Chaalbaaz

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!

There are so many things that I like in Chaalbaaz, and then, there are so many things because of which I would never want to see it again. I like its craziness but I hate its stupidity. Chaalbaaz is a mere copy of the 1972 classic Seeta Aur Geeta. Clearly, this one is not a patch on Ramesh Sippy's timeless comedy of errors, and well, frankly, the fact that these two films are compared is an insult to Seeta Aur Geeta. Chalbaaz just lacks the latter's excellent script, great humour, music, light comic mood, and of course the performances. Hema Malini's performance is unmatched, and here the director actually turns the twin sisters into some hysteric and mentally unstable damsels in distress. Then there's the element which many people disliked the film for. While the film aims to be a comedy, there's one really disturbing part in it, and it is the way Anju is abused by her uncle and his wife - it is hugely exaggerated, but very often far from funny because not once does it appear downright sadistic. The action sequences are poorly handled and actually there's too much of them.

Sridevi is an excellent actress, but just like with the film, I like and dislike her performance in equal parts. I liked the fact that she evidently highly enjoyed playing her part, I liked her spontaneity, and her neurotic dance numbers were truly outstanding. It is her portrayal of the scared and frightened Anju that I liked more, as she was so intensely involved with the character. The role of Manju, the street smart lost sister, is totally over-the-top. She is not just brave and defensive, but a violent idiot. And it's not Sridevi's fault, she is just let down by the script and forced to ham it up. The leading actors are very average, while the two who actually understand the film's mindless mood and act accordingly are Anupam Kher and Rohini Hattangadi, who are very good and easy to hate. It's of course a masala flick and one should never take it too seriously but then it's not a very good film even as mindless entertainment, and sadly so, because this is the kind of story which could churn out a terrific comedy of errors, a goal this film unfortunately never manages to achieve.

Sri Devi is at her best in this Hindi comedy/action movie. She plays a dual role and as usual is perfect in both parts ,great supporting actors and a corny but lovable story. Well worth watching.

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.

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.