Movie Review: Challo Driver

Movie: Challo Driver
U; Romcom
Dir: Vickrant Mahajan
Cast: Vickrant Mahajan, Kainaz Motivala, Prem Chopra
Rating: *1/2 (out of 5)


Every once in a while, there comes a film in Bollywood that tries to steer clear off the clichés. Sadly, this is not that film. Though it begins on a promising premise of the lead actress portraying a professional chauffeur, the plot becomes more and more apparent with every passing minute. Besides, it’s not really the first time in Hindi cinema that the heroine has gotten behind the wheel for a living. Deepika Padukone played a cab driver once and so did Lara Dutta.

Kainaz Motivala (last seen in Ragini MMS) plays the eponymous driver and is strictly likeable but her performance doesn’t really drive the film. The same is true about Vickrant Mahajan who plays an uptight rich guy who seems stuck in the mould. For what it’s worth, he merits mention for his one-man-army avatar as he’s not only essaying the lead role but also making his directorial debut with this romantic comedy. Even the story and dialogues were written by him. Perhaps he had too much on his plate!

Speaking of performance, Prem Chopra remains an absolute delight throughout. In the second half, Manoj Pahwa provides the much-needed comical velocity. There’s not much to rave about the movie in terms of technicality. The background score is numb and the songs aren’t catchy either.

Talking of the positives, Challo Driver does try to be different by pointing out the need to do something differently when it comes to choosing a career. Anything, to be precise. In a nutshell, it makes an attempt to gauge the pulse of today’s youth. However, once the movie sets into motion, the lack of acceleration in the screenplay wrecks the show.

Ekta's really sweet: Kainaz Motivala

Cute and bubbly, newbie actor Kainaz Motivala appears surprisingly calm and composed for someone so young. In Paathshala, she got eyeballs as the girl who had a crush on Shahid Kapoor. In her latest film Ragini MMS, she's graduated from a character role to playing the female lead.

A Mumbai mulgi, Kainaz even worked in a magazine before she faced the camera. "Paathshaala landed on my platter just like that and since then life's been one hectic whirl. I am glad that this profession isn't monotonous — and I get to live a different character."

Her cosy scenes with her co-star Raj Kumar Yadav has her unruffled. "Raj and I are great friends and he made me feel comfortable during the love scenes." Now Kainaz wouldn't mind doing steamy scenes in other films, if the "script demands it".

Meeting Ekta Kapoor was a life changing moment for her. "I was a little guarded when I met her the first time, but she is very sweet and chilled out," says Kainaz who goes on to add that she is not "interested in doing TV shows made by Ekta. At least not yet," she says.

A trained contemporary dancer, Kainaz's short story Hope Comes In Small Packages has just hit the shelves. "For now, I am enjoying facing the camera, so even though I love to write, it will have to take a backseat for now," she grins.