Movie Review: Chhichhore..shares a worthy message

Contrary to my own expectations, my biggest takeaway from Chhichhore which I had billed as a wannabe and possibly worthless 3 Idiots aspirant even before entering the movie hall, wasn't its jokes or comedy.While it has ample of those too, Chhichhore, shares a beautiful and pertinent message, especially in today's rat race and pressure cooker environment that I would consider its real draw.

How much you would relate to the humor and jokes of the movie, is highly dependent on one simple factor - have you at all experienced hostel life? If so, you will rejoice at the literal tribute to hostel life that Nitesh Tiwari manages - showcasing all the elements of the not-so-glorious but wonderfully carefree life. You'll probably reminisce back to your own experience - finding parallels of your own to the quirky characters the movie spends ample time introducing us to. If not, you'll still have the laughs, they may just not connect as deep.

To tell its story though, the movie does a juggle between the past and present which isn't all that convincing and sometimes feels outright jarring - especially with events that are happening. In the present, the movie takes some brave calls and makes a rather poignant start. The past, in sharp contrast, is light and fresh. However, the comparison between past and present doesn't always fit and it feels like a forced connect at times, especially at the intermission stage. The movie takes some weird turns while still telling a predictable story. At one point, it even starts feeling like a version of Student of the year, with better actors and performances, but in the end, it all feels okay - simply because at its heart, the movie's message is genuine and much valuable.

Chhichhore is also helped by an earnest performance by its entire cast. Sushant Singh Rajput isn't all that convincing in the present, but his college days have him in fine form. Shraddha Kapoor has a simpler character - well its either that - or she approaches her past and present the same way and looks exactly the same. However, the real scene stealer is the erstwhile Chucha, now Sexa (which I suspect will soon become his new household name). Varun Sharma is in fine form, with the best lines and expressions, that has the audience in splits for most of the time. One can argue that his character is similar to that of his Chucha avatar from Fukrey fame - but there is no denying that in pulling off this kind of character, Varun truly excels. 

Chhichhore's songs aren't all that melodious but don't slow down the narrative beyond a point. The laughs keep on coming even when the mood is sombre. A lot of the movie prefers to keep the canvas as black and white rather than shades of grey, which is closer to real life. The climax, even though painfully obvious (well, almost so) is also slowed down considerably. However, the ultimate message of the movie is a winner all the way and highly pertinent for today's generation of kids as well as parents.

Chhichhore then is definitely worthy of a visit to the theater. While some of the execution can feel a bit lame, its laughs are genuine - you are bound to have a good time - and its message sets a shining example that I hope many take inspiration from.