Motichoor Chaknachoor Falls Victim to Cliches Despite Unusual Take

She is a tall, fair and pretty woman in her 20s who dreams of getting married and settling down abroad . He, on the other hand, is a 36-year-old shy and average-looking man burdened with family responsibilities and desperate to get married. Motichoor Chaknachoor tells the story of Annie (Athiya Shetty) and Pushpinder Tyagi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who come together despite having completely opposite personalities. Not surprisingly, this results in a host of problems for them and those around them.

Directed by Debamitra Biswal, Motichoor is a mixed bag of some fine performances and a beautifully-created small town milieu while being frustratingly repetitive. Athiya Shetty is a revelation, though. Her pairing with Nawaz seemed odd initially but ends up being oddly satisfying. The two hail from very different worlds and in the film Pushpinder is everything that Athiya doesn’t want to be. Except that she badly wants the “Dubai-returned” tag that he flaunts. At one point Nawaz’s Pushpinder even pointedly asks her “kya aap patthar per khadi hain?”

Annie, the temperamental and outspoken girl, is stuck in the typical Bollywood template of the woman who can speak with great confidence but still doesn’t have the courage to take a decision and is waiting for a man to rescue her.

Annie is a capable young woman but yet she is shown to be neither gainfully employed nor trying to. She is fixated on the idea of going abroad and the only way she can see that happen is by getting married .

On one hand the film tackles the difference in height between the lead pair with ease, but on the other it still peddles regressive ideas about what is considered desirable and beautiful.

Not being able to tackle these dichotomies sensitively is what proves to be the film’s undoing .

Athiya does a commendable job with getting the accent right, and Nawaz’s hold on his character rarely slips. Pushpinder is being pushed to a corner by his family and its expectations, and the way he mines the weariness and conflict is a delight to watch. Vibha Singh, Navni Parihar, the supporting actors, keep the proceedings engaging with their buoyant performances. Karuna Pandey as Annie’s aunt is terrific.

Motichoor Chaknachoor’s problem is that even after setting things up for an unconventional union they take the most cliche and done-to-death route to reach the denouement . Also, the film takes confusing and conflicting stands on topics like violence in marital relationships or regressive social practices like dowry. It’s a pity because there are some genuinely entertaining moments that aren’t well-explored. If only those could have lasted longer. Despite all its flaws, watch the movie for Nawazuddin who is as usual excellent, and Athiya who has clearly upped her game.