Rishi didn’t want to watch ‘Ghanchakkar’, said looks like a s#%$ movie from the promos and the title. But I really pushed him hard; finally he relented and we went to watch ‘Ghanchakkar’.
Neetu (Vidya Balan) is a Punjabi woman married to Sanjay (Emraan Hashmi) who is a Maharashtrian. Sanjay is a TV addict and makes his living out of robberies. On the other hand, Neetu who dresses according to the latest fashion magazines is a walking fashion disaster. She is not only loud but greedy too. She pushes her husband into committing robberies to fuel their high-end living. This time, Sanjay executes a big heist with two fellow robbers, Pandit and Idris. They decide to leave the money with Sanjay till the matter settles down and then meet again after 3 months to share the loot. Meanwhile, Sanjay meets with an accident and suffers from partial amnesia. Now the goons are after him to remember where he stashed away the money. The poor man, much as he tried, even for the life of him couldn’t remember.
What follows is a comedy of errors where the goons suspect Sanjay of lying, Sanjay doubts Neetu, and so on and so forth.
The film is funny in parts though man running on the street in underwear and bullying an innocent at gunpoint at the railway platform look crass. Though the film starts on an interesting note, it loses the plot somewhere in the middle as if the makers themselves lost interest in it. RajKumar Gupta has tried to create a film noir but has failed miserably. The climax is totally unexpected and doesn’t match at all with the overall film.
Emraan Hashmi as the forgetful robber has given a tremendous performance. Vidya Balan though good is not very convincing as a Punjabi wife. But her garish outfits do provide a bit of colour to the otherwise dull background. Namit Das and Rajesh Sharma as the goons are okayish.
The song ‘Lazy Lad’ is a fun number and Rishi has already set it as his caller tune.
Verdict: I should have listened to Rishi in the first place. Please steer clear of it; you don’t wanna be a Ghanchakkar, do you?