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Shatru Gaate Movie Review: High on forced comedy, low on substance

We have entered an age where Nepali movies are doing quite well in the theatres. Every week there are people who swarm the multiplexes around the country to watch these movies. But that being said, it’s a bit disappointing that the ones making the movies haven’t evolved with time.

This week one of the most hyped about movies of the year Shatru Gate hit the theatres. With a star-studded cast of Hari Bansha Acharya, Deepak Raj Giri, Deepa Shree Niraula, Priyanka Karki, Paul Shah and Aanchal Sharma the movie is sure to do well at the box office. But the movie lacks substance and is predictable from start to finish.

The movie revolves around the life of two lovers Sandhya (Aanchal Sharma) and Suraj (Paul Shah) who are madly in love with one another and are about to get hitched. But Suraj’s father doesn’t want his son to tie the knot with the daughter of a corrupt politician. Both Suraj and Sandhya’s life takes a turn when they have to go through a lot of complication after Rahu (Deepak Raj Giri) comes to live next door and creates a scene by posting videos on YouTube.

The performances in the movie are extremely inconsistent. Some actors have done well whereas others disappoint. Veteran actor Hari Bansha Acharya in the role of Shah’s dad is good and has done justice to the role, but might have overdone it with continuous jokes.

Deepak Raj Giri’s acting is good but the fact that he plays the same type of roles these days shows that he lacks versatility. The role he plays in the movie is similar to the ones he plays in the Chakka Panja series. The same goes for Deepa Shree Niraula too as she has done nothing new in the film and is boring. Having seen both of them from a young age, expectations were high, but they have gone overboard with their repetitive comedy.

Paul Shah is average and doesn’t stand out in the film. He’s done his best but his serious look in this comedy hasn’t suited him. His chemistry with Aanchal Sharma, however, does stand out as both of them look good together. Sharma’s performance gets lost in this comedy too and her emotional scenes are really bad.

Priyanka Karki has shown her versatility as she plays the role of a police officer with elegance. Other actors like Madan Krishna Shrestha, Raja Ram Poudel, Shiva Hari Poudel and Ramesh Ranjhan Jha have given solid performances, especially Jha plays the role of a Mahdesi politician with poise.

The film’s story is interesting but the presentation is dreadful. The first half is average. A comedy movie is more than just cracking jokes time to time. This movie lacks an edge that makes comedy movies memorable.

The funny dialogues seem to have been put in forcefully knowing that the audience will laugh at anything. In the second half, the story does get interesting which makes the movie bearable. The cinematography is average as they haven’t tried anything new, and have done what they have been doing in all their movies. The script lacks continuity as they have tried to join a lot of things together and the flow breaks multiple times.

The background score is good but it’s extremely loud along with the dialogues and should have been looked at by the producers. The only saving grace in the movie is the songs. The two songs Piratiko Barko and Rupai Mohani are catchy and will surely do well.

Overall, the movie is disappointing. It felt like watching another sequel of Chakka Panja mainly because most of the members of the cast were same and everything was presented in a similar way. It’s a movie that will do well. But even those who enjoy the movie will feel that the people involved in the making the film have made it because they know these type of movies will definitely make money.

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