It has come three years after the release of 'Lagaan' and is the first ever documentary to have a commercial release. It is truly for Aamir Khan fans and more importantly for all those who enjoyed 'Lagaan'. Having said that this film will surely appeal to the thinking audience rather than the masses. So that way it is a niche film. But one never knows. It might have universal appeal too for the sheer pleasure of a behind-the-scenes peek into the making of a film that created history.
Right from giving the viewers an idea of what made it one of the biggest hits of Bollywood to how it all started from scratch, 'Chale Chalo' says it all. It captures each and every trial and tribulation that the film and its makers had to go through from the inception to it actually reaching the Oscars.
'Lagaan' had everything going against it. A period film set in the time of the British Raj with cricket as the backdrop was surely no producer's idea of a superhit formula. It took an Aamir Khan to recognize the potential of the script and double up as producer and actor.
'Chale Chalo' is like any Hindi film in every sense. It has its moments of happiness as well as tension. The mammoth task of building an entire village in Bhuj, the shooting going behind schedule (unlike other Bollywood films the delay is genuine owing to weather conditions and other mishaps) are all ably captured by director Satyajit Bhatkal.The best part of the film is the presence of director Ashutosh Gowarikar and Aamir Khan. Aamir fans are sure to be delighted with an insight into the person rather than the actor. While people close to him are aware of his crazy sense of humour, the audience too gets a taste of it here especially in those moments where the camera captures him unawares.
It is also interesting to watch how Aamir managed to get the 10,000 crowd get into a state of euphoria while shooting the climax scene. Simple! All he did was sing his popular number, 'Aati Kya Khandal' to drive the crowd into a frenzy.
There are a lot more of these genuinely funny and emotional moments. And yes, Aamir fans also get to see his wife (now ex-wife) and kids in the film.
This one is surely worth a watch. If not anything else it certainly rekindles the magic of 'Lagaan' making the viewers want to watch it again. So actually speaking, 'Chale Chalo', should be followed by a re-release of the history making film.
Now this is getting a little personal but it is bound to leave the viewers with a question. While his wife stood rock steady with him throughout the making of the film what happened to the couple later? It's sad that while the film succeeded his marriage floundered!
