No kidding, Akshay Kumar has finally broken his self-imposed jinx and has taken up a film which doesn't demand him playing an overtly boisterous character. "Special Chabbis" is a welcome relief from the usual gibberish we've come to expect from the Indian film industry and a film that lives up to every promise it makes. Literally. From the fresh breed of young filmmakers that took over the new phase of the industry, director Neeraj Pandey's voice soared higher than anyone else's with his stunning debut "A Wednesday" four years back. And now, with "Special Chabbis", I can solemnly state that he could well be the next big thing.
In the late 1980s, a group of four con-men dress up as fake CBI officers and conduct raids on corrupt ministers and run off with millions before the unsuspecting ministers figure out that they have actually been robbed. Since the money involved in these raids is brought in by scams, no one dares to report this to the police. The group consists of Ajay (Akshay Kumar), the real brains behind the raids, the timid Sharmaji (Anupam Kher), Joginder (Rajesh Sharma) and Iqbal (Kishor Kadam). While the group commits daring daylight robberies, the helpless CBI cannot do anything but look on. Finally, SI Ranveer Singh (Jimmy Shergill), a disgraced police officer who had helped the felons in one of their raids oblivious to the fact that they're actual robbers, agrees to help CBI officer Waseem Khan (Manoj Bajpai) to track them down. Ajay and Sharmaji agree to commit one last robbery- their biggest- and then disappear. But unbeknownst to them, Khan is eavesdropping on their telephonic conversations and wants sufficient evidence to nab them. The game of cat-and-mouse boils down to a tense climax where no one wants to be the one on the losing side.
Bringing a real-life incident to the big screen is never easy but Pandey, working from a wonderfully twisty script, handles the camera with assured confidence which is evident from the way he builds the suspense. Recreating the events that transpired in great detail, the urgency with which the film is narrated is a perceptible sign of a man who knows what he's doing. The story is smoothly told with a consistently flowing narrative and the infusion of wry humor only helps to add to the delightful pleasures of its marvelous execution which can only be relished. The film is supremely funny in parts which, I admit, was an unexpected surprise from the director who had last directed a thriller which strived on palpable tension.
In a film which boggles us with its sheer energy, a romantic angle threatens to cripple the narrative. That has unabashedly been the tragic biography of thrillers in the Indian film industry for decades and it's no different now. I cringed at the unnecessary use of songs and a half-baked romantic plot which is completely trivial to the story. So, why lace the film with them? No idea. I reckon the makers couldn't resist banking on the love story to set the cash registers ringing a little loudly than they would've ringed otherwise.
Of the performances, Akshay Kumar is reliably excellent, as is Manoj Bajpai. Anupam Kher is terrific in the role of the timid Sharmaji, providing much needed chuckles with his mousy demeanor. Jimmy Shergill does well in a small role. Kajal Aggarwal's role is a trivial one, vastly underwritten and a balmy decision on the part of its director.
"Special Chabbis" is a smart film which greatly respects the intellect of its audience and which audaciously attempts to bring an arduous anecdote to life and succeeds in keeping us hooked for 150 minutes, a film whose superb script triumphs over the credentials of its makers. How can anyone resist that?
In the late 1980s, a group of four con-men dress up as fake CBI officers and conduct raids on corrupt ministers and run off with millions before the unsuspecting ministers figure out that they have actually been robbed. Since the money involved in these raids is brought in by scams, no one dares to report this to the police. The group consists of Ajay (Akshay Kumar), the real brains behind the raids, the timid Sharmaji (Anupam Kher), Joginder (Rajesh Sharma) and Iqbal (Kishor Kadam). While the group commits daring daylight robberies, the helpless CBI cannot do anything but look on. Finally, SI Ranveer Singh (Jimmy Shergill), a disgraced police officer who had helped the felons in one of their raids oblivious to the fact that they're actual robbers, agrees to help CBI officer Waseem Khan (Manoj Bajpai) to track them down. Ajay and Sharmaji agree to commit one last robbery- their biggest- and then disappear. But unbeknownst to them, Khan is eavesdropping on their telephonic conversations and wants sufficient evidence to nab them. The game of cat-and-mouse boils down to a tense climax where no one wants to be the one on the losing side.
Bringing a real-life incident to the big screen is never easy but Pandey, working from a wonderfully twisty script, handles the camera with assured confidence which is evident from the way he builds the suspense. Recreating the events that transpired in great detail, the urgency with which the film is narrated is a perceptible sign of a man who knows what he's doing. The story is smoothly told with a consistently flowing narrative and the infusion of wry humor only helps to add to the delightful pleasures of its marvelous execution which can only be relished. The film is supremely funny in parts which, I admit, was an unexpected surprise from the director who had last directed a thriller which strived on palpable tension.
In a film which boggles us with its sheer energy, a romantic angle threatens to cripple the narrative. That has unabashedly been the tragic biography of thrillers in the Indian film industry for decades and it's no different now. I cringed at the unnecessary use of songs and a half-baked romantic plot which is completely trivial to the story. So, why lace the film with them? No idea. I reckon the makers couldn't resist banking on the love story to set the cash registers ringing a little loudly than they would've ringed otherwise.
Of the performances, Akshay Kumar is reliably excellent, as is Manoj Bajpai. Anupam Kher is terrific in the role of the timid Sharmaji, providing much needed chuckles with his mousy demeanor. Jimmy Shergill does well in a small role. Kajal Aggarwal's role is a trivial one, vastly underwritten and a balmy decision on the part of its director.
"Special Chabbis" is a smart film which greatly respects the intellect of its audience and which audaciously attempts to bring an arduous anecdote to life and succeeds in keeping us hooked for 150 minutes, a film whose superb script triumphs over the credentials of its makers. How can anyone resist that?