|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
By Joginder Tuteja, October 23, 2009 - 17:38 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Tanvi Hegde, Kanwaljeet, Rati Agnihotri, Anup Soni, Shilpa Shukla
Director: Ujjwal Singh
Producer: Mahesh Padalkar
Music: Illaiyaraaja
Lyrics: Piyush Mishra
THE FILM
Should all children turn into Engineers, Doctors or IAS officers? Or should there be a freedom for them to explore opportunities in arts or literature as well?
That's the question asked by a bunch of students comprising of seven students, six boys and a girl, most of whom have a tough time balancing school, coaching classes and pressure at home. They are not just fighting it out by studying certain subjects which are against their choice; they also have to face peer pressure and competition from
the outside world.
Since the film deals with a topical issue, it is not an easy task to make the film entertaining enough. Of course there can be only one Taare Zameen Par every decade and it would be unfair to compare Ujjwal Singh's capability and platform to be similar to that of Aamir Khan. However, to his credit, he does try to tell an honest story in spite of the fact that Chal Chalein does appear to be an amateur attempt at places. In especially those scenes that involve all 7 youngsters to be discussing around the issues that they face, the setting is entirely theatrical and at places even comes across as a mime.
However, it's the intentions of the film maker that are honest which makes Chal Chalein a subject that one can relate to. Kids being punished by their parents for not
getting the best marks in the class, grown up teenagers being slapped around for voicing their opinion, school principal not being available for his students, coaching classes
pressure, comparison with other kids pursuing admission in IIT or IAS, toddlers being sent to play school to be groomed for their earlier years in school - all of this is life-like
that demonstrates that Ujjwal Singh has his heart at the right place.
What mars the effort to some extent though is the near-documentary feel that the film takes at numerous junctures, especially during the first half of the film. Even when the
characters are talking to each other and cursing the current educational system, it comes across as sermonising that puts off the audiences to some extent. The interval
point though is one of the highlights in the film when one of the students commits suicide.
In fact the drama builds up from here on as Mithun Chakraborty, who plays the role of an advocate, takes it upon himself to fight a case against the father of the boy who committed suicide. Chal Chalein only goes to gather further momentum as an entire bunch of students come together to file a case against their parents with a charge of undue pressure on them to study. Yes, it does sound unreal but in the context of the film, the story it is telling and from the intent perspective, it only adds further weight to the proceedings.
From the performances perspective, Mithun Chakraborty towers above all and thankfully has a much better role to play than the one he played in another kid's film Zor
Laga Ke Haiyaa that released a few months back. Kanwaljeet and Rati Agnihotri are barely passable though while amongst the teenagers, Tanvi Hegde (who has earlier
been seen in 'Pitaah') does leave a mark.
PACKAGING
Chal Chalein comes in a regular plastic case with an overall dull layout
DURATION
The film's duration is 133 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Making of the Film
'Making of the Film' primarily has the director (Ujjwal Singh) and the writer (Vijaya Ramachandrula) talking about the film. While the usual talks around them getting complete
support from the actors is expected in this segment, one misses the man of the moment, Mithun Chakraborty, sharing his views about the film. There are few on-location
shots interspersed in this making though. Watch this before playing on the film and it would help gain an idea around what Chal Chalein is all about.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 199/=
CONCLUSION
In Bollywood, films revolving around teenagers are seldom made. In this context, Chal Chalein is an exception since it challenges the entire parental pressure on
children to be Number One in studies. In this context, first time director Ujjwal Singh raises a very valid point. Yes, the treatment is amateurish but if seen with an open mind sans any expectations, Chal Chalein can be given a one time watch on DVD.
 
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
