hai. His neighbor in Bhopal, a 25-year-old girl,
is desperate to go abroad. So desperate that she shortened
her name from Anita to Annie and she stares mournfully
at her unstamped passport. Someone says about her woh moohphat hai
aur sanskari toh bilkul nahin. Pushpin
der works in Dubai. Annie aspires to London
but after rejecting umpteen suitors as her prospects for marriage dim,
she decides to settle for Pushpinder. And all hell breaks loose. Motichoor Chaknachoor is firmly situated in Bollywood’s flourishing genre
of small-town movies. 15 years ago, films
that didn’t travel abroad for songs or storylines
were considered hatke. Producers had exploited
the standard foreign locations like the UK and Switzerland so thoroughly that the more innovative fil
mmakers started heading to places
like Machu Picchu and the Egyptian pyramids. But now Bollywood has gone back
to Bharat with such ferocity that I fear that Tier 2 India
is dangerously close to becoming a cliché. In Motichoor Chaknachoor, director Debamitra Biswal
follows the standard beats of these films we get the specific Hindi accent,
middle-class families with squabbling mausis and jijis, platefuls of jalebi, kachori and samosas, crowded streets, a feisty heroine who refuses
to play by
the rules and of course,
the clash of values that the internet has created. Annie’s foreign fantasy is largely fueled
by the desire to post pictures so that her friends can be jealous. The characters hit the right notes –
especially Pushpinder’s domineering mother played by Vibha Chibber and Annie’s single aunt,
played by Karuna Pandey. Both deliver their sharp lines
with exactly the right zing. Writer Sohaib hasan creates
some vibrant scenes between the neighboring families, the Awasthis an
d the Tyagis. He also squeezes some fun out of the physical differences
between Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Athiya Shetty. She’s so tall that when Pushpinder
first meets Annie he thinks she’s standing on something. In another scene, as their families glare
at them, he actually hides behind her. Nawaz dials down his signature intensity and convincingly becomes the low-key, hapless, perplexed Pushpinder. Incredibly, Athiya stays the course
with the seasoned actor. She doesn’t sparkle but she works,
which is saying a lot in this scenario. But Motichoor Chaknachoor
has modest aspirations and it never soars above them because the writing isn’t strong enough. As long as the film
stays breezy and jokey, it stays afloat. But when the plot takes
a more serious tone, tedium sets in. Many scenes sag I used that time to make
a note of the lovely shawls the women were wearing. The tonality also shifts jarringly
from slice-of-life to comedy to drama. Some of the humor is also problematic did we
really need to make
an overweight girl a punchline? So Motichoor Chaknachoor
doesn’t become memorable in the way that
other small-town tales like Dum Laga Ke Haisha or Bareilly ki Barfi or Stree were. But it’s passable entertainment. And sometimes that’s enough.
Comments
Have you watched Motichoor Chaknachoor yet? Let us know what you thought.
No no Anupama Ma'am, with all due respect, I firmly disagree. Stories of the common people residing in small towns/villages of India will never become old or cliched, because such small towns and their unique and previously unscreened stories are in abundant supply; our country India actually consists of such small towns and villages, not of large metropolises. These not-so-flashy towns form what can be called the core of our country. So, I don't think this will ever become a cliche. By the way, I found this movie to be funnier, and better than 'Bala'. Especially, Athiya Shetty portrayed a naive and spoilt small town girl obsessed with online persona of hers far more believably in this film than Yami Gautam could in Bala. I personally thought that Yami never could believably shake off her metropolis persona in Bala. And that is the biggest plus of this movie - the lead heroine felt believable.
the movie was really very good.why the hell it is so underrated...the first half as well as the second half both were good...the songs are good, acting is awesome, comedy, romance, emotional scenes...it was a complete package
I m Happy that Athiya is doing better slowly
I believe we need both . Some films in US, UK and some films in heartland of India. Ek relatability ke liye aur ek escapism ke liye .Sirf acchi filmien honi chahiye.
Nawaz is a gem❤
Where is Sucharita Tyagi? Eagerly waiting for her reviews!!!!!
I saw the movie and athiya Shetty has done a very good job here,
She's right.. I too worry for small town becoming cliches
Lovely movie watched it today👍🏽 must watch!
Ok I’m gonna watch this for sure ❤️
I guess Tier 2 India would never become clique as it is the most relatable thing for the Bollywood audience to be specific and it offers many more things every time.
So rightly said about tier 2 India becoming a cliché
Haha Anu being cute and obsessing over shawls... 😭♥️
I disagree with you ma’am on few points. Firstly Athiya shetty does shine in her role , her comic timing is on point, expressions and accent and nuances of a small town naive girl has been portrayed by her effectively. I thoroughly enjoyed this small town movie and they are never gonna be a cliche! The movie soars too, i watched this film over 20 times !
So what's the problem for your fear if Indian filmmakers focusing on Indian land at least Indian money is staying in india
1:17 so where do you think indian director will shoot ? In Asgard ?
No Ford v Ferrari and Charlies Angels review this week? No reviews for Maleficent, Dark fate and many more. I guess more focused on interviews than reviews. 🤔
Very happy for Athiya Shetty....she must try approach more indie films for starters... she'll definitely shine
Nice movie I have seen.... One time movie but loved it... It's a romantic comedy 💕 go for it 👍🏻 you will not going to bore at all