Ghanchakkar
Year: 2013
Director: Rajkumar Gupta
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Rajesh Sharma, Namit Das

The fact that Ghanchakkar marked Vidya Balan’s long-awaited return to silver screen post-Kahaani was enough to make me eagerly look forward to it. In addition, there was another plus-point that Vidya was working here with director Rajkumar Gupta (No One Killed Jessica) and Emraan Hashmi (Dirty Picture), both of whom had already been on her winning team in the past.

So how did this much-anticipated comic thriller unfold on screen? Did it add to Vidya’s growing list of stupendous performances?

What’s the plot?

An ingenious bank-heist goes sour because the guy (Emraan Hashmi), who broke the safe and who was entrusted with keeping the loot safe, loses his memory in an accident. Now his irksome wife (Vidya Balan) and his two frustrated accomplices (Rajesh Sharma and Namit Das) are trying to make him remember where he kept the booty. Things start to get murkier when the amnesiac tries to piece together the events in the three months that passed after the robbery. So what did exactly happen? Where is it all heading? Is it even for real?

What’s hot?

·         An interesting, intelligent plot with well-maintained suspense.

·         Some good comic scenes.

·         Emraan Hashmi as the confused amnesiac, Vidya Balan as the garishly ‘fashionable’ loud-mouth Punjabi housewife and Rajesh Sharma and Namit Das as the bumbling goons; all play their parts well.

What’s not?

·         The comic elements are few and far between.

·         The plot and the characters do not manage to develop into something more compelling.

·         The complex climax doesn’t gel well.

Verdict

In Hollywood, Coen brothers have regaled us with some dark comedies such as Fargo, Ladykillers and Burn After Reading. ‘Hopelessly complex plot that’s ultimately unimportant’; that’s how they once described one of their films.

Rajkumar Gupta tries to do the same here. He does well in parts and is helped by the excellent performances. But sketchy writing, not enough fun and an unsatisfactory ending limits the film’s impact.

As for the question of Vidya’s performance, Ghanchakkar shows her versatility but it won’t be considered as one of her best performances. In fact, Emraan coolly hogs the limelight here with an utterly believable portrayal of a man trying to make sense of the nonsense going on in his life!

This dark comedy is made for niche audience in metro multiplexes and not for masses. I wouldn’t really advise theatre-viewing for such films. You can watch them at leisure on your TV-sets when the film-channels finally start beaming them!