'Chillar Party' is a fun watch

Film: Chillar Party (U)
Director: Nitesh Tiwari & Vikas Bahl
Cast:  Irrfan Khan, Sanath Menon, Rohan Grover, Naman Jain, Aarav Khanna, Vishesh Tiwari, Chinmai Chandranshuh, Vedant Desai, Divij Handa, Shreya Sharma
Rating: ****1/2

Hype follows Salman Khan these days. So when he announced that he was producing Chillar Party, hype got to this film too. After Ready it was only natural to be cynical about anything that came from the ‘Being Human’ clan.

On a particularly busy day, when you scramble half way across town to catch a preview of the film, you want it to be worth your while. And I was armed with daggers if this film turned out to be another one of those all-hype-no-fun films.
 
I was in for a surprise, and a pleasant one at that.
 
Chillar Party is a gang of little kids who play cricket (what’s new?), gather in a shed to plot and plan and absolutely detest dogs. Now the directors understand that the audience will find it difficult to remember the jhing-bang gang’s names.

So they introduce them with a simple yet cleverly written narrative and make it impossible for you to fight their charm.
 
Encyclopedia, Akram, Shaolin, Jangiya, Silencer, Panvati, Aflatoon and Second-hand are fondly called Chillar Party in their residential colony. Threatened by the latest entrants into their society — car-washer Fatka and his dog Bhidu — Chillar Party starts scheming and plotting.

No, the film isn’t about Fatka vs Chillar Party, nor is it about cricket. It is about friendships, how they evolve and it is about standing your ground. Sounds tad preachy, doesn’t it? Guess what? It isn’t preachy at all!
 
Chillar Party is a multi-layered story. It isn’t a moral lesson, thank God for that, but it has quite few social issues addressed through its 2.5 hour duration.

For example, while Fatka is a child washing cars for the colony, when it comes down to firing him, the children raise a pertinent question — where will he go? There is no long debate about the right and wrong of employing Fatka, just a question which lingers on.
 
The characters demonstrate innocence and maturity at the same time and effortlessly carry the film forward through the multiple twists and turns the plot takes. The power of the film is in its simplicity that makes you laugh and makes you cry — a feat very few films have achieved lately.

The directors carefully craft element like the children’s fight to be taken seriously, their confusion at fathoming the grown-ups and their world and the plight of a street-kid, who’s most precious possession is his pet dog into a solid, entertaining film.
 
Packed with fun yet emotional moments, stellar performances, witty dialogue and a great story, Chillar Party is a must watch for kids and adults alike.