Chocolate: Deep Dark Secrets

I saw director Vivek Agnihotri saying that "this film you can show around the world and proudly say that this is Indian cinema... this film is for intelligent people...". i went to see and i found that its a DUBBED version of Usual Suspect.

after HUM TUM ( harry met sally), salam namaste( nine months)now it is CHOCOLATE (ususal Suspect). i don't understand the logic of these directors...i think Indian government should stop releasing English movies in India so we can feel bollywood movies are original, and we can save our money.

the answer of each director over this is same...its inspired...or ....its just coincident....well chocolate is not inspired it is clone of usual suspect. the director beat Mr. Deepak Tijori (KHAMOSH/IDENTITY). thats what i can say.

2 minutes into the movie, and you know that it is a lift(No, i wont use the word "remake" or "adapted from" because that's what it is, a lift) of "The Usual Suspects". When there was a buzz about "Chocolate" during the build up and ever since we heard about the movie, i expected something else but as it turns out, it's a rehash of the 1995 Hollywood flick. I am OKAY with adaptations and inspirations but what irks me is that they don't even acknowledge the supposed adaptation. Come to think of it, there's no "adaptation" here, it's plain lifting. The end comes as no surprise to anyone who's seen the original. I was also reading Mr. Taran Adarsh's review and believe it or not, even he seemed to like the idea of adapting, he "adapted" from James Berardinelli's review of The Usual Suspects! ("The movie borrows from dozens of sources -- Hitchcock, Scorsese, the Coen brothers and just about every master of the genre, past or present". Check this line out in James' review of the original).

I wont comment on the dialogues and screenplay since there's nothing new here. Anil Kapoor, as the egoistic lawyer, was over the top a few times and his voice-over kind of sounded affected ( "With every case i became smart, smarter, smartest"...cheesy) . Irrfan was expectedly the best among the lot and makes the movie watchable, if only because of his presence.He easily overshadows Anil in their confrontation scenes. His glowering eyes and perfectly restrained performance is a treat to watch. Here's an actor i'll go miles to watch. Arshad Warsi does good in the limited scope that he has. The rest of the cast are alright.

At the end of it, "Chocolate" is not an effort worthy of appreciation.

Newcomer director Vivek Agnihotri took the plunge of directly ripping-off the Hollywood hit 'Usual Suspects' in Bollywood as the lame excuse for a movie called 'Chocolate'.

Nothing is in the right place in this movie. Be it acting, storytelling, hard-hitting dialogues or even the screenplay. No loose ends are tied in the end. No explanations are provided for the actions of the characters. We never get to know why do these five friends (Irfan Khan, Suniel Shetty, Emraan Hashmi, Arshad Warsi and Tanushree Dutta) keep committing one crime after another. No explanations have been provided for the eccentricities of the lawyer, Krish Pundit (played by Anil Kapoor). Why does the character of Monsoon Iyer (played by Sushma Reddy) acts like Anil Kapoor's Personal Assistant if she is a crime reporter? And Krish Pundit says that he doesn't care if the characters of Irfan Khan and Tanushree Dutta are guilty or innocent. Still, he wants them to tell him the true story linking them to the boat incident and truck robbery! After all, he is their lawyer and he's bound to fight for their cause even if they're lying to him or not saying anything at all.

Music is pleasing to the ears. 'Mummy ko nahi hai pata' and 'halka halka' are the picks of the lot. Editing could've been sharper.Probably the editor was sleeping throughout the whole movie. Cinematography is awesome. If 'Chocolate' scores in any department it would be in the cinematography department as the beauty of London and its winter had been captured to the fullest. Vivek Agnihotri should be applauded for attempting something different but the problem lies in his execution. He doesn't know how to tell a story.

'Chocolate' is the worst remake of 'Usual Suspects' which was a success at the box-office and was declared a classic. I would recommend that you rather borrow the DVD of 'Usual Suspects' instead.

Innumerable movies have been copied and perhaps "Chocolate" qualifies for the worst when it comes to adapting for Bollywood. For starters, the story line is loaded with complexity. Added to it are the sub-plots which are far too many and should have been trimmed down to aid the comprehension of the Bollywood audience. And the non-linear progression adds to the woes. There are too many unwarranted "sex" references (read that "force-fit"). Basing the London was a bad idea.

Performance wise Anil Kapoor delivers a strong screen-presence. Next is Arshad Warsi. Tanushree Dutta attempts hard to display her "oomph". Emran Hashmi hardly leaves an impact. Sunil Shetty was extremely wooden. Irfan Khan is perhaps the worst considering the expectations that would arise when his name is associated with the project. Sushma Reddy is awful on both department, choice of costumes and acting.

I was amused to the opening credits stating "Inspired Films" presents. I suppose "Plagiarised Films" would more more apt.

Please turn off the logical/critical part of your brain and you'll be ready to enjoy the movie. Compared to usual Bollywood standards, this is a slick flick with respect to editing, cinematography, sound, etc.

Of course, the "Usual Suspects" story has been adapted to suit current events with plenty of vague references to Al Qaeda thrown in, but don't watch the movie for the story. Watch it to while away a lazy Sunday afternoon, when you can't go out, and don't feel like reading a book.

Irfaan Khan should have been cast as Rocker. Sunil Shetty didn't look scary enough. Arshad Warsi did much better than his past roles. Tanushree Dutta is certainly one to look out for. A few more acting classes might help. Lastly, Sushma Reddy's role as an almost caricature-ish sidekick to Krishna Pandit didn't do justice to her talents. She will certainly do better to pick meatier roles.