The premise that “Cha Cha Hui” tries to build on is interesting. The film is close to the genre of ‘mindless comedy’, which has multiple characters circling their way in and out of conflicting situations, while making viewers laugh at their antics. Just like the famous Indian director Priyadarshan’s classic movies (Hera Pheri, Hungama, Hulchul), Cha Cha Hui sets the stage for an iconic Nepali comedy, but things get awry somewhere. (We’ll come to that.)
In Cha Cha Hui, Prem (Aryan Sigdel) and Bhola (Bholaraj Sapkota) are inseparable friends living in Hong Kong who come across Shyamlal (Maotse Gurung) in a chance meeting. Shyamlal encourages them to return to their homeland. Shyamlal also hands them a book of poems as a parting gift. Now this is where the troubles begin. A book is definitely not to be judged by its cover—and our protagonists find that a little too late.
Cha Cha Hui then takes the audience on a journey from Hong Kong to Kathmandu to Pokhara and then to Mustang, all the while hiding the truth about the book from them as well as from Bhola and Prem. Of course, Prem has to find a love interest in between as we can’t have a comedy movie without romance and here newcomer Miruna Magar fills the shoes as “Sangeeta,” a local from Marpha, Mustang whose family runs a homestay business.
The movie’s trailer released on YouTube back in October revealed what the film is all about. But, again, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and you certainly cannot judge a movie by its trailer. The three-minute trailer promises a fast-paced laugh riot, but the 2hr 5min film is definitely not as entertaining.
What fails it are mainly its screenplay and direction. Despite being a ‘mindless comedy’, the film’s screenplay is so loose it can’t hold the story together. To make matters worse, it unfolds so slowly that it is almost boring. In fact, Director Samten Bhutia fails to get together one convincing sequence to make “Cha Cha Hui” an enjoyable watch.
Bhutia’s other failure is his inability to get a decent cast. Lead actor Sigdel might be an established star, but his acting skills are still juvenile, even after so many years. This shows when he tries his hand at comedy. Despite his attempts to appear energetic and youthful, Sigdel looks like his former self—stoic, wooden and out of place. Sapkota and Gurung—both brilliant actors—try and compensate for Sigdel’s weakness but there’s only so much they can do with a script as awful as the movie’s “Silky Silky Baal” song.
The supporting cast is an ensemble of new faces who’re are clueless about their real roles. Most of the supporting cast looks like actors who had been waiting for a break, and when their chance finally came, ended up overdoing every scene: they are thus loud, unconvincing and sloppy.
The same can’t be said of Magar, probably the only actor in the film who fits her character like a glove. Magar lights up the screen every time she pops up and to see the newcomer portray the young Thakali girl with freshness and simplicity is satisfying.
Finally, what the movie lacks in screenplay and acting, it makes up in deft camerawork and cinematography. Cinematographer Sushan Prajapati has ensured that the audience don’t blink their eye every time the beauty of the Mustang region is captured. He places the characters on best spots and captures them from beautiful angles. Even regular scenes and spots are captured with much thought to give audience the best possible viewpoints.
Who should watch it?
If not for the average screenplay and sub-par performance, one can definitely watch the movie for its excellent cinematography and, yes, some fitting background music. We are also sure Miruna Magar’s fans (and there are plenty of them for sure) will love to see her on this one.
Rating: 2
Actors: Aryan Sigdel, Bholaraj Sapkota, Maotse Gurung
Director: Samten Bhutia
Run time: 2hr 5mins
Genre: Comedy
