Language : Hindi
Direction: Tejas Deoskar
Produced by: Ronnie Screwvala
Starring: Rakul Preet Singh, Sumeet Vyas, Satish Kaushik
Cinematography: Siddharth Vasani
Edited by: Shruti Bora
Music by: Mangesh Dhakde,Rohan-Rohan,Sumeet Bellary,Durgesh R Rajbhatt

Chhatriwali is a Hindi-language Romantic comedy film directed by Tejas Deoskar and produced by Ronnie Screwvala. The film stars an Rakul Preet Singh, Sumeet Vyas, Satish Kaushik, Dolly Ahluwalia and Rajesh Tailang. The film was premiered on 20 January 2023 on ZEE5. The film aims to promote the importance of male contraceptives and safe sex.

What works

Chaatriwali is the latest addition to the cinema of unmentionables, in which broad humour is used to deliver prescriptive messaging about taboo subjects,about the importance of condoms and safe sex, itself follows the similarly themed direct-to-streamer Helmet (2019) and Janhit mein jaari (2022).

What may seem like another story set in Karnal, comes across as a funny and punch-line heavy narrative by Tejas Deoskar that addresses pertinent issues like abortion and contraception, especially the use of condoms for safe sex among other things. The film uses a generous dose of punchlines and witty one-liners, which Tejas is known for, to deliver the goods. The lines bear his signature. The screenplay is fast-paced through most of the 116-minute-run time.

Rakul preet singh carries the film on her shoulders confidently. Her performance is consistent throughout the film. In fact, hers is the only character that has a strong and visible arc developing throughout the runtime. Could the arc have been stronger? Yes. Could the hurdles in her character’s journey have been tougher to cross? Yes. And that could have strengthened the message that the film aims to deliver using her shoulders. It could have only made the film’s narrative that much more defined.

What doesn’t work

The main drawback is the plot and structure is same to same as Nushrat Bahrrucha starrer 2022 film Janhit Mein Jaari. In terms of the writing, the romantic track between Sumeet Vyas and Rakul preet Singh feels too sped up and lacks the kind of emotional pull that it should have had. In fact, sumit vyas’s character does not have a distinct and well-etched arc to follow. He just has a set of punch lines, which makes the character hollow.

This one’s a light-hearted film with a strong message which could have been packaged and delivered way better. However, what we get to see is a breezy and witty movie with its intent in the right place.

Bottomline

Janhit mein chhatriwali!!!