Ghanchakkar (2013) User Reviews

Open Ended Movie

[v-3-gupta · 7/10 · 6 July 2013]

No director has done it before. Indians cannot accept it. We want or rather crave for closures and this is exactly what this movie is missing.

We are a society who has to be spoon fed. We cannot marry up the knowledge to reach a conclusion. Someone has to do it for us.

An open ended movie is never going to do well.

For me this movie was awesome. I liked every bit of it. The plot, the scenarios, the situations and the acting. Well written and well executed comedy.

I think Vidya Balan is criticized for her role but I think she was completely honest with her role. She did exactly and precisely what director wanted her to. Her character was who loved her husband and exploring fashion.

Very creative story but not cut out for Indian audience as they are not familiar with amnesia or similar disease.

Fork(ing) funny!

[saad_khi · 7/10 · 8 July 2013]

Yeah! The fork here is a weapon to reckon with!

If you, with a black sense of humor, can overlook done to death 'abusing the posterior' dialogues and the run of the mill 'déjà vu' character at the railway station then this one will keep you glued!

Seriously:

The pace didn't drag nor did I find the proceedings repetitive

Balan wasn't over at all. In fact she should have been a tad crazier

Hashmi carried the role with aplomb - after Shanghai

The rest of the cast did a fine job

Music is totally different and one of a kind!

Balan and Hashmi's chemistry comes alive with well written dialogues, and it's like watching a real life couple

Raj Kumar Gupta shows versatility after the serious Aamir and Jessica

On the other hand looking back smiling:

Did Uttam really win a lottery ticket?

Was Neetu really going to visit her sister in London?

Was she really speaking to her sister on the phone?

Apart from the suitcase full of money there was a bag too! So, who had it?

Was it a coincidence Neetu met Uttam while checking an apartment to buy like she told Sunju when he suspects her having an affair with him?

What exactly happened to Sunju that lead to sporadic amnesia?

Where did Neetu had the dresses stitched?

How much truth did Neetu tell Sunju when he angrily reacts saying she didn't inform him about this and that?

The above questions are like salt at times missing from Neetu's cooking, but at the same time add mystery in the right amount to enjoy this crazy concoction! I hope it's a sleeper hit like 'Fukrey'!

(Thought balloon: Is there a director's cut? With Sunjay Dutt's special appearance and some (missing) scenes like Neetu with an aerosol.)

Enjoyable Comedy With Scars Of Tomfoolery. ♦ 65%

[nairtejas · 7/10 · 4 July 2013]

Ten minutes into screenplay, you are annoyed with Vidya Balan's diction. Thirty minutes into screenplay, you are blown away by the script. Suspense mounts, and you want to finish the remaining 90 minutes in a flash. That is how Ghanchakkar gathers its viewers.

Emraan Hashmi is great with his portrayal while Vidya Balan troubled me a little. Her demeanor looked over-smart. The supporting cast is average, most of the time trying & failing to make us laugh. But, the plot is enough to keep us hooked.

It seems illogical at first and you may start guessing hell of a lot of ideas on what happened & what happens next, but the epiphany is truly enduring & clever. With a slow-paced second half, it makes us yawn for a while, but the climax will blow it off. The makers have meticulously written the play and that is why it is recommended. 6.5/10.

Music & songs are average, editing is good & overall, quite a funny film which doesn't use large amounts of vulgarity.

BOTTOM LINE: A comic experience that should be considered. Recommended!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

Profanity: Strong | Vulgarity/Sex: Mild | Nudity: No | Drugs/Smoking: No | Alcohol: Mild | Violence: Strong | Gore: Mediocre

formulaic predictability, but overall a good effort.

[guyfawkes3969 · 7/10 · 30 June 2013]

Ghanchakkar by Rajkumar Gupta is an attempt to dive into fairly uncharted waters in Bollywood. Examples of Black Comedy humor from the past few years in Bollywood include good attempts like Delhi Belly, Saat Khoon Maaf and Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai. Depicting serious events like running away with the loot from the bad guys in a manner where the mob moves in with you is done rather humorously. An accomplished and renowned criminal well versed with safe breaking and combinations who has pulled off possibly the biggest heist in his life meets with an accident and looses all memory of recent events. He forgets about the loot, he forgets about the heist and of course forgets that the mob is about to come after him.

In typical caper fashion Ghanchakkar chronicles the events of the mob encouraging our protagonist to remember where he's hidden the money. From the occasional beatings, to coaxing and to even visiting medicinal babas they look for an answer from a man with short term memory loss. Emraan Hashmi as the poker faced Sanju Atre plays the role of the pivotal "victim of circumstances" in black comedies. An Interesting change for Emraan as he switches to a nascent genre. From the Limca book of records "kissing champ" to challenging roles like in Shanghai and Ek Thi Dayaan, Emraan Hashmi has impressed me as an actor who doesn't hesitate with experimenting outside of his comfort zone. Along with his Punjaban better half Neetu Atre (Vidya Balan) they make the most imperfect and volatile couple. As a dark comedy would demand Vidya doesn't play the typical worship your husband coy wife but a loud Punjabi head of the household who would beat gangsters with a broom to protect her husband. Her food may need a few tea spoons of salt but her subscription to Vogue, Cosmo and Femina are up to date. I thought Vidya and Emraan complimented each other well as the eccentric couple to set the tone for a rather delightful black comedy.

Emraan's accomplices in the bank heist are "Pandit" (Namit Das) and "Idris" (Rajesh Sharma). They return 3 months later to collect their share of the loot to only get frustrated by a man with a continuously changing story. Is he lying or has he really lost his memory? They give him a week to return the loot or threaten dire consequences. Almost like a boy rummaging through his grandparents suitcase for his present, Emraan tries to piece together the puzzle as to where he could have possibly left the loot. With his Travolta inspired pony tail look he plays the perfect lead in this black comedy. A man who shifts through a myriad of emotions from being calm, collected, humorous, frustrated, confused to what eventually boils down to an emotional outburst of anger. He questions his actions, the intentions of his wife and whether he has been conned out of the money since his memory loss. A lot of satire kicks in to the film such as Emraan's attempt to appease his fashionista wife by wearing a bright red branded nightsuit with a polka dotted top and pajamas as a sense of style and fashion, brandishing a fork like a musketeer when confronted by dreaded mobsters, to receiving a call from his mother during a gun fight with regards to the whereabouts of his loot. After seeing her husband bruised, punched and injured would you expect a house wife to take on armed mobsters, beating them with a broom stick till they apologize profusely for their behavior. Well this is clearly where comedy and woe can co-exist in a film like Ghanchakkar.

The way I would sum up Ghanchakkar is formulaic predictability, but overall a good effort. Over the years we have been subjected to many a landmark black comedy whether highly English like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or trendsetting like Reservoir Dogs. A gloomy crime setting with unusual characters that culminates in a fast paced artless gunfight. As a dark comedy Ghanchakkar satires and goes through the motions with a minority of twists and turns, something I wish they had run with. Rajkumar Gupta has played it safe by using the exact same model here like a horse with blinders. He hasn't ventured even the most slightest outside the box. The lazy pace is commendable owing to the nature of the characters. The characters are intentionally not well rounded enough for you to get too engrossed as black satire simply brings pre-existing flaws and contradictions into a harsher light. The method in the madness of dark comedy is showcased from living with gangsters, parodies and references of old classic Bollywood films as a reference for emotion to a mystery man revealing himself in the end aboard a train.

I would say all in all Ghanchakkar is a noble effort in cinema and story telling on Rajkumar Gupta's part. No standout performances with regards to acting but each character has played their part to make a good wholesome black comedy as is the case with most of them even in the west. Thoroughly enjoyed the theme song "Ghanchakkar Babu" and that little illustration in the start, Story telling through little details.

An interesting premise leading to such a devastating ending...

[andre_rox99 · 28 June 2013]

GHANCHAKKAR is a comedy/thriller directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, starring Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan.

The film revolves around Sanjay Atre, who receives a call to join two people; Pandit and Idris to steal a bank. Being a small time thief, he decides to end his career with this one last job worth 350,000. After pulling it, Pandit and Idris decide to keep the money Sanjay and only after three months, they will collect their respective shares of the loot. The only problem is that Sanjay has partially lost his memory due to an accident, and doesn't quite remember where he kept the money, but we don't even know if he's telling the truth, or just conning everyone.

Alright, the trailer of Ghanchakkar left me awaitng its release due to its premise and star cast. When the film released, I booked my ticket to see the film and it didn't quite live up to the hype I had created.

So let's start off with the plot of the film. From what I've written above, the plot seemed solid, yet when executed into a 2hr15m, the movie sinks.

I'm going to be honest with you; THIS FILM IS A DARK COMEDY. Yes, the trailer betrays you. Pandit and Idris are seen more comical in the trailer, but are much crazier in the film. And this movie isn't quite funny. Except for a few forced laughs here and there, it tries to keep you gripped to the plot. But we can never do that, due to the fact that no entertainment on-screen tends to bore a person. Inspite of the movie being quite alright, the film's BIGGEST flaw is the end. It is SUCH a letdown. I could have thought of tons of ways to make it better. After realizing the movie hasn't lived up to your expectations, everyone expects the ending to be a BIG one; one that you didn't even see coming from a mile away. But the director sticks to a very common one that literally irritates you. And later when you dwell upon the movie, you say to yourself, "What was the point of that movie?"

The acting was great; that I can tell you. Emraan Hashmi seems to be getting better with every movie he does. VIdya Balan was also good, but had much of a background role. And everyone else associated with the film did great. But it was wasted talent, as the plot played a spoiltsport.

In the end, GHANCHAKKAR is a pointless film. It builds up your expectations to a point where you watch the film and it just crumbles down to spots. It just proves that Bollywood is trying to hard to be Hollywood. The film would have been alright if the ending had a GREATER and more powerful twist, but it doesn't, so it makes you leave the cinema just disappointed.

GHANCHAKKAR- 5.5/10

Mindless

[beniwalgau · 1/10 · 28 June 2013]

The movie tries to hard and falls flat at the end. Could have been a good plot, but its so bad as a story that no work on it could have saved it. Climax kills you as its the most silly thing one could have shown. Movie drags unnecessarily and somewhere in the second half you just want it to get over!

When someone writes a thriller, it is important to have a good story and situations must be logical. But here the writer cares for neither. They can trust a stranger and keep money with him, but not simply divide and keep own share, and that's just the beginning. So much more happens without any logic. In a typical thriller, they try to show different possibilities and finally present a hilarious conclusion, which neither amazes you nor makes you laugh.

Extremely bad movie, I would say!

A very brave niche film

[ketgup83 · 7/10 · 25 August 2013]

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

Good performers alone cannot save a confused, slow & monotonous film.

[bobbysing · 4/10 · 1 July 2013]

If one considers the promising features of GHANCHAKKAR as a film, than they are so many that its really hard to believe that the project can go wrong in such a way. To name the key ones, it is the third film of director Rajkumar Gupta after two highly appreciated ones (AAMIR and NO ONE KILLED JESSICA). It has Vidya Balan, the trendsetter playing yet another unconventional role of a kinky & bold, Punjabi lady. It has Emraan Hashmi who regularly comes up with some not-so-routine experimental projects and has his own big fan following. It has two immensely talented actors Rajesh Sharma and Namit Das who can add a great value to the proceedings, unarguably. The exciting plot of the film deals with 'a crime' and 'memory loss' which gives enough space to the writers to add in some great comic punches and keep you entertained. The film has some interesting songs lead by "Lazy Lad" & its title song perfectly representing the grey characters in its script quite interestingly. And lastly it had some superb promos which were completely different from the usual stuff and showed some big sparks of a 'Hit' to almost everyone.

However the bad news is that almost all the above promising features fail to deliver and the film disappoints hugely hanging in between the genres of a crime thriller and a comedy quite amateurishly. It begins well establishing all its main characters confidently and then goes on and on without adding anything significant in the narration following a shocking route. The first half does have some enjoyable moments to offer as promised but post that it all becomes quite slow as well as monotonous and the film has nothing more to say till the unexciting climax where the suspense is revealed.

Actually GHANCHAKKAR falls flat due to the main reason that its not at all an engaging comedy as projected in its strong promos. Neither the characterization satisfies the viewer nor do the characters have something substantial to say other than what we have already seen in the trailers. Unfortunately the biggest disappointment comes from Vidya Balan only who keeps trying to justify a very confused and badly written character throughout, in an over the top manner. Emraan Hashmi too keeps struggling with his weak character uninterestingly and so do the other actors on the screen in their few scenes. In fact the only two focused actors are Rajesh Sharma & Namit Das in the entire film, who successfully give you the occasional entertaining moments here and there in gaps.

As a novel story-plot, GHANCHAKKAR surely had got something great with a huge potential, waiting to be exploited in the best possible way on the screen. But the writing team surprisingly ruins it all and goes below the expected level just after the initial 30 minutes of the film, leading it to nowhere. As a result the viewer is simply eager to know the secret in the end and then walk away hurriedly. The film neither shapes up as a comic entertainer, nor turns into an interesting investigative crime thriller as it progresses which actually remains its main drawback right from the beginning. Though Amit Trivedi tries real hard to raise the tempo with his innovative background score and few pulsating tracks but without a specific direction it all goes in vain and fails to make an impact.

To say it all, GHANCHAKKAR had all the required ingredients to make an excitingly delicious dish for the starving audience. But sometimes even that is not sufficient to make a worth trying recipe and the film is a fine example of the same quite clearly.

Plus it is also one of those projects which repeatedly questions the funny functioning of our Film Censor Board, probably having different set of rules for different film-makers. And that's because in some films they readily agree to the abuses being spoken so clearly, but in the others the same objectionable words are taken out, muted or avoided with a beep sound. Moreover, I am really unable to understand that why this is not taken as an offence when a particular dialogue which has been muted in the original print of the film as per the Censor Board's instructions, the same dialogue is repeatedly shown in all the TV Channels in the homes so openly. Now isn't this making fun of our own official governing body or not?

Anyway on that debatable note, its advised to watch another engaging crime thriller on DVD instead of GHANCHAKKAR this weekend and save yourself from a big disappointment in the theater.

A pretty fine effort

[johnandy2010 · 8/10 · 28 June 2013]

i saw ghanchakkar today.and,i must tell you that the movie is much diff from that you could have imagined after watching the trailer.it's basically a dark comedy.maybe,on the lines of Tarantino movies.the movie almost proves that some Indian directors of today have guts to make serious-realistic-methodical type movies with notable actors.of course,it must be difficult for the makers as because still there is not a decent market for such movies.we know movies like gangs of wasseypur,shanghai,kaminey etc have not been commercially very successful although they deserved to.so,one cannot blame filmmakers any more for making 1 dimensional mainstream typical commercial flicks because there seems to be a market for such movies forever.even i love watching decent commercial flicks like ashiqui 2 etc.so it depends on the viewers how they perceive movies like ghanchakkar.if it's a decent hit,it will be a big boost for directors who wanna make unorthodox-contemporary indie flicks.

It's dark comedy

[Littlesummer14 · 7/10 · 11 August 2021]

The story is pretty funny Somehow i kept guessing if he is pretending or not A good no brainer movie to waste some times.

One of the most annoying moves EVER !!!

[keepmissingme · 4/10 · 11 July 2013]

Where's the money ? Where's the money ?? That's all you can really hear through out the movie. It starts off well and then its a nose dive. I would never recommend this movie to anyone. I can't believe Vidya Balan decided to do this movie. There are just a few funny moments. Well you cant really call them funny. I love both Emraan Hashmi and Vidya but I will think twice before watching their movie again. Waste of time and money. Very poor direction, screenplay. A few dialogues were good and funny but other than that an embarrassment. Hope Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan learn from their mistakes and think twice before signing up even if your husband is producing the film.

Seriously Under-rated

[sankhan99 · 8/10 · 8 October 2013]

This movie is not as bad as its reviews are. In fact, it very refreshing comedy/thriller. I think audience and critics didn't take it in its spirit or its ahead of its time. Any person can enjoy it at any time.

Story is very well written. There are no big loopholes in it. Director has done a great job. Though plot was very small but they spread it very well over 2 hours. Acting wise, Emraan has done a great job. I am and never was a great fan of his acting skills but he proved in this movie that he is great actor and you will love watching him. Vidya is miss-cast in my view. Though she is great actor but I think makers of this movie picked her because of her success streak. Otherwise a pure Punjabi actress would do much better job and brought more reality, particular culture and ascent in this role. Even Juhi Chawal despite her age was better choice than Vidya.

All in all, its a must watch. Its little bit experimental film but its very easy to digest. One thing I'll must say that it will glue you to your seat till the end though you might feel little boring at some instances. But you'll not regret watching it.

Super excited movie

[abdulshareef · 7/10 · 28 May 2019]

Good concept Good suspension Good thriller Nice to see if you want the best way for your time today

Confusing and Bizarre !!

[akshay-ak-kumar · 5/10 · 4 October 2013]

Ghanchakkar has a very original and interesting premise. Three thieves loot a bank and one of them is given the money to hide till matter settles down. Three months later, the other two thieves are shocked to know that the one who took the money has lost his memory and has no clue where he hid the money.

But somehow on screen, the movie didn't turn up well. Something was lost in translation. In the 2nd half, it became confusing because of various subplots such as Hashmi thinking that Balan is cheating on him. It also seems as if the writers just wanted to kill time before the climax.

If the 2nd half has confusing moments, the climax is bizarre to say the least. A good suspense film should have a logical ending. It's not so here. I was baffled as the end credits rolled on the screen unable to digest what the last 15 mins was about. Plus I had a few unanswered questions abt the story.

The performances keep you hooked in this odd film. Hashmi is perfect as the memory lost thief. You laugh at him for being silly and feel sad for him as he tries hard to remember his past. Balan is underutilized as Hashmi's wife. She has here moments but her character is poorly written. The running gag about her cooking his hilarious. Sharma and Das are good as Hashmi's partners in crime.

The story had potential but it turns out confusing and bizarre !

The wait is over...the perfect companion piece to Mithya

[sesht · 6 April 2014]

Gupta's first feature, 'Aamir', obtained its 'inspiration' from the Filipino cult-classic' 'Cavite', and as such, I thought he should not have been so blatantly obvious about it, notwithstanding it's excellent soundtrack (something his next feature also had in spades). I did enjoy his next, 'No one killed Jessica', which was culled various newspaper reports on the case, and made for an engaging drama (less a thriller, more a drama, IMHO), and was lookin' fwd to this, in spite of thinking' that the plot was probably being lifted from Danny Boyle's 'Trance', and wishing he wasn't so blatant about his inspirations though. (I have since changed my opinion about this one and 'Trance', having seen both)

Poised, I hope to be cult classic. Must've confused the hell outa the marketing team, who've managed to (wrongly, and to the movie's detriment) pitch this as a comedy.

There sure are dark comedic overtones, but make no mistake, this is a drama first, thriller next, with little doses of uneven dark humor sprinkled across. In retrospect, it tells a very simple story. Memory loss (yes, think 'Trance' again), heist, is-he-lying, or is-she kinda setups.

Boasts one of the best performances from Balan (who almost tops her own turn in 'Kahaani'), while giving everyone something to do. Hashmi has proved he can be a force in the acting department, given the right director (Banerjee's Shanghai saw him at his best), and he's fantastic here, since the movie hinges on his selling us his character's predicament. And here, we come to the crux of the matter: Hashmi's so good, that I was able to downplay the bad writing/direction that have gone into removing any semblance of consistency from the central conceit, all in favor of making it a whodunnit-kinda farce. While this is refreshing from the POV of not knowing what might happen next, it falls flat on reflection, and that 'falling flat' happens within the movie's duration itself, unfortunately.

Excellent camera-work and background score complement Gupta's ambition, but to me, this will be his also-ran-but-try-harder-next-time effort from his end.

This one has one of the best endings I've ever seen committed to celluloid, but that still wasn't enough from me still thinking of what could've been, and writing thus.

No need to for me to state this explicitly, but this is definitely much superior to the run-of-the-mill product playing even in multiplexes, so I do hope the people encourage these Indies by watching them at a cinema close by. Definitely a keeper, even in terms of DVD/Blu.

The director tries to cash on the image of his actors' last movie to the maximum ..

[rahasyaratna · 7/10 · 29 June 2013]

If Vidya Balan is in the movie, its next to impossible to start your views about the movie without her. After the long list of the movies she has done previously she has proved her mettle and become the better version of Lady Amir Khan (I know many people will kill me for saying this!!!). I don't know whether it was her conscious decision to choose this movie or her director persuaded her to cash on her Kahani Image, but it works well. The entire marketing campaign also seems to be designed on that line. But let me tell you straight away, though she is extremely good in the movie, the hero is undoubtedly Imraan Hashmi.

For the detailed review, read : http://mayahirahasya.blogspot.in/2013/06/ghanchakkar.html

A wonderful starter had a sour dessert that made the whole dinner bad.

[braddugg · 2/10 · 8 September 2014]

A wonderful starter had a sour dessert that made the whole dinner bad.

It had a wonderful premise and in fact a terrific robbery scene that I must acknowledge as a great one with the use of those really funny and original props. Come on, we have a mask of Utpal Dutt, it can't be funnier than that. But after the first half, the director seemed to have lost it all. The way first half ends and the whole movie ends are completely radical and irrational to say the least. The writes seems to have lost all ideas in the deliberation to make it a really engaging film.

All the good ideas were plotted so early that the ones that come in the later part of the film seemed very dull and indeed boring. You cannot have ridiculous things happen and repeat them time and over again just to make it look funny. When you overdo something, it becomes dis likable more often than not and that's what happens even to few delicious dinner table dialogs and those original costumes of Vidya Balan.

About the casting, I was happy with Rajesh Sharma (Pandit) and Namit Das (Idris) and even Emraan Hashmi (Sanjay) managed to pull off a good deal but it was Vidya Balan (Neetu) who was completely miscast. She defied my logic of going to a movie for her by selecting a very low-key role and her Punjabi accent seemed so fake. Utterly disappointed by Vidya Balan and I will be cautious next time in watching her movie.

The cinematography was good and even the background music. But editing undid ail the good work by others, this movie seemed too long and too repetitive, are those too many dinner scenes and too many references to the fashion magazines necessary? I really doubt. Also, the art direction was commendable as the whole apartment was setup very realistically and even the locales were real.

Yet, good things turn bad when they are overdone. This film is an example of a good premise written so very lazily and deliberated into a film that it makes us run away from it after a while. Except for 45 minutes, all remaining time is lost and can never be bought back. Only because I have my own discipline of reviewing each film I watch, I am posting it. I may save 3 hours of someone's valuable time too by sharing a bad review. A 1/5 for this, nothing more.

Ghanchakkar : Experiment meets Amnesia !

[ahwaan_padhee · 6/10 · 1 July 2013]

Director Raj Kumar Gupta's earlier offerings – Aamir and No One Killed Jessica which were sensational thrillers met with both critical acclaim and commercial success.With Ghanchakkar, he experiments with the dark and edgy comedy genre by employing a competent starcast into a fascinating premise but unfortunately, it goes awry and witnesses an anti-climax.

Sanju Atre(Emraan Hashmi) is a master thief who leads a mundane life with his boisterous wife, Neetu(Vidya Balan).One fine day, he gets a call from his two accomplices , Pandit (Rajesh Sharma) and Idris(Namit Das) who plan to rob a bank. The heist is pulled off smoothly which can be labeled as one of the most funnily-executed and innovative sequence where the robbers wear the mask of Bollywood actors. Sanju is entrusted with the task of keeping the booty until matters cool down and then the amount can be split. Three months later, when the partners-in-crime call him, much to their shock they realize that Sanju is now an amnesiac and doesn't even an iota of memory of where he has hidden the money!

From here on, Gupta manages to engage the viewer with all the chaos that ensues inside the house with the single intent of recovering the hidden treasure. However, the chinks begin to show when the second half gets flabby and the jokes become repetitive. The bickering between Sanju and Neetu becomes a routine affair, the two desperate goons begin to lose their cool and so the audience. I would blame the writing here, which fails miserably to blend the suspense element with its incohesive narrative. You ponder why many of the questions are left unanswered. Climax is a big letdown. The music, if not particularly enticing ,has a quirky appeal.

Gupta has managed to extract splendid performances from its pivotal characters. Vidya Balan goes for the unsubtle with her brazen attitude and bizarre wardrobe as a Punjabi housewife. She is the cat's whiskers when it comes to fashion with her outlandish costumes and pulls it off competently. Emraan looks as lazy as a couch-potato , sports a pony and makes an earnest effort to play a flummoxed character. Namit Das and Rajesh Sharma shine as the hot-and-cool hoods. Pun intended !Sharma's polite-mannered Pandit is the perfect foil to Namit's hot-headed trigger-happy Idris.

I go with 2.5 out of 5 for Ghanchakkar – It's a mere tomfoolery but what it lacks is the meat, a few chuckles here and few giggles there can't energize a sinking boat.It builds up and up, and ultimately collapses like the heap of gems in the GEMS ad!

Below average film can made you Ghanchakkar

[arnavgoswami · 4/10 · 4 July 2013]

watched GHANCHAKKAR ..there's no Comedy(they try hard but its still not there) & there's a no crime(they made it look pity) & as well as there's no Romance...also they (makers) haven't exploited the talented cast..cause their script, dialogue, screenplay all sucks(that's what refrain its actors from performing)....its below average from the start & ends little close to the average(cause of climax)....still I would say _SKIP THIS ONE_ (I was looking to this but its turns out to be a big disappointment. Complete waste of two hours) ________IMDB I LIKE TO KEEP MY REVIEWS SHORT, PLEASE DON'T FORCE TO WRITE LEASE TEN LINES________

A quirky suspenseful comedy !

[graiker01 · 8/10 · 28 June 2013]

Ghanchakkar is a refreshing comedy revolving around a laid back criminal Sanju (Emran Hashmi) and his "fashionable" wife Neetu (Vidya Balan).

The film begins with the uneventful life of Sanju having to deal with his wife's bland food and his mother's doting phone-calls. Living a passive life and having somewhat given up his criminal days as a safe opening expert, he takes on a bank robbery job with Neetu cleverly pushing him into the decision.

Enter two seemingly unlikely scheming bandits Pandit and Idris the played superbly by Rajesh Sharma and Nimit Das who create the 'master plan'. The heist itself is brilliantly hilarious - Utpal Dutt's mask still cracks me up. After the successful robbery they decide to stay low for three months and forcefully give Sanju the responsibility of safekeeping the money.

Three months pass....and Sanju has lost his memory of the robbery...or has he? What ensues is determining who is scheming who! The film does lose its steam in some parts and would have done with some more threads but to the director's credit he still manages to keep the suspense and doesn't dumb the film down. Add to that Hashmi's poker face,which doesn't give much away, adding to the intrigue. Vidya Balan is also quite good as the dominating Punjabi wife.

The final act is surprisingly good for a Hindi film and keeps a few threads still open, leaving the viewer to interpret it in his own way. Overall a good effort, I certainly would recommend this unconventional comedy.

Good movie overall .. somewhat a noble effort but he ending kind of splashed water

[anupamwww · 6/10 · 2 July 2013]

let begun with why we watch movie . we watch for entertainment , for fun and to look for some effort of nobility among others.

this movie focus mainly of husband-wife relationship among daily chaos . which i think has covered it well by actors .

the villains to done their pat at dark comedy role .

so through out the movie their is a comic feeling .. which at end blunts as splashed simple .. either a twist or a simple progression with the usual satire wood have been justified rather then a sudden change from comedy to tragedy .. its a movie where audience laugh all through only to see a tragic . making no-sense unjustified end (such end can not be the end neither it ties the loose strings it put your effort and your laughing meaningless)

Despite being a foursome, it fails to have an Orgasm!

[vjrobs · 5/10 · 28 June 2013]

Ghanchakkar, directed by RajKumar Gupta relates to every genre be it comedy, drama, suspense or thriller. Yet, in all this potpourri it loses its very essence, entertaining the audience.

Sanju(Emraan) is a dim-witted husband having a lackadaisical attitude towards his garrulous and outlandishly dressed punjabi wife, Neetu(Vidya). They are poles apart in their personalities which creates subtle situational humour. He pulls off a grand bank robbery(in ABI Bank, a spoof over SBI) with two of his accomplices, Pandit(Rajesh Sharma) and Idris(Namit Das) and makes away with Rs. 35 crore. Quite foolishly, the mastermind of the plan gives him the task of hiding the booty till the dust settles over the matter. Three months down, when the duo contact their partner, Sanju fails to remember them, the loot and the place where he stashed the loot money. Voila!!

With such an interesting first half, the expectation skyrockets to see an equally absorbing second one. However, an impoverished script takes its toll on the movie which essentially relies on only four characters (read foursome act) and thus fails to reach its high(read orgasm).

The scene where Sanju draws a blank face when enquired about the loot money, reminds me of the writer who would have reacted the same way when penning down the second half. Blank!!! The second half feels like an overly stretched Test match after an edgy T-20 like play in first half. The same question of "paisa kahan hai" meeting with similar fate,"Mujhe nahi pata". Gosh! And to talk of the climax, it's a big big let-down. A typical reminiscent of a shoddy attempt to quickly wind off the suspense when you are out of idea.

Performance wise, except Emraan, there is nothing to boast about the remaining trio.If in his earlier movies, he has shown the talent of his heavy lips and tongue, this time its his sulky face and heavy eyes.

At the end, one question keeps resonating in my mind; if these crooks were so adept in looting a bank without getting caught, then why didn't they pulled off a similar heist again instead of running for a blanked out treasure.

Source:www.vjmoviews.com

Excellenttttttttttt

[pintra2012 · 9/10 · 29 June 2013]

Finally a good movie after weeks of boredom. Engages you from very first seen and keeps you on the edge till end.

You will definitely laugh out loudly throughout the robbery scene. as the mysteries unfold your head will keep revolving. what to believe and what not, thats the question?

A really clean and simple thriller. no overdose of characters. no over dose of acting.just the right amount of 'forgetfulness'.

If you watch the movies to 'Enjoy' them, watch it. you will enjoy the acting, the plot, humor, comedy, simplicity and shortness of the story.

Have fun.

Funny in bits

[jmoneyjohal · 6/10 · 19 November 2013]

Average film that could have been so much more, saved by great acting by lead Emraan Hasmi,Vidya Balan, Rajesh Sharma, and Namit Das. Film is about a bank robbery and how the three robbers are supposed to split the money after three months but the person with the money loses his memory in the interim. Dir Rajkumar Gupta tries hard to make a great film, but a very slow pace and the writing of the film are a big letdown. After a certain point the film doesn't move.What saves the film is some really fun moments, great acting by all 4 leads and a good ending. Overall one excepts more from such talent, exceptions were high after aamir and NOKJ but there are not meet. But the film is still enjoyable just don't walk in with too many exceptions.

Ghanchakkar??

[ravisuman2008 · 5/10 · 1 July 2013]

The movie is set to disappoint you with an easily guessed end.The movie started well but somewhere around the middle it started to falter.An attempt of Dark Comedy has been made though with not much of success resulting in forced comedy.Acting has been good from both the co-stars but in vain.Emraan Hashmi seems to be getting better and better with every movie that he signs and so does Vidya.The ending could have been made much better but ultimately the writer seems to have decided to stick to Bollywood style.The music is good.Viewers can give the movie a shot but at the same time not being too much hopeful of it.

Overall Rating-(5.5/10)