Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
Chengiz movie review: superstar Jeet’s pan India dream has a good plot but sloppy direction plays spoil sport
What: Chengiz – Jeet pan India dream has a good plot let down by sloppy direction and lethargic pacing.
The writer of Chengiz is the talented Neeraj Pandey piques interest in the film. A seemingly intriguing foray into the Bengal underworld spanning from the 1970s to 1990s, Chengiz, starring superstar Jeet as the eponymous character, is saddled by mediocre direction, sloppy screenplay and frivolous treatment.
Chengiz movie review
Starting with a backstory narrated by Rohit Roy to a girl who is researching on the Kolkata’s underworld story, it chronicles the transformation of a simple boy named Jaidev who sets out to avenge his father's death and becomes Chengiz.
Written by Neeraj Pandey, the film covers the quintessential ethos of that period with good visuals and production design, but Rajesh Ganguly's craft lacks finesse and it feels like amateurish filmmaking with recycling of mafia tropes.
Jaidev is raised by foster parents- Samir (Rohit Roy) whom he calls as Mama and his Mami. But the burning urge of revenge forces him leave their house and step into the world of crime at a tender age of 16.
There is blood and gore, accentuated by slit throats and blood-soaked weapons but the vintage cars, the horse race course and the costumes fall short to amplify the tension and drama. The romantic track also lacks spark. Action by Stunt master Selva is decent.
Chengiz gets a worthy antagonist, Omar, played by Satar Figar but the other characters fail to embody the rage and anguish. Despite his swashbuckling entry, I found 'superstars' Jeet very stiff and one note. He fails to emote and fails to delve into the depth of depravity that Chengiz required. He also gets a doppelganger who is more like a funny bargain basement version whose presence doesn't do any real wonders. Rohit Roy's character could have been given more depth.
On the whole, Chengiz might be received well in the Bengal circuits but it's pan India prospects are heavily doubtful.
I go with 2.5 stars.
Pls Note : The above review is of the Hindi version.
Ahwaan Padhee, is an IT Techie/Business Consultant by profession and a film critic/cinephile by passion, is also associated with Radio Playback as well, loves writing and conducting movie quizzes. More By Ahwaan Padhee