Rajshri Productions, known for its sanskari family dramas, is trying to keep up with the millennials in Hum Chaar . Family has given way to friends, characters (including women) consume alcohol, emojis and social media interface float onscreen, the female lead is (somewhat) feisty and the word ‘sex’ is uttered (although cloaked as ‘sexpheare’). But the structure and tone of storytelling remain the same old — a classic linear narrative, predictable turn of events, over-established situations and stilted character arcs.
- Director: Abhishek Dixit
- Cast: Tushar Pandey, Anshuman Malhotra, Simran Sharma and Prit Kamani
- Storyline: Four college friends reunite after a tragic accident
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Beyond the dynamics of friendship in the digital age, the film opens tiny windows into ambitions (or lack thereof) and parental pressures but they soon peter out. There are a few insightful observations like the addiction to texting and it’s fascinating to see how contemporary cinema is incorporating the textures and aesthetics of social media in its visuals. But the film overall has such a sanitised feel to it that even ‘vices’ like bullying and drinking fit well into the bowdlerised Rajshri world. The four debut actors — Tushar Pandey, Anshuman Malhotra, Simran Sharma and Prit Kamani — work well within the virtuous setting and you can see that the efforts to breathe life into their one-dimensional characters are earnest, although Sharma, who plays Manjari, the only character with shades and some enigma, is painfully stoic at points. When Kamani’s character Namit tells her “