Batti Gul Meter Chalu (2018) Poster

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6/10
Destroyed my Ears for the first 30 minutes
faisalfaves25 December 2018
I mean why the hell they had to change the language to this Bal and Thehra. They destroyed the audience ears by this. Just remove these two words then it might collect the more double money from box office. Bal and Thehra drowned the whole Movie. If you pass with first 40 minutes then you might enjoy it.
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5/10
Trending complaint(s) on electric supply nicely handled!
MuviFan7326 September 2018
When I first watched the trailer I decided to not spend my penny on this one. I however watched it when I got a chance to watch it for free. After watching the movie I would say that it is better than what appears from trailer.

Tone, Script & Story: The story revolves around complaint(s) on an electricity board and three friends. The court room drama is peculiar (mostly humorous) in its content.

Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography: The movie comes to us from director who directed Toilet- Ek Prem Katha. It is not that good but is good enough. The locations filmed and the way story is told is a treat in itself.

Music: Music is good. My favorite track is 'Har Har Gange'. Acting: Justified.

Final Verdict: The movie highlights, trending complaint(s) on electric supply which are nicely handled! If you have time and money and looking for some entertainment do watch it. You won't be disappointed.
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6/10
Overly long movie with a forced love triangle and a social message
tanjotasu24 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Good: The electricity plot. Maybe more time could've been given to developing this issue, rather than just using it as a background. What kind of corruption happens? How is government involved? How else are locals suffering? I still enjoyed the second half purely due to good acting of Shahid.

The bad: Love triangle - The director had two movies in mind - one about a love triangle, and another about a very important social issue. Unfortunately trying to include both in the same movie ended up in a disjointed plot with two very unconnected halves.

Forced dialect - While the performances were good, for some reason a decision was made to overuse some local phrases "Thehar" and "Bal" to a point where they were distracting and borderline offensive of the population they meant to represent.

Overall the movie was watchable, but could've been much much better with further editing and better development of the central issue.
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6/10
Potential subject, amazing actors WASTED
The_Sonuverse23 September 2018
I loved the trailer and its empathetic value before going to the movie, but perhaps bad edits and bad narrative spoiled the movie. The story line is very predictive and doesnt carry enough emotion towards the story. Sharaddha Kapoor might be a good actress, but I dint see much use of her skill except for 2/3 songs and marketing of a heroine. Second half of the film felt very promising but again, due to unwanted jokes/comedy it lost its essence, it felt a lot like #JollyLLB series but thats now what this movie was intended to, even if it was, it wouldn't live up to the expectation of #JollyLLB series coz a lot of jokes bounced off. Shahid Kapoor, Divyendu and despite lesser screen time Yami Gautam did perform great but it lacked the narrative.

I hope they correct this and re-release or though this culture of cutting multiple scenes for DVD release in India isn't that popular, I can only hope that makers do something about its narrative style and re-release it.

I'd gone for 2/3 but Shahid did amazing work as an actor, I blame bad narration for all bad ratings.!
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1/10
I just walk out within 30 minutes.
kitluanshu21 September 2018
Whole movie in two word: bal & thera nothing more , & if you ever lived in garhwal or kumaun you'll definitely kill your self.
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6/10
Entertainment with Message..!!
Tejas_Vinda_AITS21 September 2018
Batti Gul meter chalu is a movie which deals with the topic of issues the poor people face with electricity.

This is one of the best movies of Shahid Kapoor after Padmaavat. The performances of the actors like Shraddha Kapoor and Divyendu Sharma leaves an impact with the audience.

Yami Gautam's performance is not up to the mark. All & all, the topic of the film is relevant, but the weak point of the film is its runtime, which is long.

Directed by Shree Narayan Singh, Batti Gul Meter Chalu tells the story of how people are suffering from corruption in the electricity system.

You will like the film, but at some points it gets boring also. So this film is a one time watch because of Shahid Kapoor.
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1/10
Disappointing and Irritating
piyushsarkar22 September 2018
Shahid Kapoor has been wasted again. The entire movie has two things that will irritate you to your limit.. Thehra and Bal. What a shame.. Pathetic movie..
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10/10
Amazing!!
sagarcool-5704821 September 2018
Well directed and well addressed towards the issue!! Shahid Kapoor did his role amazingly well! Proud of it
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6/10
Not worth watching..Wasted my precious time..!
patwaharit25 September 2018
As fan of Shahid Kapoor I wanted to watch this movie.But after watching it I can tell the movie portrays him as typical Uttrakhandi . I don't like his ascents and his arrogant attitude . The movie's story line wasn't upto the mark and it wasn't engaging at all. Cheap comedy, Vulgar personality not affable at all. Just ignore it not worth your time..
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2/10
Not recommended
sritejitha23 September 2018
Poor storyline based on wrong statistics..very bad screenplay as well
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8/10
Alluring Message in a Dramatised Comedy form
divyanshusharma-9003123 September 2018
After watching the movie I didn't stop myself appraising the cast of movie for doing justice to their roles and for bringing such an immense issue of Mountaineous regions in a utterly amusing way. I commend this movie to be watched by everyone. A nice effort to exhibit Uttarakhandi Culture, So definitely a must watch for all Uttarkhandis.
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7/10
A take on electricity issues in India.......
bhaviksharmabs21 September 2018
Batti gul meter chalu depicts the problem of electricity and fraud bills that are generated in India..... While the movies comes up with a message that we need to fight for some issues in India..... The system in India is very unfair to people and not only government but officers are also never helping ones...... The story looks realistic,and is gripping especially in the second half.... The movie could be made a little more entertaining in the first half. Shahid, Divyendu and Shraddha perfectly fit in their roles.As for the director, this is Shree's second directorial venture, and who Amazingly depicts the main situation. Songs are also good, especially dekhte dekhte is a very nice track but is played for only 2 minutes or even less and is Rahat Ji's version, whose voice sets a charm.....
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2/10
Good subject, poor execution
priyapalavesam22 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Though they could have portrayed the struggles faced by common people when fighting against a private monopolist. But they chose to rather show a lot of unnecessary scenes. By trying to mix in humor, they have essentially ruined the emotions involved in every scene. Not being able to leave the dead to the dead has only made the whole experience weak and typical. Parallel tracks - of desperate father and sister, a firangi who speaks Hindi - don't help either. Songs aren't great, but a good start for debut musicians. Overall, a very pathetic portrayal of a truly serious issue.
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7/10
Good Second Half bal But Very Irritating bal-bal
OnjiMooteDaMarle3 May 2019
The film is approximately 2 and half hours, bal. The first 40 minutes is a waste, bal. thus the film is a tad too long bal. The first half is very average bal. But once Shaid takes a stand bal, it becomes digestible bal. The acting by the supporting cast is really good, bal. Just like in every other Hindi movie with a story bal. Shahid is good bal but Shraddha is very bad bal. I do like her lot bal, but she is not in the character bal except ending her sentence with bal. She is very much like any character she ever played bal in every movie she has acted bal. The music is average, bal. As for the story idea bal, it is more of a short film idea, bal. But the screenplay is bad, bal. It was irritating and frustrating in the beginning bal. Also bal, the entire film is a narration of the film story bal which is bad writing bal though the writer tried to be creative about the characters who narrate the story bal.

If you haven't seen the film and are wondering what the bal is this guy writing 'bal' at the end of every sentence bal, you will realize my frustraton hearing bal-bal at the end of every dialogue in the film, bal. That frustration, bal is what reduced 1 star out of 8 stars that I would have given and has reached 7 stars bal.
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5/10
A typical bollywood movie with lots of drama
agrawalgaurav-72822 September 2018
Movie takes up an important issue, though fails to do justice with what it could have achieved. Given the long duration of movie and poor performances it's totally unworthy of emptying pocket.
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Worst movie I have watched till date...
ravigour-6470621 September 2018
Worst movie...I have watched till date...taking big stars doesn't mean that good story is not required ...it is must audience come to watch stories not just see photos of Bollywood stars.
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7/10
Love hindi
Magow-Intermean22 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Nauti (Shraddha Kapoor), SK (Shahid Kapoor) and Tripathi (Divyendu Sharma) are friends who live in the small town of Tehri in Uttarakhand. The trio is inseparable and their dosti is rock solid. But life takes a turn for the worse, when Tripathi's new business set-up is slammed with an exorbitant electricity bill of 54 lakhs. Director Shree Narayan Singh's Batti Gul Meter Chalu (BGMC) is a film that talks about a very pertinent issue, a fundamental right and a basic amenity, which is often denied to the common man in various parts of our country. But for all its good intentions, BGMC is also a fairly flawed film. The movie needed a tighter editing effort, because at five minutes short of 3 hours, the narrative becomes overbearing. The movie holds up a strong and scathing mirror to corruption and everything that is wrong with corporations and their governance. It is a story that needs to be told, undoubtedly, but the runtime just robs the movie of its impact.

The story kicks off in the hills of Uttarakhand, where SK is a wily lawyer who makes a living by blackmailing local businessmen who indulge in malpractices. Nauti is an aspiring fashion designer with her own boutique while Tripathi wants to start his own business. The common grouse in the town is the failing electrical grid, which is pretty much their way of life. Shree Narayan Singh has a knack of portraying the heartland of India with a flair and finesse, and after Toilet Ek Prem Katha, he does that once again. The film has its special moments, like the camaraderie between the buddies, but the screenplay by Siddharth-Garima spends too much time establishing their interpersonal relationships, which slacken the narrative. The movie picks up pace once Tripathi's business dream comes crashing down, as a corrupt power company sends him a humongous bill. It is then, that the drama really kicks in.

The second half of BGMC unfolds in the court, as Shahid Kapoor's SK launches an all-out attack on the corrupt power company. This segment of the movie serves up heightened drama and in a sense, salvages the film's dodgy first half. Shahid's character's transformation really works in favour of the actor. Once his SK becomes the honest lawyer with a mission, Shahid is able to blend a fine balance between the over-confident young man and the guy with a heart of gold. His monologue during the climax is superb. Shraddha Kapoor plays the peppy small town girl with panache. Divyendu shows restraint in the good guy role. Yami Gautam appears as a lawyer, only in the second half, but doesn't leave much of an impact. With a tighter runtime and more focus on the crux of the story, this social drama had the potential to shine bright. The cinematography by Anshuman Mahaley manages to capture the beauty of Uttarakhand's hills very well. The movie also has a parallel track of two characters named Vikas and Kalyan, narrating the story, but the metaphor doesn't quite click. BGMC loses power under the load of its heavy-duty screenplay.
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4/10
Long Review: Batti Gul Meter Chalu (4 Stars)
nairtejas22 September 2018
Every film industry in the world hits a plateau every once in a while, where a streak of films are produced that deal with the current social stark issues that are hampering the world and its development. It guarantees automatic promotion (sometimes even sponsored by the government) and viewership. Director Shree Narayan Singh probably started the streak in India in 2017 with Toilet: Ek Prem Katha where he fueled the propaganda surrounding cleanliness and lack of outdoor toilets in rural India, which soon engulfed the secular country. In his latest feature, almost a year after winning accolades thanks to Akshay Kumar, Singh is back albeit without the substance.

Shahid Kapoor tries hard and comes last in his portrayal of a roughed-up and unscrupulous lawyer along with his two friends who together form a love triangle. His best friend, played by Divyendu Sharma, is the protagonist here who is also a small business owner currently troubled with a series of astronomical power bills that are coming his way that put personal and business lives into a tizzy. Despite the comfort of the woman of his life (Shraddha Kapoor), he is unable to resolve the issues related to electricity, which seems to be also the issue of millions of others in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Batti Gul Meter Chalu is an unevenly paced social drama that sheds light on to the concepts of customer fraud by private power distribution companies and electricity theft. One of its main problems starts with the fact that the film takes off only after the intermission.

With emphasis initially on Shahid's foolish and near-retard acts throughout the film, Singh projects a story borrowed from the 90s of Bollywood to create Batti Gul Meter Chalu. There is only one point that he makes, and that point has been made countless times in other media. So, is the film entertaining? I would slant to the negative given that he uses romance and forced humor to invite his audience to a party and then when they arrive asks them to pay up upfront.

What seems like a respite in the second half with the shift from petty romance to a courtroom drama turns into a mockery of the highest degree (even compared with Shubhash Kapoor's Jolly LLB movies) as Shahid's character goes full retard - in front of the magistrate and fellow audience - to pull off a few dirty, sexist, and ill-timed jokes so that the audience can laugh and forget that everything that's happening is not only illogical but majorly strained. The little comedy relief that's present in the 150-minute preach does not come to rescue the film when it jumps neck-down into a sea of its own mistakes. The poorly choreographed songs are the least of these mistakes as all the bickering and the convenience in the final minutes puts you entirely off.

I am severely afflicted by Shahid's over-energetic yet foolish performance, almost half a year after seeing him stay shut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic Padmaavat (2018). His character is a bit of a masochist, and I agree that there's some characterization there. But then it doesn't make me empathize with him, which spoils it for me. Shraddha puts on her usual hat and plays love-love with her two "potential beau" characters, blurting out cardboard dialogues in a dialect that is again a source of annoyance. I don't mind when actors put on a different accent and experiment with different dialects to tell a story in a better way, but Batti Gul Meter Chalu uses a few default words and spreads them across the script, making the characters and their speech look plastic. Divyendu Sharma follows Shraddha's attitude and does what he does best: use his anti-baritone voice to give long speeches. The supporting cast do a decent job but the focus is so much on the stars, you wish why this wasn't a low-budget 5-minute short film involving only those three. Yami Gautam is confident but I would say the opposite about her dialogues and role in general.

The division in genres into the two halves, sheer horseplay in and outside of the court, and zero proximity to realism are what makes Batti Gul Meter Chalu a coarse, dull film. Much like the issue that it addresses, a lot many parts in the film are akin to darkness, which is not ideal in a world of flashing lights.
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10/10
Believable and brilliantly made
piscessakshigoel21 September 2018
Batti gul meter chalu Brilliantly made movie The story works on a light level as well addresses a serious issue without becoming excessively boring, so there is something for every one. Brilliant direction and storytelling. The humour is natural. And overall it is believable. Worth 5 stars #firstdayfirstshow #fivestars #battigulmeterchalu
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6/10
Once in friendzone, always in friendzone - not anymore!
g_aparna1 October 2018
Batti Gul Meter Chalu

Once in friendzone, always in friendzone - film defies this statement.

Three childhood friends grow up together in the same locality, in the same school, in the same class. Two boys one girl.

(PS: Usually in India, when children grow up together - esp. in the same neighbourhood and parents also happen to be friends, such children land up becoming brothers and sisters because we Indians celebrate festivals like Bhai Dooj and Rakhi that keeps alive the purity of the brother sister relationship. Anyways, no such things take place in this film)

So they turn into adults. They are often seen hanging around and hugging around too.

(It is alright to be friends with boys - okay till a hand shake and a very light hug too perhaps. Happens in India and around the world. There are many who take the light hug very casually too - but many Indians do object to girls hugging boys and calling it a friendly hug. Though it can actually be a purely friendly hug - but it is quite an eye sore for many Indians. Even I feel that bodily distance should be maintained - one may talk about lot many topics but physical touch should be avoided.)

Both the boys, now men, secretly loved their girl friend - the friend who happened to be a girl i.e.- and desired to marry her as well!

(Do you now see why I gave such an elaborate description of maintaining safe distance from men in the previous paragraph? While the girl was giving them both a friendly hug, both men kept the intention to marry her!- Meaning? Meaning the supposedly friendly hug was not really a 'purely friendly' hug but had an element of 'desire, sensuality, love, lust' in it - at least from the side of her boy friends!)

So they ask her to date them for one week each in order for her to decide who would be a better life partner.

Sushil is a laywer who dupes people and earns money by settling 'out of court' disputes created by him.

Sundar has a printing press office of his own that he is trying hard to establish.

Sushil woos Nauti with expensive gifts, fun filled life, going out and eating is restaurants. (a song here....that says in the era of anti-hero.....: When you getting Gabbar, why go for Samba, When you getting gold, why go for tamba (copper)!!

Sundar woos her by making tea for her, taking her to his office and sharing the tiffin.

Eventually Nauti decides to choose Sundar crusing Sushil's ego into several pieces! Deep sigh - at least some good message this film has for the youth!

By the way, film tells the story of inflated electricity bills in rural India and how simpletons are taken for a ride.
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4/10
Script Gul, torture chalu
sauravjoshi8519 July 2019
Batti Gul Meter Chalu is a drama comedy movie starring Shahid Kapoor, Divyendu Sharma and Shraddha Kapoor supported by Yami Gautam, Farida Jalal and Samir Soni to name a few.

The start of the movie is promising but just after 30 minutes you will realise that you have been cheated by giving old story in new packing.

The story turns predictable after some time with love triangle, jealousy and the change of heart.

The director has chosen one of the important plot but couldn't able to execute it properly by mixing too many plots.

The courtroom drama in the climax is boring and doesn't have the impact to impress the viewers, the end of the movie is also very abrupt.

Acting by Shahid Kapoor and Divyendu Sharma is good, Shraddha Kapoor doesn't impress and looks like she is been forced to do this role. Yami Gautam and Samir Soni is purely wasted and so as the rest but talented supporting cast.

The director wants to give a social message but the execution and screenplay doesn't impress. The only good thing about the movie is beautiful location of Uttarakhand.
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10/10
Very gud
kknkn-2082321 September 2018
Watched 1st show...very gud film...very gud story line...Shahid shraddha did well after Haider...NYC must watch
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6/10
Don't decide the movie based on first 30minutes
imdb_girl9012 December 2018
Skip the first 30 minutes and the momentum is good from then on. You dare not miss the court scenes. Amazingly done by Shahid and Yami.
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2/10
Boaring slow senseless movie
pathak-9691320 December 2018
Perfect Bollywood movie with no head or tail slept in hall for half hour....
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7/10
Social message with entertainment
sonuu-5260421 September 2018
Start cast is very good. All have done great work and movie is very entertaining and giving a social message with entertainment ...
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