Ghanchakkar (film)
| Ghanchakkar | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Rajkumar Gupta |
| Produced by |
Ronnie Screwvala Siddharth Roy Kapur |
| Screenplay by |
Parveez Shaikh Rajkumar Gupta |
| Starring |
Emraan Hashmi Vidya Balan Rajesh Sharma Namit Das Parvin Dabas |
| Music by | Amit Trivedi |
| Cinematography | Setu |
| Edited by | Aarti Bajaj |
| Distributed by | UTV Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹300 million (US$4.5 million) |
| Box office | ₹380 million (US$5.6 million) |
Ghanchakkar (English: Crazy) is a 2013 Indian suspense comedy caper film directed by Rajkumar Gupta and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur from UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan in the lead roles.[1] The theatrical trailer debuted on 28 March 2013, along with Himmatwala. The film received mixed reviews from critics.[2]
Plot
Sanjay (Emraan Hashmi) is a master safe cracker who maintains a casual lifestyle with his wife Neetu (Vidya Balan). He is offered the chance to assist with a bank robbery alongside two criminals, Pandit and Idris. The heist, if successful, will ensure that he never has to worry about money again, so he accepts the offer. The three thieves make off with 35 crore rupees. While his associates lie low until the heat dies down, Sanjay hides the money, but when Pandit and Idris return for their share, they find that Sanjay has apparently lost his memory. To make sure they're not being cheated, the two move in with Sanjay until his memory returns.
When Sanjay learns that Neetu's friend Uttam Nagpal (Parvin Dabas) has become an overnight millionaire, apparently by winning a lottery, he suspects Neetu of knowing the hiding place of the money and of conspiring with her friend. Uttam moves to London after being confronted about the money. Sanjay finds out that Neetu has purchased a one-way ticket for London.
An unknown person contacts Sanjay and urges him to divulge the location of the money. Under pressure, Pandit and Idris kidnap Neetu and ask Sanjay to meet them in a train station, on the third platform at 1am. When both Pandit and Idris confront Sanjay and demand the money, Sanjay claims that he doesn't even recognise the two.
When Sanjay says that Neetu knew where the money was, Idris begins to lose control. When he pulls his gun, he is shot by Baba (Shashank Shende), an unknown man sitting at the back of the train. Baba reveals that he is the unknown person who called Sanjay earlier. It turns out that he was the person who originally devised the plan and now wants his share. Sanjay tries to defend himself with his only weapon, a fork. In a rage, Baba kills both Pandit and Idris. After persistently questioning and trying to blackmail Sanjay, Baba shoots Neetu, hoping that the traumatic vision of his wife's suffering will make Sanjay reveal the truth. This fails, however, since Sanjay has in fact lost his memory. Baba searches Sanjay's pockets, only to find his second weapon, a banana. In retaliation he shoots them both and leaves the train.
Sanjay's phone rings and he finds his mother on the line. Sanjay has completely forgotten his identity and doesn't recognise his mother, but she says she still has a suitcase that Sanjay gave her to keep three months ago, and if he doesn't come soon, she'll give it to the junk dealer. Sanjay's mother had the money all along. Baba overhears this and jumps on the train just as it's starting, but he slips on Sanjay's banana and impales his neck on Sanjay's fork. Sanjay, bereft, confused and tired, throws his phone out of the train while Neetu smiles. Sanjay has no idea what's going on, but the train goes on its way with the dead bodies of Baba, Pandit and Idris.[3]
Cast
- Emraan Hashmi as Sanjay Atre
- Vidya Balan as Neetu Atre
- Rajesh Sharma as Pandit
- Namit Das as Idris
- Parvin Dabas as Uttam Nagpal
- Shashank Shende as Baba
- Akshay Khanna
Soundtrack
| Ghanchakkar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Amit Trivedi | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Language | Hindi | |||
| Label | UTV Software Communications | |||
| Producer | Amit Trivedi | |||
| Amit Trivedi chronology | ||||
| ||||
The soundtrack of Ghanchakkar was composed by Amit Trivedi. The lyrics were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lazy Lad" | Richa Sharma | |
| 2. | "Allah Meherbaan" | Divya Kumar, Amit Trivedi | |
| 3. | "Ghanchakkar Babu" | Amit Trivedi | |
| 4. | "Jholu Ram" | Altaf Raja | |
| 5. | "Ghanchakkar Babu (Remix)" | Amit Trivedi, Rahul Gupta |
Promotion
Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan worked hard to bring the film to a wider audience. The on-screen couple appeared on various television shows, including Dance India Dance, Chidiyaghar, India's Dancing Superstar and Comedy Nights with Kapil.
Critical response
Wassupbollywood.com rated the movie 2/5, saying, "Ghanchakkar is a terribly executed film. Watch it to feel better in your college lecture or job this Monday."
Raja Sen of Rediff.com said that the film "stops being funny somewhere through the second half". The critic continued: "Vidya Balan, in particular, deserves to be singled out for applause simply because of her willingness as a leading lady to take on a role this farcical. One time watch only for Vidya Balan." He gave the film only 2 out of a possible 5 stars.[4]
However, Pakistani critic Mohammad Kamran Jawaid from the Dawn newspaper gave Ghanchakkar a positive review, stating that Vidya Balan "gets the short end of the stick" and is "a few hundred miles away from any original appeal". He notes that the film's "big reveal" is hardly a revelation. And as frightening as the hoodlums want themselves to appear, their sense of menace never surfaces the way it ought to. Also, their good-cop, bad-cop attitude gets old fast, and we never get to know much about them. However, these minor grumbles are just that – minor grumbles".[5]
Box office
The film had an average opening, achieving an occupancy rate of 40–50% at morning and afternoon screenings. At evening and late-night screenings, it reached a higher occupancy rate of 55–60%. On release, the first day's box office earnings were Rs 72 million, grossing Rs 75.5 million on the second day. Ghanchakkar's opening weekend generated 227.5 million, beating Ek Thi Daayan's weekend sales of 180 million at the domestic box office. The film made around Rs 30 million on its first Monday, making an overall Rs 260 million in 4 days. On Tuesday it collected another Rs 22.5 million, making a total of Rs 280 million. It grossed Rs 380 million in its first week.[6][7]
References
- ↑ ibnlive.in.com. "Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan to romance in Mumbai monsoon". ibnlive.in.com. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Movies/movie_detail/ghanchakkar#.Ut6SA5E4kfE
- ↑ "Emraan Hashmi as 'Ghanchakkar' in his upcoming movie, Ganchakkar". 3012. indiaglitz.com. 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ↑ "Movie Review". Rediff.com. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ↑ Movie Review: Ghanchakkar by Mohammad Kamran Jawaid Dawn.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013
- ↑ http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=5827&nCat=
- ↑ http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Movies/movie_detail/ghanchakkar