Chillar Party

We all know that Salman Khan is involved in many charities and there is no surprise that he is also a co-producer of Chillar Party. It's a story of... read more

We all know that Salman Khan is involved in many charities and there is no surprise that he is also a co-producer of Chillar Party. It's a story of few kids who get together to save a stray dog and how they take over a minister for that.

The movie on the whole is a sweet watch with many awww moments but still could have been better. There are few unjust scenes and the drama is also not good enough to endear the audience, . Apart from these; the humor, dialogues and off course Rabir Kapoor were the things to look out for. Mr. Kapoors Tai Tai Phis number will surely pep you up!

Speaking of the performances, each kid was just apt for its role, from there dialogue delivery to expressions to the execution were absolutely bang on but still few scenes were not required and that's where Chillar Party did not work for me. Even the screenplay was average and that's where Vikas Bahl, Nitesh Tiwari and Vijay Maurya could have done something way better. No doubt that the dialogues penned are cute and humorous but they are not good enough to keep the audience engaged.

Another short fall was the way "The Dog" has been presented. Pet Lovers will surely feel connected to the movie but for the rest of the people, chillar party wont be that adorable. Though the aim of the movie was to showcase the problem of stray dogs all over the country but due to weak execution of the idea it be constrained on a small level.

Footer: Your kids and animal lovers will surely enjoy the movie and rest should wait for its DVD to be released.
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When the world over, everybody is recycling content and repackaging it to suit contemporary palates, kiddie flicks are no exception. Its difficult ... read more

When the world over, everybody is recycling content and repackaging it to suit contemporary palates, kiddie flicks are no exception. Its difficult not to laugh watching a kid pick up adult mannerisms and act like one, and you must be some kind of a sadist not to support small kids fight for a social cause. 'Chillar Party' plays on these very emotions when it dishes out funny, somewhat entertaining and yet quite predictable fare.

The film is essentially a depiction of unionized children fighting against the system to help save a stray dog from being killed/taken away. The weapons at their disposal range from cutesy looks to hard work to chaddi marches to sentimental debates.

The first half of the film drags a little as the character introductions take a lot of time (a little information that there are in all 9 protagonists would have helped) and some predictable sequences. Add to it a Surf Excel advertisement which has been shamelessly plugged in as a part of the film itself. The plot looks like it has been lifted from a bunch of TV serials with stock characters. However the second half packs in a lot many more LPM(laughs per minute) and some twists and turns.

While child artists are always known to act much, much better than established actors,the kid who steals the show is definitely 'Janghya' (so named because he doesn't like wearing one). He is the cutest of the lot and acts brilliantly. Given a choice, I would definitely pay my way to see him again.

Is it watchable? A definite Yes. Funny, entertaining, clean, and non-preachy.
Is it stellar cinema? Err...no. A Minister hellbent to kill a canine seems to be childish behavior. I doubt Sallu miyan would be able to change the perception of people towards children's films with this one. Aamir already did that for good some time ago (TZP). view less

You can rarely go wrong when you make films with dogs & children. Jangiya, one of the chillars mentions the film Teri Meharbaniyan, a 1985 fil... read more

You can rarely go wrong when you make films with dogs & children. Jangiya, one of the chillars mentions the film Teri Meharbaniyan, a 1985 film that starred a dog in the leading role and had Jackie Shroff & Poonam Dhillon as supporting cast. How a kid in 2011 knows about this film is a mystery. A lot of things like this make you question the logic in the film. So, the best way to enjoy this film is to watch it like a fairy tale.

A politician wants a mudda to resurrect his political career. He finds that mudda in a dog called Bhidu (Jackie Shroffs favorite word). Bhidu is a stray dog and a friend of Phatka. Phatka cleans cars in the society where the Chillar Party stays. The Chillar Party are a bunch of kids called Shaolin, Jangiya, Silencer, Panauti, Second hand , Akram, Aflatoon & the leader amongst them called Encyclopedia. The politician wants Bhidu out of the society and the only ones who stand against him is the Chillar Party.

Most of the first half is spent in an elaborate build up of the kids meeting phatka. At first not liking him & his dog which slowly develops into friendship until the conflict comes into play. This is one of those films that work in spite of a weak screenplay. Amongst the kids Naman Jain as Jangiya entertains the most & Irrfan Khan as Phatka performs so naturally that at times it feels like he is not acting at all. The underwear march in the film is something I found discomforting and offensive. To make so many children walk the streets in under wears is exploitation. Many of them might have been coaxed into doing this by their parents who want their child to be famous. For me it was a put off. Besides a few misgivings like these it is a fun film that keeps a smile planted on your face in almost its entire running time. The directors focus more on creating moments rather than telling the story well. The climax looks like a hurried writing job and is the sore point in the film. The music is probably Amit Ts weakest but still works well in the film. Chatte Bhattes tune reminded of the tune for Fraggle Rock (remember?). There is also a track of Googly (a man with a womans voice) which is in the munnbhai can solve all problems mould. What stays with you at the end of it are some moments or lines but the not the film.

Final few words: Chillar Party is a perfect Sunday outing film for the entire family. A onetime watch that calls for a repeat only to enjoy the one liners of Jangiya.

Rating: *** (GOOD)

Ticket Meter: Worth 150 bucks
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Its pouring great movies this monsoon. Chillar Party is the rainbow in the sky this weekend. The movie makes you whoop with laughter, cry quietly i... read more

Its pouring great movies this monsoon. Chillar Party is the rainbow in the sky this weekend. The movie makes you whoop with laughter, cry quietly into your tissue and feel a surge of pride at the achievement of the kids. Here is a movie that talks to kids and adults alike, and gives us the real kids of today-slightly impetuous, very smart but at heart innocent and believing in the goodness of the world.

The story is set in a typical housing society where a young kid comes with his dog to live and wash cars for a living. After a bit of tension with the resident gang of boys who dont like dogs because a dog in the colony shits on their cricket pitch, the boys become friends with the car cleaner (Appropriately called Fatka) and his dog Bhidu. The problem arises when a local politician initiates a campaign to rid the city of stray dogs and targets Bhidu since he attacked the politicians secretary while defending Phadka. How the kids take on the mighty politician forms the meat of the story.

The movie takes a while to reach the main premise (nearly towards the interval) but the time is well used to set up the story and embed the Chillar gang in our minds. Each child in the cast is a character true to his name whether it is the very cute Jangiya who hates wearing underwear or Silencer who never speaks or Encyclopedia who calls himself the mastermind of the gang. The adults who play parents and the other members of the housing society also pitch in their best to give us a feeling of a large disjointed but not disconnected family. Let me not forget the real star of the movie, Bhidu who plays a real dog and is not like the irritating pooches we see in the Barjatya movies. His acting is natural and in keeping with the true nature of the movie.

The storytelling is swift and the screenplay crackling either with one liners or emotionally charged scenes.

The movie stays on the fringes of child labour. Fatka is a child labourer but as one of the kids says Fatka has no parents. If he does not work what will he eat? It is a bigger debate that thankfully the movie does not get into here but it still lingers on in our mind and the movie brings it back into your consciousness with small deft touches as when they show the childrens jumping feet and you see one pair of feet jumping in oversized flip flops in a sea of school shoes. A lump in the throat moment for sure. This is the kinds of stuff that makes this movie so much better than Stanley ka Dabba which seems ponderous in comparison.

The music is fantastic. Mohit Chauhans voice in Chatte Batte is haunting. I think it will have the same nostalgic effect on adults as Purani Jeans had at one time.

Ranveer Kapoors item number Tai tai phish comes right at the end of the credits and you have to really hang around to watch it or else you will miss a fantastically done tapori number. Amir Khan please take note: Hip shakes and crotch thrusts are best left to youngsters. The excitement in the kids while watching this number is palpable and you walk out dancing on air. The other reason not to miss the credits is the out takes taken while the movie was being shot. Charming shots of the kids while at the shoot which are happily not much different from how they are shown in the movie.

Go now for this movie. Chillar party is like a walk in the clouds, soft and fluffy but heavy with the promise of rain.
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Kiddie flicks are always a tough call; most assume kids to be far more juvenile than they are or go in the other extreme and make them caricatures ... read more

Kiddie flicks are always a tough call; most assume kids to be far more juvenile than they are or go in the other extreme and make them caricatures of adults. Add the supposedly incidental slapstick jokes and much of the cast behaving on an IQ a little above that of Dennis the Menace, it's very likely that the best of intentions won't give you anything new if you have seen most of them. The only thing likely to differ is the sheen which the product brings to the table.

A bunch of neighbourhood kids band together to save a street urchin's dog from an evil minister out to score some political brownie points by his campaign against stray dogs. That essentially is the gist of the plot in one line. How they go about doing it via clashing with authority figures and winning over people to their cause is all that the story encapsulates.

So numerous "witty" quips by the young cast is supposed to make them seem smart but honestly most of the time it just makes them seem like a "smart-ass" and you know how the saying goes, "No one likes a......" I find the whole routine of kids trying to imitate grown-ups through the way they talk & walk more than a little redundant. The grown-ups don't fare any better who also happen to operate at a sub-par IQ & EQ than most of their younger counterparts.

What I did like were the initial scenes of friendship between the kids and the street urchin. The build-up to those parts seemed much more natural than what followed it. The songs for me were utterly disposable.

'Chillar Party' is highly derivative entertainment with the right intentions but the amateur writing & the wanton need to be "cool" only distracts from what could have been a heart-warming little film bout friendship.
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