Chaalbaaz

Getting straight to the point, what makes 'Chaalbaaz' immensely enjoyable is Sridevi. Displaying her comedic skills to the max, she proves again why she's among the best. Dual roles weren't anything new to her and here she plays mirror image twins. There's the tough kickass no nonsense Manju and her (separated at birth) pushover sister Anju who's brutally abused by her maternal Uncle. The story falls on the lines of 'Seeta aur Geeta'. Those were also the days when Sunny Deol was quite likable as an actor that he would do a little more acting than the over the top action sequences. Rajnikunt isn't bad either. Anupam Kher and Rohini Hattangadi are good as the caricature evil Uncle and Aunt. Shakti Kapoor is quite annoying and a young Aftab Shivdasani is unintentionally funny. One ought to keep in mind that 'Chaalbaaz' is a masala entertainer and not to be taken too seriously. On the down side, many of the songs are terrible but there are a few that are worth watching only because of Sridevi's dance and comedy. On the technical side, it's not very impressive as cinematography, sound and lighting is quite poor (which was the case with most 80s commercial Hindi films).

However, 'Çhaalbaaz' provides plenty of laugh out loud moments to make it worthwhile and that is due to the divine Sridevi. Thanks to her, this one woman show is worth watching.

I watched Seeta aur Geeta and Chaalbaaz but found the former had a better flow to the story, better calibre of acting, songs were melodious. Over and above that you have the classic beauty of Hema malini. Sunny Deol was decent, while Rajnikanth's comedy was good in parts. The fights especially Sridevi 's did evolve since the 70s. Sridevi's acting though was a bit exaggerated and over the top. If you watched this movie in the 80s you wouldn't mind it, but if you are watching it in this century you might not appreciate it as much. Anupam Kher and Shakti had their moments of laughter. There was a scene where Anu Kapoor's dark hair was clearly seen peeking from underneath his white wig. The shot changed but the director did not bother to correct the error. The authenticity of the scene was totally compromised. There were other scenes where the disparity in the quality of direction was apparent between Ramesh Sippy and Pankaj Parashar. There is some entertainment value but don't expect too much.

This film is a pain to watch. Not because of technical flaws or performance (it's an 80s film, so one must be quite tolerant), Sridevi is a great actress and dancer, but the story is terrible. There is just no way to enjoy this film. It shows such gut-wrenching abuse of the one twin role of Sridevi, Anju, and the whole film long you see the poor girl being broken and exploited. The film has some good intentions, which is to accuse the men's society of ruining the lives of women, but this film is so mercy-less and seems to right-out enjoy the Anju being abused, that the message becomes a farce. The ending does not help this film either, they spoiled it. I have not seen many Bollywood films before the 1990s, but I would say this one is special. Special because of Sridevi, but also infamous because of its cruelty. Just maddening and gut-wrenching.

Chaalbaaz was one of the best comedies of the late 80s with some landmark performances from Sridevi in a double role , Anupam Kher as the evil uncle Tribhuvan Das , Shakti Kapoor ,Rohini Hattangadi and Rajnikant.The movie also has Annu Kapoor in a special role and a young Aftab Shivdasani as Sridevis young brother.It also won Sridevi a Best Actress Award for 1989.The " Jaani ye Chaaku hai" scene is legendary and unforgettable.A typical bollywood formula film with Twin Sisters separated at birth and with strikingly different personalities .Sridevi was the real " Hero" of the film .I remember I had copied it on my VCR as a kid and used to watch it everyday ! A most memorable film .

Having read the previous negative review posted by Gunsha, all i can say is that she seems to have completely missed the point.

Chaalbaaz is an all out entertainer which shows no pretence of being anything other than a wholesome fun family entertainer.

This film has everything that is good about Hindi cinema, excellent songs, dialogue, action and above all side splitting comedy. Sridevi & Rajnikant fans won't be disappointed, as they perform to the height of their iconic status'.

Chaalbaaz is a timeless masterpiece, a text book reference on what Hindi entertainment is. Though the film was made 15 years ago in an era when Shakti Kapoor & Anupam Kher weren't annoying & when Sunny Deol was able to give a restrained performance. It's brand of comic humour, far from appearing stale, comes across just as fresh as when it was 1st made (in fact David Dhawan could learn a thing or two on what REAL comedy is, by watching this). Definitely one of the definitive movies of the 90's.

Classic Scene : Shakti Kapoor mistaking Anupam Kher for the "Ghar ka naukar"

Watch it with friends & prepare to laugh your socks off!