The only other Neeraj Pandey film that I'd seen was 'A Wednesday' which I thought to be seriously overrated as I found it preachy and pretentious. Moreover, I had given up on Akshay Kumar thinking that he wasn't capable of doing good films anymore. But then again, it's got actors like Manoj Bajpai, Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta so perhaps it's worth a shot. 'Special Chabbis' came as quite a pleasant surprise. It's well written, edited, directed and acted in by the principle cast. With this film, Pandey shows tremendous improvement. He sticks to the main theme and has written a tighter script.
The main flaw is the Kajal Agarwal track and the songs (especially that first wedding song). In my opinion, 'Special 26' should have been a songless film and either the romance angle should have been better developed and linked to the main story or removed completely. But there's much more good in the overall film that compensates for the flaws.
Performances by the main cast are brilliant. Akshay Kumar and Manoj Bajpai do a superb job in leading 'Special 26'. I hope Kumar doesn't fall back into the rubbish he's been doing all these years as he's taken a leap towards the positive here. Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta (offers good comic relief in a brief role) provide fine support.
The art direction, costume, hair and makeup department deserve mention for creating the 80s look (the film takes place in the mid-late 80s) and giving it an earthy look.
Whether one likes 'A Wednesday' or Akshay Kumar or not, shouldn't be the basis of the decision to watch 'Special Chabbis'. It's an overall solid film with a few flaws.
The main flaw is the Kajal Agarwal track and the songs (especially that first wedding song). In my opinion, 'Special 26' should have been a songless film and either the romance angle should have been better developed and linked to the main story or removed completely. But there's much more good in the overall film that compensates for the flaws.
Performances by the main cast are brilliant. Akshay Kumar and Manoj Bajpai do a superb job in leading 'Special 26'. I hope Kumar doesn't fall back into the rubbish he's been doing all these years as he's taken a leap towards the positive here. Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta (offers good comic relief in a brief role) provide fine support.
The art direction, costume, hair and makeup department deserve mention for creating the 80s look (the film takes place in the mid-late 80s) and giving it an earthy look.
Whether one likes 'A Wednesday' or Akshay Kumar or not, shouldn't be the basis of the decision to watch 'Special Chabbis'. It's an overall solid film with a few flaws.