Review: Flat humour and ambitious cops, ‘Chikkar’ is a good one-time watch

Zaheer Uddin Ahmed's feature debut has its merits even if it forgets its genre

KARACHI:

In the first 30 minutes of Chikkar, it is hard to tell if it will go on to become another ‘good-cop-saves-them-all’ film, perhaps a trope more comfortably grounded in Bollywood’s cop cinematic universes. Conversely, the cross-border cultural exchange makes it easier to visualise a cop as a hero, especially one with all the trappings of high society, despite such depictions being largely absent from Pakistani screens.

At the centre of Zaheer Uddin Ahmed’s directorial debut are the mob lynching of a dancer Neelam, played by Faryal Mehmood, and the solo journey undertaken by SSP Sarmad Zaman (Usman Mukhtar) to expose the political backing for the harrowing crime.

Mukhtar’s delivery of his intensely brusque Sarmad is flawless; ascending to high ranks from a young middle-class aspirant to a rogue justice warrior now married into a rich and powerful family, Sarmad is your typical misfit in both worlds. And yet, the man feels more at ease at the crime scene than at the high-society events hosted and frequented by his wife’s family. Does Chikkar succeed at giving us a relatable hero straddling multiple crossroads? For the most part, yes, even if the film sometimes has to tell rather than show.

As a crime thriller, Chikkar is promising on its own if its occasional attempts at casual comedy are dismissed. One may appreciate Zaheer’s attempt to use humour to reflect on a widely dysfunctional police force, even if the comedy largely fails. Much of the initial comic relief is executed at the expense of lazy, indulgent and inefficient lower-rank police personnel who can neither get orders nor English right. A rowdy crowd living in a derelict police station in a small town that only SSP Sarmad Zaman can salvage. The overtly classist humor might be justified as portraying Sarmad’s reservations about his own class mobility if the recurring gaffes didn’t hinder the film's pacing. Or serve as a conciliatory prelude to police brutality, a theme that all cop films must indulge.

That aside, beginning with tropes is not necessarily closing the doors on imagination and Zaheer’s craft exemplifies the ability to sustain a decent narrative flow. Branding itself as a 'social diary of 8 days,' a film like Chikkar must employ a very focused storytelling approach, which it partly achieves by centring the narrative around Sarmad’s character. The pacing largely compliments Sarmad who is many things ‘nice’ but rarely ever to the point of naivete. From the outset, he is established as a man navigating his principles within a law and order apparatus partially run under political patronage.

Suspended for apprehending a minister’s relative despite knowing the culprit’s reach, Sarmad is unapologetic. Instead of falling into a redundant savior complex, Zaheer's storytelling allows him the film time to develop a genuine connection to his case before taking risks. Consequently, when news of Neelam's ruthless murder first breaks, he approaches it with hesitation and a keen awareness of his domain.

The supporting cast is impactful even if Neelam could have used longer screen time to allow the audience to really comprehend her loss. Mehmood, who is also gracing the screens in January in the upcoming Wakhri, is captivating in her dance sequences. Despite driving the film’s plot, her character is relegated to the margins. In many instances, Sarmad's pursuit of justice runs the risk of being motivated by an egotistical drive for rebellion, particularly given the film's compromised treatment of Neelam - if not for the wider supporting cast that packs intense performances and humbles the SSP.

Ushna Shah portrays Ayla, Sarmad's wife and a national cricketer training for the World Cup, a refreshing peripheral detail that expands the film’s universe. Nausheen Shah essays a powerful minister, Zareen, the first to assign Sarmad to Neelam’s case out of pure political necessity. With such multidimensional characters, Chikkar’s universe unfolds with adequate complexity but make no mistake, this is eventually Sarmad’s film.

Standing against other cinematic offerings from Pakistan in 2023, Zaheer’s attempt to give the audience "a cinematic journey that explores the complexities in our country, promising a unique blend of suspense, drama, and realism" has its merits even if it occasionally forgets its genre. Within its allotted runtime, the debutant filmmaker has crafted an immersive story with consistent visual grammar, subtle red herrings, and a multilayered film universe. Chikkar promises gripping entertainment that just might not stay with the viewer for long.

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