They came, they saw and they conquered, is exactly what the team of Chupan Chupai did with their film. The flick gives a fresh feeling which is exactly what the audience wanted and despite being a frame-to-frame copy of a Tamil film, it made its way into the hearts of the audience. First of all, it had Ahsan Khan in the lead who is now as big a star as Humayun Saeed was 10 years back; secondly, it introduced new faces to the film industry who should have been there even before this film. And finally, there was Neelum Muneer who dazzled on the screen as a fairy which is the most apt description, considering her character was named Pari (fairy) too.

The film revolves around a group of jobless individuals led by Babu (Ahsan Khan) who become kidnappers to keep their kitchens running; they have five golden rules of safe kidnapping, so when they break the first rule, they all get into trouble. The guys (Ali Rizvi, Zayed Sheikh, Vajdaan Shah) are as different from one another as any group of friends and they set the screen alight with their interactions, be it funny or serious. Their leader has a backstory that he doesn’t share with anyone till the second half of the film, and that involves an estranged brother, a kidnapped victim (Faizan Khawaja) and his minister father (Talat Hussain) and a dabangg cop (Adnan Jaffer). Then there is Babu’s girlfriend Pari (Neelam Munir) who makes you fall in love with her, but there is a twist in her backstory as well.

What makes Chupan Chupai a good watch is the fact that it breaks away from the kind of films that were released in the last quarter of 2017, but obviously after Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Na Maloom Afraad 2. Ahsan Khan’s return to the right side was a welcome sign, as he got to do what he excels in – act and dance. In some of the scenes, he even looks hotter than his heroine. Neelam Munir’s first flick will surely bring more offers to her, as she proves that she can act, dance and look great on the screen, all at the same time. Ali Rizvi surprised everyone with his comic timing and expressions, and he certainly has a bright future in films. Not much was expected from Faizan Khawaja who took over the film in the second half and played with the audience’s emotions – they loved to hate him and hated to love him as he was conning the conmen. Zayed Sheikh and Vajdaan Shah’s entry into films must be celebrated, as they are the future of the industry and can look menacing and honest as per their characters. It was good to see Talat Hussain and Rehan Sheikh in substantial roles in films; while people could relate to the former’s honest minister, the gangster-in-love-with-films will surely make you laugh.

Overall, the film gave a good feel to the audience who don’t care whether it is a remake of a Tamil movie or a Hollywood flick. They want to see the industry grow and prosper – in the golden era senior directors like Nazrul Islam and others were constantly labelled as plagiarists but their copied films were copied by Indians too. Same has been the case with Actor In Law, which was inspired by Jolly LLB, but now has its own plagiarised version in India. The film’s strength is its characterisation by Mohsin Ali and Zeeshan Haider who have given every character a backstory, a reason to exist and a reason to co-exist. The other strength is its soundtrack by Adnan Dhool and Rabi Ahmed of the Soch band, who have done a good job, especially after Verna. The songs might be few in numbers but were huge in impact. As a director, Mohsin Ali’s framing and ability to make the audience laugh in impossible situations makes the film one of the better reasons to remember the year.

Verdict
Chupan Chupai gives a fresh feeling which is exactly what the audience wanted and despite being a frame-to-frame copy of a Tamil film, it made its way into the hearts of the audience. As a director, Mohsin Ali’s framing and ability to make the audience laugh in impossible situations makes the film one of the better reasons to remember the year.