Movie Reviews

Batti Gul Meter Chalu – Movie Review

Well-known for his 2017 box-office hit Toilet: Ek Prem Katha starring Akshay Kumar, Batti Gul Meter Chalu is directed by Shree Narayan Singh and stars Shahid Kapoor, Divyendu Sharma and Shraddha Kapoor as the primary cast with Yami Gautam in a supporting role. The storyline of the film explores the journey of three childhood friends S. K (Shahid), Sundar (Divyendu) and Nauti (Shraddha) and their everyday antics. As the movie continues, Sundar begins a local printing press but is soon stumped by the towering electricity bills. After continuous and unfaltering complaints and requests to the local electricity department, Sundar takes matters into his own hands and takes the high road which elongates the movie to a wearing three-hour mark.

You heard it correct, this film is 175-minutes long, and that’s longer than the recent historical epic Padmaavat or the magnum opus Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Let that sink in for a minute, why does a commercial film scrutinizing a social issue (electricity issues in an emergent state) have to be three-hours long? First off, the film opens up with a ton of nonsense banter to a point where the characters keep talking and talking and talking. While the primary storyline takes shape lazily thirty-minutes into the film, the unnecessary love-triangle between the three lead characters snatches the intrigue away from the film and makes it a boring and a predictable first half that tested my patience to the fullest.

I sat with a flat face all throughout the film, I didn’t chuckle, sob or scream into the void like a crazy person and that says a lot about the film. Besides directing this drawn-out drama, Shree Narayan Singh is also in charge of the editor’s desk for the film, and that might surely be one of the biggest backdrops, cause I’m sure that he had no lucidity about how to do trim down the dispensable scenes which are ultimately left sailing on the pond of boredom.

At least, the last thirty-minutes involving the courtroom drama were partly entertaining and brought the much-needed energy to the movie. Shahid Kapoor, who’s been struggling since ‘Udta Punjab’ to find his footing shines brightly in this film as a jerk loaded with cockiness, a dear friend filled with jealousy and a lawyer boosted up with confidence, emotion and honesty. Shraddha Kapoor was decent and is not irreplaceable, and Divyendu once again proves as the most talented and underrated performers in Bollywood right now.

Overall, Batti Gul Meter Chalu is a borefest which highlights an important issue but fails to deliver it with high impact. It’s long, partly entertaining and very much a below average fare which is easily forgettable and will be stepped over by ‘Sui Dhaaga’ by next week.

Rating – 2/5 | Grade – C

Surya Komal

It is what it is.

View Comments

Recent Posts

KA Review: A Surprisingly Impressive Thriller!

Kiran Abbavaram's career so far has been a challenging one. As an industry outsider, his… Read More

2 days ago

9 Best Indian Movies of 2024 on Amazon Prime You Shouldn’t Miss!

Explore the Best Indian Movies of 2024 on Amazon Prime list, featuring the year’s most… Read More

5 days ago

Venom: The Last Dance Review – Crazy & Nonsensical!

It's crazy how far these movies have come. I remember the first few trailers for… Read More

7 days ago

Best Bollywood New Movies on Netflix You Shouldn’t Miss!

On the topic of the Best Bollywood New Movies on Netflix India, the global streaming… Read More

7 days ago

9 Best Indian Movies of 2024 on Hotstar You Shouldn’t Miss!

Discover the top films of 2024 with our curated list of the Best Indian Movies… Read More

1 week ago

Best Telugu Movies of 2024 You Can Stream Right Now!

On the topic of the Best Telugu Movies of 2024 you can stream right now… Read More

1 week ago

We use cookies, just to track visits to our website, we store no personal details.