Chehre, a recent release of 2021, is a Hindi language mystery thriller movie directed by well-known director Rumy Jafry, in association with Anand Pandit Motion Pictures and Saraswati Entertainment Private Limited.
The movie starring Bollywood’s Shahenshah, Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi is a plot of an 80-year-old man fond of real-life games in a story about correct and incorrect.
They conduct a mock trial of a courtroom to decide if the victim has got justice or not and if no, they make sure that the justice is served.
Story
Four Retried Friends with a law and justice background comprising of an eccentric public prosecutor Lateef Zaidi (Amitabh Bachchan), Defense Lawyer Paramjeet Singh Buller (Anu Kapoor), Justice Jagdish Acharya and ever- excited Executioner Hariya Jatav, come together at a heritage mansion amidst a snow storm in an isolated and not so known hill station, to re-enact the mock trials of a courtroom on stranded strangers and lost souls who seek asylum in their spine-chilling house which happens to be their favourite pass time.
Also, Not blinking Anna (Rhea Chakraborty) breaks into creepy bouts of sudden laughter at regular intervals, who plays a role of a housekeeper. The game seemed fun to the ‘stranded stranger’ (Emraan Hashmi) until it became severe.
Together these friends create a lot of drama and deliver superb dialogues, but it all goes like a plane in a hurricane before making a smooth and safe landing.
In their court of law, there is no justice, only judgment, and that is what the audience sees for almost two hours and thirty minutes as the story revolves around Sameer Mehra, who is accused of murdering his boss, Oswaal.
Review
Chehre, which started well, ended up being a thriller that failed to thrill its audience. The plot was well-engrossing but too predictable and unconventional. As soon as the excitement builds up, the scene is stretched too much that it ends up compromising its momentum.
The dialogues involving ‘shayaris’ become too heavy to be understood by everyone and struggle to survive under their burden. However, some one-liners would force you to laugh.
Everyone is a sinner, but only those who are caught are criminals. The movie goes a bit off-track as it tries to deliver this message.
After Kartik Aaryan’s famous monologue in Pyaar ka Panchnama, I want to give a special mention to Amitabh Bachchan’s monologue, which will blow your mind towards the end.
From Nirbhaya Case to Acid- Attack Victims, from Uri-Surgical strike to terrorism, he tries to bring everything under an umbrella, in one breath, without actually getting to the point.
It seems like he is speechifying. All of this comes with a good aim and reason, but the execution needs a second thought.
The movie’s atmosphere is good enough to make it look like a perfect crime mystery, but the peachy tone and righteous demeanour take the edge off. Its speed and lack of reasons curtail the film’s urge to look like a thriller.
Chehre aims to make comments on the state of criminal justice in India. The idea, overall, is an interesting one, but it stops there only. The courtroom drama ends up feeling more prolonged than the longest-running cases.
Rumy Jaffry tried to attempt something out of his comfort zone, which is appreciated, but the film is a one-time watch.
Overall, I would give the movie a 3 out of 5 stars if asked for a rating.
