sohansurag Walking outta the theatre after watching Ghanchakkar, I felt like a victim of that Expectation vs Reality meme. I had huge expectations for Ghanchakkar but when faced with the reality that was the movie, I was gravely let down. Especially I'd went in for Raj Kumar Gupta's previous movie No One Killed Jessica with half the expectation and was blown away. I did the mistake of going in excited and was sorely disappointed with Ghanchakkar.Ghanchakkar had a brilliant premise set for an excellent dark comedy. The characters were intriguing enough and so was the casting. Emran Hashmi plays Sanjay, a retired-thief who now sits at home watching TV all day, Vidya Balan plays Neetu, his Punjabi wife with her odd sense in outfits and an obsession for fashion, Rajesh Sharma as the mastermind and heist organiser and Namit Das as Idrees, a vehement partner to Pundit. The recipe was right for one amazing ride yet it fails miserably when it comes to its pace and its second half. In the end, Ghanchakkar only promises you some well written one-liners and laughs.Great casting was one that I at least rooted for. Being a die-hard Vidya Balan fan, apart from her ever-amazing performance, I have to admit she was an eyeful treat. With his limited scope for acting, Emran Hashmi did justice to his role. Among the lot Rajesh Sharma and Namit Das shone through well infusing humor in their malevolent roles.Ghanchakkar had an entertaining start though it stumbles down post- intermission. It gets tedious to watch during the mid-acts where nothing was happening on-screen. But I still sat through to the end as it assured a mystery throughout. The fact whether Emran Hashmi's memory- loss was genuine or was it all a huge act ensured the wee bit interest till the end in an otherwise lazy narrative which was fast losing steam towards the end. The huge tonal difference in the second half didn't make things easier for me either, the first half was soaked in humor and lighter tones while the second half shifted to being unnecessarily serious. Contrary to what the previews had in display, Ghanchakkar is very offbeat; be it the humor or the violence or the lewd jokes and cusses thrown all over the movie.Amit Trivedi's score and music tries to salvage the movie to a great degree. The score and music is as vivid as you can imagine an Amit musical to be. I like the way they blended funky tunes to the most vivid of scenes. Title tracks 'Lazy Lad' & 'Ghanchakkar' does please your ears. Watch Ghanchakkar for the cast's cohesive chemistry, for a bedazzling Vidya Balan and Amit Trivedi's sweet sweet music. I don't know if the makers intended to make the audience go ghanchakkar with this one, but an ambiguous ending, loads of unanswered questions isn't doing us any good. Ghanchakkar is destined to hang in the limbo of "Could Have been Awesome".

Anand Mishra I am still confused what was the title all about. Who is Ghanchakkar?, Raj Kumar Gupta or Sanjay Atre ( Emraan Hashmi). Ghanchakkar is either good or bad. Writer Raj Kumar Gupta and Parveez Sheikh had a very good premise at hands but they made an adaptation out of it which is neither pleasing nor upsetting. It's a mixture of both. Sometimes it's really interesting and at times it falls flat on the surface. With 20-25 minutes of less Ghanchakkar could have been, if not great, a better movie. But the problem is that the writers are themselves confused in What to do next?. Raj Kumar Gupta who made a brilliant Aamir and thought provoking No One Killed Jessica provides us an average work this time. He was too good in his previous two movies but unfortunately not so good in this one.Despite these negative points Ghanchakkar is interesting at times because of its unpredictability. You just keep on asking questions to yourself until the thrilling climax appears. Raj Kumar Gupta says with Ghanchakkar that life is full of dark comedy in itself. The dialogue 'Tumlogo ne Chota Chetan ko Kabhi bada hi nahi hone Diya' is one of the examples.The one scene where Sanjay doesn't say a single word despite the salt in the Fried Rice is less and even discards the idea of taking it just because his wife would throw his plate in the garbage then,says it all what RKG is trying to say.The USP of the movie lies in its premise and performances. Emraan Hashmi (Sanjay Atre) provides weight to the movie by his who-is-that and what-is-that kind of performance. Sanjay Atre could do anything just to buy a bigger LED TV and ZEE CINEMA is his favorite channel. Now do I need to say anything more about his character?. He just amazes you with his act. Apparently he raises the bar once again after Shanghai which certainly was his career defining performance. Vidya Balan (Neetu) also did a pretty good job but her loudness sometimes irritates. Rajesh Sharma (Pandit) and Namit Das completes the full circle by adding whatever was missing in the acting department.Amit Trivedi's background score totally matches with the movie's theme and it stands out at times. The title song comes easy to your ear and is really catchy.Ghanchakkar lies in the middle of above average and a good movie.At times it is so much fun,interesting and new but sometimes the jokes don't work as if they are trying to make us laugh but we really don't and it eventually adds to the dull moments of the movie.Just don't keep your expectations too high it might surprise you.

Ketan Gupta Indian Cinema has certainly evolved over the years with experimental movies Lootera , Ek thi dayan , Special chabbis to name a few. Ghanchakkar succeeds in experimenting the truth but final act pauses the entire movement of the film.Sanjay , Pandit and Idris plans to rob a bank and decides to keep the entire loot with Sanjay as he is the only one married among them. After 3 years , both come back to collect the share but are flabbergasted as Sanjay looses his memory in accident and could not trace the where about of the bag full of money.Hard-hitting Aamir , reality drama No one killed Jessica and now crime/thriller Ghanchakkar , Raj Kumar Gupta goes one step further with crime/thriller with engrossing storyline and succeeds in extracting riveting performance by the star cast. The movie do has few hilarious moments in the first half and the doubt factor remains till the end. Unfortunately , the movie tumbles in the climax which could have been made better. Editing is tight. Screenplay is brilliant . Cinematography and art direction is simple. Music is below par. Background score does not gel well with film. Dialogues are good. For the first time , I liked Emraan Hashmi's acting. The actor gets into the character of a person with memory loss and gives a brilliant performance. Vidya Balan was amazing as Punjabi-accent nagging wife. Rajesh Sharma and Namit Das lends a good support.Overall , a very brave niche flick with commendable first half and not so engrossing later half. Decent 3/5

namashi_1 Rajkumar Gupta's 'Ghanchakkar' is An Uneven Comedy! It has a promising premise, fabulous performances & even skilled direction, but what it lacks, more-so in the second-hour, is solid writing! 'Ghanchakkar' Synopsis: A man robs a bank, but ends up losing his memory 3 months later. Mayhem ensures. 'Ghanchakkar' begins superbly & the twisted narrative is certifiably crazy & entertaining. The second-hour, as mentioned before, isn't solid. Also, this comedy-thriller, turns dark & violent in the latter hour, which surprises its viewer completely, but not particularly in awe. The climax, when the mystery unfolds, is actually, an anti-climax. Sure, it has a worthy twist, but the entire sequence is not up-to the mark. Parveez Shaikh & Rajkumar Gupta's Screenplay is damn funny in the first-hour, but dips in the second-hour. I'm sure, a better second-hour would've benefited big time! Rajkumar Gupta is a talented storyteller & his direction here, too, is skilled. Cinematography is standard. Editing is sharp. Music by Amit Trivedi is melodious. Performance-Wise: Emraan Hashmi is in terrific form. He plays the troubled protagonist with complete conviction & ease. A Stellar Performance! Vidya Balan gets it right, yet again. She plays the Punjabi housewife faultlessly. Rajesh Sharma is brilliant, he supports the leads wonderfully. Namit Das is ordinary. On the whole, 'Ghanchakkar' has its moments, but its the second-hour that plays a spoilsport.