Mukhbiir Versus Chamku – A toss-up between two lone rangers
iView Author: Dr. Mandar V. Bichu (Sharjah, U.A.E.)
Email: drmandarvb [at] yahoo [dot] com
Mukhbiir Versus Chamku – A toss-up between two lone rangers
While writing on Wednesday and Aamir on PFC, I realized that in recent times, I have watched quite a few Bollywood films that can be thematically grouped into distinctive pairs. Most of these films have been box-office duds but in pairs, they often offer an interesting, comparative insight into contemporary film-makers’ takes on similar topics. So here is a look at Mukhbiir and Chamku – two recent films, each dealing essentially with a nameless lone ranger, fighting for (and against!) a system that just looks at him as a disposable ‘Use and throw’ object!
Synopsis:
Mukhbiir
Dir. Mani Shankar
Cast: Samir Dattani, Raima Sen, Om Puri, Suniel Shetty, Sudhanshu Pande
A callow youngster (Samir Dattani)- an innocent victim of an indiscriminate arrest, an orphan without anyone to call his own- is plucked from a jail by a senior intelligence officer (Om Puri). The youngster is then trained to be Mukhbiir (an inside informer) and sent on different secret undercover missions. Will he prove tough enough for the moral, ethical and emotional challenges posed by his unusual profession? With his well-wishers falling by the wayside one by one, will he be able to summon enough courage to carry out his dangerous mission?
Chamku
Dir. Kabeer Kaushik
Cast: Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra, Irfan Khan
Somewhere in the interiors of Bihar, a local strongman shots a father and a son at pointblank range. The father dies but the boy is saved and raised into a militant in a naxalite camp. Born Chandramohan Singh, he is now rechristened as Chamku (Bobby Deol). Recuperating from a near-death after a police encounter, Chamku is inducted as an undercover hit-man into a secret RAW – IB funded program. While carrying out his unlawful killings for the supposed protectors of law and order, Chamku will have to battle his personal demons and the so-called ‘System’ at every step! Will he win?
Review:
As said earlier, both these films adopt a practically similar theme and approach. Both, Mukhbiir and Chamku are created by the ‘System’. They are orphans picked up from a wayward life of obscurity and lawlessness. Emotionally they both are fragile but still they have to tough it out. They are being used as programmed tools for so-called loftier ideal of preserving the honor of the land, but that is being done without offering them any other choice and without giving them a life of honour. At every step, both keep questioning their inner self but there is no way out. Both realize that in their undercover life there is no value for values and no truth in any truth!
For the first half, Mukhbiir tries to do a Maqbool when the hero is sent to mingle with a Hyderabad-based Mafia don’s clan. That provides some of the interesting moments of the film but then, the film loses its grip when it changes its track into a high-tech terrorist plot. Samir Dattani delivers a neatly composed role as Mukhbiir, which augurs well for his future. Sudhanshu Pande is good as a Hyderabadi gangster with love for anything loud and lewd.
Chamku begins promisingly with a breathless, blood-drenched train sequence, which immediately brings back memories of Kaushik’s Sehar- climax. The UP-Bihar setup, the power-politics, the police encounters, the bloody killings- Chamku has a lot in common with Sehar. But whereas Sehar was essentially a raw, earthy and that’s why a creditable film; Chamku tries to be slick and glamorous and ends up nowhere. Bobby Deol does well in his limited capacity to make the central character- ‘Chamku’ credible but the rest of the cast is mostly wasted in insignificant roles.
Both, Mukhbiir and Chamku try to cash on stylized violence but they both suffer from excesses- that of characters, events and plot-tracks and that proves to be their undoing. This mainly happens because of selling out to the so-called box-office equations like needlessly planting a good-looking heroine, some irrelevant songs and a feel-good climax! Both films could well have shed plenty of screen time wasted on unnecessary drivel. What could have been taut, on-the-edge, watchable thrillers thus peter out into long-drawn clich'©d potboilers. Same old story of Bollywood!
Tags: Chamku, Mukhbiir
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D. Santosh
Onir
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Pankaj Advani
Revathy
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Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
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Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
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Have not seen Mukhbir, but Chamku was an opportunity totally wasted. Looks like the Deols had poked their nose in, and thus director Kabir Kaushik could not deliver the hard hitting realism of Sehar. Also Priyanka Chopra’s chiffon sarees and the dreamy songs, just did not fit in with the tenor of the movie. Its like trying to fuse a Prakash Jha movie with a Yashraj movie, and the end result is neither here nor there.
Also both the movies are based on the French movie “La Femme Nikita”, where a juvenile delinquent, is turned into a assasin by the French Govt.
i actually found mukhbir to be an okay watch. it wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be, but you are right. after the first half, it kind of gets into too many sub plots and characters and sort of fizzles out with many silly things like a kid shopkeeper/fax sender. also, the romantic angle with one of the sen sisters was really unnecessary and badly shot.
but overall, i think mani shankar had his heart in the right place. commercial considerations ruined the movie.
chamku, well was a disappointment for me. i was expecting a lot from it after seher, but came out really disappointed.
Mani Shankar in fact did a real good job with Dec 16 and Tango Charlie, though both the movies had the standard mainstream elements, he was able to make sure, the tempo was never diverted.
In fact i found Dec 16, a really good political thriller, a genre which is not very common in Indian movies.
i dound Chamku actaually be quite underrated i mean it was still better than any other “big budget” stars extravenga
Sushant Singh was fabulous in ‘Mukhbir’!
I was taken aback at how effortlessly he played the sleazy bisexual gangster.
A damn good actor!
But then, he’s ALWAYS great!
Truly underrated.
The film was….poorly executed.
I think the director has good ideas, but they don’t transpire on screen.
Samir Dattani is quite a weak actor.
Interesting role, but only Om Puri and the super fantastic Sushant Singh stood out for me!
Oh i’m a big Sushant fan!
Can u tell? :-)
As for ‘Chamku’?
Well, believe me when I say that I was the ONLY ONE in the damn screening, yet I remember nothing!
When I say I remember nothing, I mean ‘NOTHING’!
I walked out of the film.
And have no idea what I watched!
I’m sure Priyanka irritated me…
And that I was underwhelmed by Bobby’s performance.
But the film?????
Nope!
It was literally, instantly forgetable!
Oops! Sorry- I seem to have mentioned Sushant Singh as Sudhanshu Pande. Yes, Sushant is superb and yes, he usually is!
I was wondering who Sudhanshu Pande was?! :-)