Movie Review- Bank Chor by Suhel Johar

 

Bank Chor Is A Stupid Heist Film  

Some movies make you think and awaken your senses, while some put you to sleep. Some make you cry while some just entertain you. But most of them are so inane that they want you to keep your mind out of the cinema hall. Y- Films’ Bank Chor falls in the last category. 

A comic caper Bank Chor, tells the story of a Maharashtrian guy Champak Chandrakant Chiplunkar(Riteish Deshmukh), a simple Marathi manoos who along with his two idiot friends  from Delhi, Genda (Vikram Thapa) and Gulab (Bhuvan Arora) picks the worst day possible to rob a bank. They capture a bunch of hostages including a high-strung housewife, a hyper chef, a possibly undercover cop, Baba Sehgal and many more.

Now, enter the CBI officer Amjad Khan (Vivek Oberoi), who shoots first and interrogates later. And a mad media circus outside led by fashion journo turned crime reporter Gayatri Ganguly aka Gaga played by Rhea Chakraborty. Everything goes awry once they enter the bank as the situation slips out of their control with CBI Officer Amjad Khan ruining their plan. Remaining story is like a crazy roller-coaster ride with thrills, chills and certainly lots of spills.

The only thing this film has done well is by aptly naming the film as Bank Chor because it actually robs you off your money when you buy the film’s tickets. The worst part about the film is that there is an attempt to make every line a joke, most of which prove to be very feeble.  Instead of making you laugh it makes you want to tear your hair in despair.  The film is a total waste of time and money as it expects you to laugh on their stupid punches.

The only people who laugh at their puns are the actors themselves. Laughing upon yourself is too mainstream now. Just when they were out of stock with the punches and jokes, a character from the film says ‘Kuch hai toh Y- Films ke paas le jao, webseries bana lenge.” Well, we pity such content.

One did not expect such a film to come from YRF. The cheesy one-liners fall flat and fail to impress the audience.  The basic idea of the film is borrowed from Spike Lee’s Inside Man. But the script of Bank Chor is flawed and way below the mark. There is just pushing, running, hiding and torture of audience with some crappy comedy throughout the film. The first half of the film is slapstick comedy while in the second half the film changes gears and transforms into a heist thriller. This is where it falters; neither does the film make you laugh, nor does it deliver thrills. A big twist does come, but by then, it's too little, too late. To make matters we have a climax that is boring and over stretched. 

To say the least Bank Chor is full of absurdities. The stereotypical caricatures of  Riteish Deshmukh and Vivek Oberoi works against the idea of taking this duo seriously. Rhea Chakraborty, a young and pretty TV reporter, gives out her personal mobile number on national television. Vivek Oberoi, introduced as a decorated IPS officer who was formerly a para-commando in the Indian Army, takes advice from an inexperienced reporter.

The trailer of Bank Chor had a self-deprecating humour that wasn't half bad. But if you go to watch it thinking Bank Chor will be a perfect comedy, you're mistaken.

Indidentally, Vivek Oberoi has returned to the Yash Raj Films fold after 15 years, his last film under their banner was Saathiya. Ritesh Deshmukh's role was first offered to Kapil Sharma who accepted the same but later turned it down due to contractual issues with YRF.

Director Bumpy, who first made Luv Ka The End in 2011, does not yet have the skill to make a smooth transition from one genre to another. What you get as a result, is a bumpy ride. Writing miscredits for the film are shared as following -  story by Baljeet Singh Marwah; screenplay by Baljeet Singh Marwah and dialogue by Baljeet Singh Marwah and Ishita Moitra. Cinematography by Adil Afsar is below average and editing by Saurabh Kulkarni is bad. The film’s music is composed by Shri Sriram, Kailash Kher, Baba Sehgal, Rochak Kohli and Shamir Tandon, whereas background score is provided by Shri Sriram and Superbia,

Performancewise, Vivek Oberoi in an ill etched role is mechanical and gets less screen time. Riteish Deshmukh tries his best to entertain but an inferior script takes its toll and his performance suffers. Rhea Chakraborty could have been replaced by any other pretty face, honestly. Vikram Thapa is impressive while Bhuvan Arora doesn't disappoint either.

Rapper Baba Sehgal playing himself in a cameo does well. Raja signature rap is extremely entertaining, but he leaves too soon, taking much of the humour with him.

On the whole, Bank Chor can be given a miss.