Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

Taran Adarsh reviews the “Experimental movie” EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL. He is actually pretty impressed by the movie and gives it a 3 out of 5. You can see his full review at India FM and here are some excerpts:

EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL is about two people who miss the last local train at 1.40 a.m. to Vikhroli and have full two-and-a-half hours before the next local will arrive. The tale revolves around Nilesh [Abhay Deol], a call center executive, and how missing the last train home proves to be a significant episode in his life.

Nilesh bumps into Madhu [Neha Dhupia], who has also missed her train on the same station and because there is an auto strike, the duo finds themselves getting together and soon seated in a desi bar for some time pass before their next train

K CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL doesn't have any flaws as such, barring the fact that its theme is very Mumbai-centric and also its length is unwarranted. The film should be trimmed by at least 20 minutes to make the goings-on crisper. A few scenes tend to get repetitive. A few are stretched endlessly. A few were just not required. The ending too goes on and on. Ideally, the film should've ended the moment Abhay lays his hands on the booty in Deepak Shirke's house.

Director Sanjay Khanduri has the trappings of a fine storyteller. He has handled a number of sequences with dexterity and not once do you feel that EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL is his debut film. Cinematography is consistent. The background score is jarring.

Abhay Deol comes up with an honest performance yet again. Actually, he carries the middle class look very well. Neha Dhupia proves herself in latter reels, when her true identity is exposed. Virendra Saxena is okay. His lady accomplice is fantastic. Ashok Samarth as the cop is excellent. Snehal Dabhi as the eunuch is tremendous. The actor enacting the role of Ponappa is first-rate. Deepak Shirke is incredible.

On the whole, EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL is a decent fare that stands out for a few individualistic episodes in the narrative. At the box-office, the film caters to the multiplex audience mainly, especially big city multiplexes. Business in Mumbai multiplexes should be better due to its Mumbaiya flavor.