Movie Review: Chala Mussaddi Office Office

Story: Based on the decade-old TV series 'Office Office,' 'Chala Mussaddi Office Office,' is the story of Mussadi Lal Tripathy (Pankaj Kapoor), who is a common man. The story revolves around Mussadi, who is a retired school master. Post his wife's death, he decides to go on a 'char dham yatra' with her ashes, but he only returns to realise that the pension office has declared him dead.  This creates a new set of problems for him. In spite of many attempts to prove himself alive, he fails to get justice from the slow and corrupt administrative system. So, he decides to take law in his own hands. Will Mussaddi be able to get justice in the end, is the question, the flick aims to answer.

  

Story treatment: Director Rajiv Mehra has tried hard to tickle the funny bone of the audience , but he fails in the attempt. The movie is expected to meet the same fate, ‘Khichdi’ met with, when it was transformed into a movie. The characters should have been etched more clearly, especially when a tele series is being converted in to a movie. There are few funny moments, but they don’t leave a mark. Moreover, with Makrand Deshpande singing ‘Dekho Chala Mudaassi’ time and again, it only adds to the irritation.

  

Star Cast: Pankaj Kapoor's acting alone, is noticeable in the film and the rest of the cast has been completely sidelined. Gaurav Kapur as Mussaddi’s unemployed son may not seem impressive in the beginning, but gathers momentum as the movie proceeds. Farida Jalal is a waste as neither does she have any dialogues nor a significant role. It can be easily called a blink and miss role.  

Direction: Rajiv Mehra should realise that TV and films are two different mediums. Even if he was thinking of transforming a tele-series into a film, he should have taken extra care of the smaller nuisances. Though his concept of a common man is fresh, it lacks the correct punch. Rajiv has not tried anything new with the story. 

 Dialogues / Cinematography / Music: The dialogues are too flat and not quirky enough to make someone laugh. They are rather monotonous at times. Not much experiment has been done with the cinematography of the film. Though Carlton D’mello has given his best shot. Sajid Wajid have no scope to show their talent as composers.

  

 3 Ups and 3 Downs: 'Chala Mussaddi Office Office' is a good attempt at pointing out a finger at the corrupt Indian bureaucracy. It’s a good satire that tries to comment on the menace of corruption. But the film seems dragged beyond words.