Hello Charlie Movie Review: Even mindless comedy cannot save this Aadar Jain, Jackie Shroff film

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Having grown up watching films such as Dunston Checks In, George of the Jungle or Mighty Joe Young, all of which prominently featured a primate in the central role, the premise of Hello Charlie seemed like a breath of fresh air in Bollywood, sure to ring is some sweet nostalgia. However, despite featuring an ape or two, the Pankaj Saraswat directorial, being streamed on Amazon Prime Video, starring Ranbir Kapoor’s cousin Aadar Jain (strikingly similar looking with an almost similar tonal quality) and Jackie Shroff, largely fails to deliver.

Mr Makwana (Jackie), a banana-hating fraudulent businessman is on the run from the law, having duped crores of rupees from banks. On the other hand, Aadar plays Charlie, a simpleton with a terrible case of bad luck, who comes to Mumbai not to make big dreams but to earn simply enough so that he can pay off his dad’s loan.

And as chance and fate would have it, the paths of the two collide, when Makwana’s girlfriend Mona (Elnaaz Norouzi) comes up with a plan to disguise him as a caged gorilla, Toto, and enlists Charlie to drive the ‘gorilla’ to Diu, from where Makawana can escape Indian authorities. Meanwhile, a real gorilla, also named Toto, who was being brought to a village zoo, escapes as well.

Sounds interesting, right? And it would have been an entertaining act too, if the makers had concentrated a bit more on the storyline, editing and acting. Talented actors like Girish Kulkarni and Rajpal Yadav fail to impress with their onscreen persona and comic timing, while the lead cast is forgettable at the best.

Aadar does not go overboard, but he is seriously close to it and needs to pay more attention to his skillset. Leading lady Shloka Pandit barely gets much screen time, save for her introduction in an item number (eye rolls!) and Jackie Shroff does not have much to do at all. On the other hand, the gorillas fare much better (kudos to the men in suits).

Other problem areas in the film are choppy editing and lacklustre dialogues, with references to bananas making your head hurt halfway through the film. If you decide to put your cranial faculties to rest, you might actually enjoy Hello Charlie, otherwise, this is one, which is perhaps best missed.