This is the kind of feel-good, message-filled cinema that a vast majority of Indians have grown to love. It's cinema in its most easily digestible form - light-hearted, breezy, predictable, and filled with melodrama. When viewed as the second directorial attempt of Nitesh Tiwari, the man behind India's biggest blockbuster 'Dangal', one can only let out an impromptu sigh at the end of this 145-minute long affair.
'Chhichhore', at best, feels like a rehashed '3 Idiots' with a bit of an expanded universe. Unfortunately, it lacks the charm of the latter even when it had much older actors playing the role of college teens. Here too, the lengthy flashback sequences come soaked in nostalgia. What works against the movie is that these fun-filled moments are intercut with the scenario of a young student who is in the hospital in a terrible physical and mental state after having attempted suicide. So, there's a constant switching on and off of emotions.
While there is, of course, a novel idea hidden in there somewhere, it gets lost amid everything else that happens. Nitesh has already proven (with 'Dangal') that he can handle sports sequences well and he doesn't let the viewers down in that department, however predictable they turn out to be. It's surprising to me that the supporting cast (comprising of Varun Sharma, Naveen Polishetty, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Saharsh Kumar Shukla) has done a much better job here than the lead duo (Sushant, who is usually pretty good, and Shraddha Kapoor, who is yet to impress me acting-wise) and it's their nuances that are comparatively more memorable.
For what it is, 'Chhichhore' doesn't require its viewers to overwork their brains. In essence, it's the equivalent of eating Maggi noodles. It gives you instant energy, but not much beyond. If you can deal with a certain level of cringe-worthy clichés, then 'Chhichhore' could very well up your alley. Looking at the 8+ rating, I realize that our audiences still buy into anything that offers a decent dose of nostalgia, even if it's not the most competently written/made.
Verdict: Throwaway watch!
'Chhichhore', at best, feels like a rehashed '3 Idiots' with a bit of an expanded universe. Unfortunately, it lacks the charm of the latter even when it had much older actors playing the role of college teens. Here too, the lengthy flashback sequences come soaked in nostalgia. What works against the movie is that these fun-filled moments are intercut with the scenario of a young student who is in the hospital in a terrible physical and mental state after having attempted suicide. So, there's a constant switching on and off of emotions.
While there is, of course, a novel idea hidden in there somewhere, it gets lost amid everything else that happens. Nitesh has already proven (with 'Dangal') that he can handle sports sequences well and he doesn't let the viewers down in that department, however predictable they turn out to be. It's surprising to me that the supporting cast (comprising of Varun Sharma, Naveen Polishetty, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Saharsh Kumar Shukla) has done a much better job here than the lead duo (Sushant, who is usually pretty good, and Shraddha Kapoor, who is yet to impress me acting-wise) and it's their nuances that are comparatively more memorable.
For what it is, 'Chhichhore' doesn't require its viewers to overwork their brains. In essence, it's the equivalent of eating Maggi noodles. It gives you instant energy, but not much beyond. If you can deal with a certain level of cringe-worthy clichés, then 'Chhichhore' could very well up your alley. Looking at the 8+ rating, I realize that our audiences still buy into anything that offers a decent dose of nostalgia, even if it's not the most competently written/made.
Verdict: Throwaway watch!