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 and dialogue), Parveez Sheikh (screenplay and dialogue)

Stars:

Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Raj Kumar Gupta

Cast

Credited cast:
Emraan Hashmi	...	Sanjay Atre (Mr. Ghanchakkar)
Vidya Balan	...	Neetu Atre (Mrs. Ghanchakkar)
Raj Kumar Gupta	...	Cameo (as Rajkumar Gupta)
Rajesh Sharma	...	Pandit
Amar Kaushik	...	Stud hussain
Vikram Kochhar
Parvin Dabas	...	Uttam Nagpal
Vishwanath Chatterjee
Namit Das	...	Idris
Shashank Shende	...	Baba
Tarun Dudeja	...	Male Nurse
Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal	...	Neighbour
Helena Fonseca	...	In 3D whimp
Sunil Vishrani	...	Fat Man
Frank M. Ahearn	...	Ello

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:

Uitucul

Filming Locations:

India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$143,616, 30 June 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$203,044, 7 July 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

UTV Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Alternate Versions

The UK release of the film was cut in advance following advice from the BBFC that the film was likely to be classified '15' uncut. The distributors then edited the film to remove moments of strong violence (a gunshot to the head and a throat-stabbing) following these changes the film was later passed '12A' upon a formal submission.

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Connections

References Ghajini (2008)

User Reviews

A quirky suspenseful comedy !

Ghanchakkar is a refreshing comedy revolving around a laid back criminal Sanju (Emran Hashmi) and his "fashionable" wife Neetu (Vidya Balan).

The film begins with the uneventful life of Sanju having to deal with his wife's bland food and his mother's doting phone-calls. Living a passive life and having somewhat given up his criminal days as a safe opening expert, he takes on a bank robbery job with Neetu cleverly pushing him into the decision.

Enter two seemingly unlikely scheming bandits Pandit and Idris the played superbly by Rajesh Sharma and Nimit Das who create the 'master plan'. The heist itself is brilliantly hilarious - Utpal Dutt's mask still cracks me up. After the successful robbery they decide to stay low for three months and forcefully give Sanju the responsibility of safekeeping the money.

Three months pass....and Sanju has lost his memory of the robbery...or has he? What ensues is determining who is scheming who! The film does lose its steam in some parts and would have done with some more threads but to the director's credit he still manages to keep the suspense and doesn't dumb the film down. Add to that Hashmi's poker face,which doesn't give much away, adding to the intrigue. Vidya Balan is also quite good as the dominating Punjabi wife.

The final act is surprisingly good for a Hindi film and keeps a few threads still open, leaving the viewer to interpret it in his own way. Overall a good effort, I certainly would recommend this unconventional comedy.