Ghanchakkar (2013)

A safe cracker claims he has lost his memory when two criminals come calling for their cut of the bank heist loot.

Director:

Raj Kumar Gupta

Writers:

Raj Kumar Gupta (screenplay), Parveez Sheikh (screenplay)

Stars:

Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Parvin Dabas

Cast

Credited cast:
Emraan Hashmi	...	Sanjay Atre (Mr. Ghanchakkar)
Vidya Balan	...	Neetu Atre (Mrs. Ghanchakkar)
Parvin Dabas	...	Uttam Nagpal
Rajesh Sharma	...	Pandit
Namit Das	...	Idris
Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal	...	Neighbour
Vikram Kochhar
Tarun Dudeja	...	Male Nurse
Shashank Shende	...	Baba
Frank M. Ahearn	...	Ello
Amar Kaushik	...	Stud hussain
Rajkumar Gupta	...	Cameo

Storyline

Sanju, Pandit and Idris rob a bank and decide to share the money. After executing the robbery successfully, the trio decide that Sanju keep the money for 3 months until the heat has died down. Problems arise Sanju forgets where he put the money, and when his partners return for their share. This leads to comedic scenes and wild chases for any leads that might get them close to the money.

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Plot Keywords:

robbery | reference to shahrukh khan | reference to salman khan | man in underwear | subway | 

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Taglines:

Remember not to forget.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

3 July 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Чокнутый

Filming Locations:

India

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$143,616 (USA) (28 June 2013)

Gross:

$203,044 (USA) (5 July 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

UTV Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Aashik Aawara (1993)

User Reviews

This ain't your usual cup of tea!

Walking outta the theatre after watching Ghanchakkar, I felt like a victim of that Expectation vs Reality meme. I had huge expectations for Ghanchakkar but when faced with the reality that was the movie, I was gravely let down. Especially I'd went in for Raj Kumar Gupta's previous movie No One Killed Jessica with half the expectation and was blown away. I did the mistake of going in excited and was sorely disappointed with Ghanchakkar.

Ghanchakkar had a brilliant premise set for an excellent dark comedy. The characters were intriguing enough and so was the casting. Emran Hashmi plays Sanjay, a retired-thief who now sits at home watching TV all day, Vidya Balan plays Neetu, his Punjabi wife with her odd sense in outfits and an obsession for fashion, Rajesh Sharma as the mastermind and heist organiser and Namit Das as Idrees, a vehement partner to Pundit. The recipe was right for one amazing ride yet it fails miserably when it comes to its pace and its second half. In the end, Ghanchakkar only promises you some well written one-liners and laughs.

Great casting was one that I at least rooted for. Being a die-hard Vidya Balan fan, apart from her ever-amazing performance, I have to admit she was an eyeful treat. With his limited scope for acting, Emran Hashmi did justice to his role. Among the lot Rajesh Sharma and Namit Das shone through well infusing humor in their malevolent roles.

Ghanchakkar had an entertaining start though it stumbles down post- intermission. It gets tedious to watch during the mid-acts where nothing was happening on-screen. But I still sat through to the end as it assured a mystery throughout. The fact whether Emran Hashmi's memory- loss was genuine or was it all a huge act ensured the wee bit interest till the end in an otherwise lazy narrative which was fast losing steam towards the end. The huge tonal difference in the second half didn't make things easier for me either, the first half was soaked in humor and lighter tones while the second half shifted to being unnecessarily serious. Contrary to what the previews had in display, Ghanchakkar is very offbeat; be it the humor or the violence or the lewd jokes and cusses thrown all over the movie.

Amit Trivedi's score and music tries to salvage the movie to a great degree. The score and music is as vivid as you can imagine an Amit musical to be. I like the way they blended funky tunes to the most vivid of scenes. Title tracks 'Lazy Lad' & 'Ghanchakkar' does please your ears. Watch Ghanchakkar for the cast's cohesive chemistry, for a bedazzling Vidya Balan and Amit Trivedi's sweet sweet music. I don't know if the makers intended to make the audience go ghanchakkar with this one, but an ambiguous ending, loads of unanswered questions isn't doing us any good. Ghanchakkar is destined to hang in the limbo of "Could Have been Awesome".