Chhalaang
director – Hansal Mehta
To emit – Rajkummar Rao, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Saurabh Shukla, Satish Kaushik, Ila Arun, Jatin Sarna
Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get the rug out from under your feet yet again, it delivered a Luv Ranjan movie that’s actually quite nice. However, to be fair, it took the best couple of actors and directors in contemporary Hindi cinema to accomplish this almost impossible feat.
Chhalaang is star Rajkummar Rao and filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s fifth film together, and while he’s the underdog of them all (Aligarh and Shahid are Oscar-worthy), he’s a consistently compelling image, elevated by a handful of excellent performances and a sharp script.
Watch the trailer for Chhalaang here
You will understand my apprehension seeing Luv Ranjan’s name prominently displayed in promotional material and indeed multiple times in the film. The man has earned, during a fairly young career, the dubious distinction of being Bollywood’s resident sexist. But in the calm and empowering Chhalaang, Ranjan, who is credited with being a co-writer, seems to be making amends for past sins.
At first glance, it is impossible to identify what attracted Mehta. I imagine it was made around the same time as his recent series, the excellent Scam 1992. But it’s a refreshing change of pace for the filmmaker, who has an instinctive ability to tap into the humanity of his characters, regardless of genre.
Chhalaang tells the story of Montu (Rao), a wasteful man with a history of giving up almost every task he has ever undertaken. Fate has installed him as a physiotherapy teacher in the school of his childhood. But Montu is so disinterested in his work that he spends his PT periods eating samosas under the tree, while the students catch up on their homework.
He is inseparable from the school’s Hindi teacher, Shukla ji (played by Saurabh Shukla, no relative). Although it is not clear who the lackey is, his is a codependent relationship. At the end of each school day, Montu and Shukla retreat to a rooftop, where they get drunk and ponder the most important issues in life. There is a feeling that they have been performing these rituals for years. They are trapped in time and life is passing them by.
These opening scenes are really funny, the lines creak with wit, and the characters, including the supporting players, feel like real people. Chhalaang is one of those rare small-town movies that has a sense of place, it’s set in Haryana, and it doesn’t look like it was shot at Mehboob Studio for a fortnight.
Fundamentally, Montu is not a scoundrel of the same caliber as Vikrant Massey’s character in the recent Ginny Weds Sunny, or Jeetendra Kumar’s character in Chaman Bahaar. It’s true that Montu spends his free time as a proud member of Romeo’s squad, and slightly stalks the school’s new computer science teacher, Neelu, played by a Nushrratt Bharuccha, a misguided character, but that’s where the direction of Mehta. by Mehta’s humanistic approach.
Rajkummar Rao and Nushrratt Bharuccha in a still from Chhalaang.
It’s unfortunate then that the movie’s character-driven charms are replaced by plot-driven shenanigans after about an hour, when an adversary shows up and the movie starts to look like the Karate Kid.
Life puts a brake on Montu’s well-oiled routines when the school’s principal, played by Ila Arun, hires a much more qualified physical therapy teacher as his superior. Played by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Singh has many things that Montu does not have: determination to succeed, the desire to teach, and a college degree. And when Montu begins to notice troubling signs (Singh is ruthless to children and appears to be staring at Neelu), he offers a challenge. He will compete against Singh in a three-round contest, pitting Montu’s students against his own. The winner gets the job.
Chhalaang is essentially the story of an ordinary man, with little discernible talent, who sets out to achieve the goals he has set for himself, because, at the end of the day, those are the most difficult obstacles to overcome. Montu couldn’t keep up with the rest of the world, but the least he can do is keep up with his own pace.
The film is a curious counterpoint to the 1992 Mehta scam, as both are stories about ambition, or the lack of it, and the opportunities (or lack thereof) that India offers its people. While most people are probably like Montu, having settled for the hand that gave them life, others like Harshad Mehta have a certain killer instinct that drives them to the top. But who is more successful: the big-city billionaire who died unattended on a hospital bank, or the boy from a small town with no prospects, but the girl of his dreams in his corner?
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The author tweets @RohanNaahar
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