Freaky Chakra

Last updated

Freaky Chakra
Freaky Chakra DVD cover.JPG
DVD cover
Directed by V. K. Prakash
Ziba Bhagwagar
Written byZiba Bhagwagar
Roohi Dixit
Apurva Kasaravalli
Ashwin Naidu
Geeta Thomas
Produced byV.K.Prakash
Starring Deepti Naval
Sunil Raoh
Ranvir Shorey
Sachin Khedekar
Cinematography K. U. Mohanan
Edited byVenkatesh Naidu
Music by Ouseppachan
Production
companies
Channel Nine Entertainment
Trends Adfilm Makers
Distributed byChannel Nine Entertainment Ltd.
Release date
  • 7 February 2003 (2003-02-07)
Running time
105 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Freaky Chakra is a 2003 Bollywood comedy-drama film directed by V. K. Prakash and Ziba Bhagwagar. The film stars Deepti Naval and Sachin Khedekar. [2] The film was India's official entry for the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, [3] and received recognition by the International Federation of Film Critics at the 2003 Mumbai International Film Festival. [4]

Contents

Plot

The writer (Ranvir Shorey) tells the story and introduces the story characters one-by-one in a narrative style. Ms. Thomas (Deepti Naval) used to be a doctor and now works as a mortician. After her medical skills failed to save her husband, she decided to live alone and keep to herself. However, various events continue to keep her at odds with reality: she receives phone calls from a crank caller (Sachin Khedekar) who speaks to her in a raunchy manner; mischievous children repeatedly run away after ringing her doorbell; she is unable to bathe because her water does not operate; and her apartment manager is so tired of her complaints that he blocks his ears with cotton. In her routine, she begins to look forward to each distraction. When an uninvited guest (Sunil Raoh) takes up residence in her home, the two eventually have a romantic affair, changing her life and her outlook.

Cast

Production

Principal photography began in Bangalore over a 21-day shoot schedule, [5] and actress Deepti Naval stated that the film had been cut for the Indian film market to remove shots where her character took the lead in lovemaking. [6] The film was India's official entry for Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, [3] and was released on 7 February 2003. [7] The film is the only Hindi project for which Ouseppachan has composed music. [8]

Critical reception

Because of its dealing with relationships between four persons, Times of India referred to the film as "rectangular love story", as opposed to "the cliched regular or triangular romantic stories that Bollywood generally churns out." [7] The film created a stir after its release due to its dealing with one of the long time taboo subjects, age disparity in relationships with a woman on the older side. [6] After its release, Times of India made note of a growing trend to depict such relationships more openly: Using the characters of Deepti Naval's Ms. Thomas in Prakash's Freaky Chakra, Juhi Chawla's Chandrika in Nagesh Kukunoor's 3 Deewarein , and Shabana Azmi's Radha in Deepa Mehta's Fire as examples of a changing trend in Indian cinema, they wrote that "Bollywood is now bent on giving the fairer sex a fair deal in sex." [9]

Outlook India panned the film, offering that "Prakash's experiment with story-telling might sound promising on paper but fails to deliver on celluloid." They felt this was due to Ranvir Shorey's character of The Writer becoming an intrusive and "annoying obstruction" that hampered the film's action. They also felt that the characters were not fully fleshed out, writing they "don't get a life beyond their sentence-long descriptions", and that the relationships of the various characters are not allowed to grow, leaving the viewer with questions. They concluded that "Freaky Chakra is brash without any real sense of irreverence. It's meant to be fun, but doesn't even manage to elicit a smile. A joke of a film, and a bad joke at that." [2]

Rediff wrote of the film, "You simply wonder why the film was made", noting that the storyline wasn't suitable for a Deepti Naval film, and that as the musical was "a fusion of classical and Western tunes," it would not appeal, offering only that the Hindi song Yeh dil ne kuch kaha hai was "beautifully rendered." They further felt the storyline and screenplay were too unconventional to attract a wide audience, and noted that the narrative of Ranvir Shorey as The Writer "tends to grate on your nerves at times." They granted that the Deepti Naval's character was "the most interesting" and that she "deserves credit" for her ability to have her acting speak louder than scripted words. They also noted that Sunil Raoh did a "decent job" and that Sachin Khedekar gave "a brilliant performance." But while acknowledging these points, they concluded "For all the performances, the characters are shallow and unexplained." [10]

Recognition

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smita Patil</span> Indian actress (1955–1986)

Smita Patil was an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi and Marathi films. Regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she was known for her unconventional portrayal of strong and independent women. Patil appeared in over 80 films, in a career that spanned over a decade and was the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, a Maharashtra State Film Award and two Filmfare Awards Marathi. In 1985, Patil received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konkona Sen Sharma</span> Indian actress and filmmaker (born 1979)

Konkona Sen Sharma is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works primarily in Bengali and Hindi films. She has received several awards, including two National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards. The daughter of filmmaker and actress Aparna Sen, she is primarily known for her work in independent films, in addition to working in mainstream films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonali Kulkarni</span> Indian actress (born 1974)

Sonali Kulkarni is an Indian actress, producer, and writer who primarily appears in Marathi, Hindi and few Tamil films. Kulkarni is considered as one of the highest-paid actresses in Marathi cinema, and is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Marathi Awards and four Maharashtra State Film Awards. She was honoured with V. Shantaram Special Contribution Award in 2010 by the Government of Maharashtra.

<i>Anahat</i> (film) 2003 Indian film

Anahat (Unhurt) is a 2003 Marathi film directed by Amol Palekar and starring Anant Nag, Sonali Bendre and Deepti Naval. Anahat won the Best Artistic Direction award at the World Film Festival of Bangkok, in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepti Naval</span> Indian-American actress (born 1952)

Deepti Naval is an Indian-American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema.

<i>Khosla Ka Ghosla</i> 2006 film by Dibakar Banerjee

Khosla Ka Ghosla is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film directed by Dibakar Banerjee, in his directorial debut. It was produced by Savita Raj Hiremath under the Taandav Films label and Ronnie Screwvala from UTV Motion Pictures. Written by Jaideep Sahni, the film stars Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Parvin Dabas, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey and Tara Sharma in the lead roles. The story follows Kamal Kishore Khosla (Kher), a middle-class Delhiite and his family's attempt to reclaim their land which has been seized by a builder, Khurana (Irani).

<i>Bheja Fry</i> (film) 2007 Indian film

Bheja Fry is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Sagar Ballary and produced by Sunil Doshi. The film stars Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Sarika, Milind Soman and Ranvir Shorey. It was released on 13 April 2007. It is based on the 1998 French film Le Dîner de Cons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranvir Shorey</span> Indian actor

Ranvir Shorey is an Indian actor and former video jockey. Since making his debut in Ek Chhotisi Love Story (2002), he has worked in both mainstream and independent cinema. His commercially successful ventures include Jism (2003), Lakshya (2004), Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Singh Is Kinng (2008), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Angrezi Medium (2020), and Tiger 3 (2023). He has also starred in the critically acclaimed films such as Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), Traffic Signal and Bheja Fry, Mithya (2008), Titli (2014), and A Death In The Gunj (2016). He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Sonchiriya (2019).

<i>Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye</i> 2005 Indian film

Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye is a 2005 Bollywood romance film directed by Samar Khan as his debut film. It starred Arshad Warsi, Mahima Chaudhry, and Parvin Dabas, while Shah Rukh Khan had a special appearance as himself. The title of the film was taken from the Cadbury Dairy Milk tagline of the same name.

<i>Ugly Aur Pagli</i> 2008 Indian film

Ugly Aur Pagli is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Sachin Khot and produced by Pritish Nandy. The film stars Ranvir Shorey and Mallika Sherawat. The film tells the story of the strange relationship between a young Mumbai engineering student and a girl he meets on the train. Ugly Aur Pagli is an uncredited remake of the 2001 South Korean film My Sassy Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sowmya Raoh</span> Indian playback singer (born 1983)

Sowmya Raoh is an Indian playback singer who has performed in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Telugu languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sachin Khedekar</span> Indian actor

Sachin Khedekar is an Indian actor and director known for his work in Hindi, Marathi and Telugu films. His well-known films include Kaksparsh, Astitva and Shyam Benegal's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero in which he portrayed Subhas Chandra Bose. Notable TV series include SailaabImtihaan and Samvidhaan in which he played B. R. Ambedkar.

<i>Quick Gun Murugun</i> 2009 Indian English-language action western film

Quick Gun Murugun: Misadventures of an Indian Cowboy is a 2009 Indian English-language Comedy Western film directed by Shashanka Ghosh and written by Rajesh Devraj. The film stars Rajendra Prasad as the title character alongside Nassar, Rambha and Anuradha Menon. It is a spoof on Indian western films, featuring songs, melodrama and action sequences including a duel in a traffic jam.

<i>Mixed Doubles</i> (2006 film) 2006 Indian film

Mixed Doubles (2006) is an Indian film directed by Rajat Kapoor. It stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey, Koel Purie and Rajat Kapoor. The film follows the general plot of a husband asking his wife to swap him for another male, while he swaps her for the other male's wife.

Sunil Rao is a Kannada cinema actor from India. He is also a playback singer who has performed for few Kannada film songs. He has acted in numerous films as a child artist and also featured in a few television series.

<i>Happy Ending</i> (2014 film) 2014 Hindi romantic comedy film

Happy Ending is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. The film is produced by Saif Ali Khan, Dinesh Vijan and Sunil Lulla under Illuminati Films and stars Khan, Ileana D'Cruz and Govinda in the lead roles. The film was released on 21 November 2014.

<i>Heartless</i> (2014 film) 2014 film by Shekhar Suman

Heartless is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language medical thriller film directed by Shekhar Suman. Shekhar Suman also stars in the film along with his son Adhyayan Suman. The film also features Ariana Ayam, Deepti Naval, Om Puri and Madan Jain amongst others. It released on 7 February 2014, to mixed reviews from critics. The film focuses on anaesthesia awareness, where a patient cannot move or communicate, but is aware to varying degrees of what is happening during surgical procedures. Several critics have noticed striking similarities between the film and the 2007 Hollywood medical thriller Awake, leading some to describe Heartless a copy of said film.

Blue Mountains: A Modern Day Classic is a 2015 Bollywood drama film, written and directed by Suman Ganguli, & produced by Raujesh Kumar Jain. The film stars Ranvir Shorey, Gracy Singh, Rajpal Yadav, Simran Sharma, Arif Zakaria, Mahesh Thakur, Yatharth Ratnum.

<i>Kadvi Hawa</i> 2017 Indian film

Kadvi Hawa is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed by Nila Madhab Panda and produced by Panda, Drishyam Films and Akshay Parija. Based on the theme of climate change, the film stars Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey and Tillotama Shome in lead roles. It was released on 24 November 2017. It also got a Special Mention at the 64th National Film Awards held on 7 April 2017. The film is presented by Drishyam Films.

<i>Mumbaikar</i> (film) 2023 film by Santosh Sivan

Mumbaikar is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Santosh Sivan. A remake of Tamil film Maanagaram (2017), it stars Vikrant Massey, Vijay Sethupathi, Tanya Maniktala and Hridhu Haroon. This marks Vijay Sethupathi's Hindi film debut.

References

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20021202204305/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sept01/ent5.htm [ bare URL ]
  2. 1 2 Namrata Joshi (10 February 2003). "review: Freaky Chakra". Outlook India . Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  3. 1 2 "'Freaky Chakra' nominated for Toronto festival". The Times of India . 11 February 2003. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  4. 1 2 "FIPRESCI 2003 awards". FIPRESCI . Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "'Katha' to 'Freaky Chakra'... the cycle goes on". The Hindu . 27 January 2003. Archived from the original on 23 June 2003. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  6. 1 2 Subhash K Jha (7 February 2003). "I'd rather do a love scene than have my assets hanging over some man's face". Rediff . Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  7. 1 2 TNN (4 February 2003). "'Freaky Chakra' to be released on Feb 7". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  8. ↑ "Luck smiles in the third chance". The Hindu . 7 September 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  9. ↑ Chetan Mallik (10 September 2003). "Bollywood women call the shots in bed". Times of India . Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  10. ↑ Ronjita Kulkarni (7 February 2003). "Why is Deepti Naval so cranky?". Rediff . Retrieved 16 May 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.