Chaalis Chaurasi is surely a one-time watch

Story: Four friends -- Pankaj (Naseeruddin Shah), Bobby (Atul Kulkarni), Shakti Chinappa (Ravi Kissen), Albert Pinto (Kay Kay Menon) -- want to rob a lonely house in a lonely stretch of it's Rs 20 crore fake Indian currency... and the very fake note vending machine that lies in there. Just one problem: They have no plan....
Movie Review: A film low on publicity and marketing can also be a boomer proving all the laws of Bollywood wrong. Specially when it boasts of a veteran star cast that has no namby-pamby hero or showy side tid-bit to peddle. The cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Ravi Kissen and Zakir Hussain is enough to carry this non descript drama to dramatic heights, carrying you through several unpredictable twists and turns that you rarely find in run-of-the-mill cinema. The idea is to rob a desolate house off a defunked fake currency machine for god knows what purpose. The plan, the execution is all missing as each participant saunters his way into the trip, carrying with him his little dreams and ambitions, which make the movie what it is worth. Take for example, Kay Kay Menon. His Albert Pinto is perhaps one of Bollywood's most convincing car thief who has stolen a Merc, a BMW. But all he wants is the classic, vintage Fiat. In fact, he is seen stealing all the remaining Fiats in the Maximum City and then destroying them with ease. Reason? Mumbai shall have only one Fiat and that shall be his for his heart goes 'boom' each time he spots a Fiat! Then comes Atul Kulkarni's Bobby who thrills you with his to-be-a-singer-dream when he actually ends up being a singer in a bar. Thirdly, Ravi Kissen's (Shakti Chinappa) I-don't-give-a-damn approach for a drug peddler is quite convincing too. He says if you don't want to do drugs don't do it, but don't lecture me either. Finally, the real one to stand out in this group of inexperienced thieves is Naseeruddin Shah. It seems hard to believe that this English speaking, mission executing conman was once the HOD of the Department of English in a University. We get a clue only when he is all out to describe the 'anatomy' of a fellow professor he once had a crush on in his hay days. The plot gets further complicated here as the gang poses as cops in a van to fulfill their dreams to get rich but get embroiled in a real gangster case which gives you some rib tickling moments of laughter and fun. Go, enjoy a refreshing new genre of comedy.