At a point in Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein, Naseeruddin Shah tells his subordinate, “Poori film dekh li par kahani samajh mein nahi aa rahi hai”. That line could easily describe most of this thriller.
The film begins with a group of friends, which includes Nina (Manasi Rachh) and Sam (Amit Sial), being murdered. No one knows anything of the killer or the motive, and it’s left to Addl. Commissioner of Police, Sanket Pujari (Naseeruddin Shah) and his team to solve the mystery. Initial suspects are Dips (Anand Tiwari) and Sohail (Subrat Datta) but there’s more than what meets the eye.
Most of the film is shown through camcorder footage, which tells us what the friends were up to and possibly lead to clues relating to their murder. But nothing is as it seems and a lot of subplots keep the audience guessing. In fact, the writers even manage to bring an unexpected twist to the climax.
Naseeruddin Shah is an actor who can stand out in even the worst of films and he doesn’t disappoint here either. Subrat Datta delivers a good performance too. The rest are just about average.
Since a lot of videocamera footage is used, most of the scenes look amateurishly shot but it is intended. Only if the writers had not gone overboard with the subplots, the film could have been so much better. A lot of them seem needless and forced. It’s a saving grace that the film has just two songs, one at the beginning and another while the end credits roll, both of which are terrible.
Verdict: If you are keen to watch a thriller this weekend, then Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein won’t disappoint. Naseeruddin Shah’s performance is the film’s highlight. Also, watch it to find out what Charlie really means.
Review By Criselle Lobo