'Isn't 11.3 million Instagram followers and 1.9 million Twitter followers enough to make you feel wanted and loved as a successful star?' 'Can a huge bank balance, a fleet of fancy cars, and a big house assure you happiness and contentment in life?' 'For Sushant, it did not.'

The writers of the film realised that academic failures do not mean it's all over.

Debuting in today's times is the best thing to happen for any aspiring actor. The opportunities at the disposal are far greater and richer than they were back in the days. Heroes could not be villains, villains could not be comedians, and comedians could only dream of becoming heroes. Today, an actor can pull off everything and display his versatility. Tahir Raj Bhasin is one of them!

In 2014, he made his debut with Pradeep Sarkar's Mardaani, a riveting crime thriller about human trafficking. There was an urgent breathlessness about the way the narrative unfolded and something compelling about the performances. Rani Mukerji can always be relied upon to deliver a rocking act, what caught the audiences was the character of Bhasin. He was a college student and completely unapologetic about his heinous crimes. He was cool, calm, and yet very chilling. Also, if we may add, very charming!

Bhasin's wasn't the kind of villain that we have grown up watching. He could be anyone from the crowd, carefully shielding his hideous reality from everyone. And in one scene, he even weeps at the loss of a loved one. His approach towards his character was commendable and so was his effortlessness in creating what is one of the most impressive antagonists in recent times.

A few years later, in 2019 to be precise, we were rooting for the same guy we despised in Mardaani. He was Derek this time, in Nitesh Tiwari's Chhichhore, a loser who chances upon a golden opportunity to win! His entry shot is possibly the most heroic moment in the film, juxtaposed by his entry as an aging, balding man who visits a close friend. Derek is driven by hope and despair, and Bhasin never made this character unreal or unlikable. He was one of us, and we wanted to be like him!

Bhasin has a solid screen persona that it's impossible not to root for him or at least enjoy what he's doing on the screen. His next is Kabir Khan's 83, where he plays the role of the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. It's an ensemble but we are sure even this time, he'll deliver a knock-out performance!

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One of the most-loved actresses, Shraddha Kapoor, recently revisited Sophia College to shoot for a brand. The all-girls college in Mumbai is where she shot for the film Chhichhore. Shraddha Kapoor, who is playing a college girl in her upcoming film Chhichhore, reminisced about her Chhichhore days.

After wrapping up the shoot for Chhichhore alongside Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor visited Sophia College after a long time. Shraddha who shot most of the sequences in the college developed an attachment with the place.

The actress is also running a tight schedule hopping from one set to another and slipping into diverse characters to ace her roles. Shraddha Kapoor is playing several diverse characters this year and already has four films in her kitty.

Saaho will portray the actress in an action-packed avatar where Shraddha will be essaying a cop, while Chhichhore tests her versatility with dual roles of a college student as well as a middle-aged woman. The film also stars Prateik Babbar, Varun Sharma, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Tushar Pandey, Saharsh Shukla, and Naveen Polishetty. The film is helmed by Nitesh Tiwari, who is best known for his directorial venture Dangal, starring Aamir Khan. There's also Street Dancer 3D, which will showcase Shraddha in a completely new dance avatar. With multiple releases this year, Shraddha Kapoor also has an anticipated release with Baaghi 3.

Also read: Saaho: Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhas' still from a romantic track goes viral

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<strong>EXPECTATIONS</strong> One isn't really sure of what to expect from the music of <em>Chhichhore</em>. Considering the fact that it is set as a campus entertainer, one expects situational music at best from this soundtrack that has been put together by Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya. That said, since the film is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala who has a keen ear for music, one expects some melodies too. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1014368 size-full" title="Music Review Chhichhore" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Music-Review-Chhichhore.jpg" alt="Music Review Chhichhore" width="720" height="450" /> <strong>MUSIC</strong> The soundtrack kick-starts with the sound of <strong><em>'Woh Din'</em></strong> and it is just the right kind of number that one expects at the beginning of a film with a campus setting. Had it been a romantic beginning, one may have felt a tad disappointed. Thankfully what one hears here is a beautiful rendition by Tushar Joshi who sings this heartfelt number with simple lyrics and beautiful melody. You are actually transported into the stage and setting of a college and later when the Arijit Singh version arrives, you lap up the song all the more. This one has a long shelf life. Surprisingly though, the song that follows just doesn't entertainer. Though set as a kind of number that could well have been an outcome of a jam session in the studio, <strong><em>'Control'</em></strong> tries to be all funny and entertainer but falls flat. There is a horde of singers in the form of Nakash Aziz, Manish J. Tipu, Geet Sagar, Sreerama Chandra and Amitabh Bhattacharya but the overall outcome fails to make any kind of impact despite repeated hearing. It may just manage to make some kind of an impact if picturised interestingly. Thankfully, the experiment of getting multiple singers together in yet another campus track, <strong><em>'Fikar Not'</em></strong>, works quite well. Reminding one of the kind of mood that Pritam had created for <em>'Galti Se Mistake'</em> [<em>Jagga Jasoos</em>], this one by Nakash Aziz, Amit Mishra, Dev Negi, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Sreerama Chandra and Antara Mitra is a fun track all the way. In fact it also carries a good message of thinking only about the current times rather than wasting one's time and energy in worrying about what future has in hold. This one could work well in a long run. A happy-sad song comes next in the form of <strong><em>'Kal Ki Hi Baat Hai'</em></strong> and it is after a while that one hears K.K. in a Pritam composition. A situational number about recollecting the good times gone by, it comes across as a track that would play on as a montage sequence. One just hopes that since this one has a slow pace composition wise, it doesn't slow down the film's narrative when it plays on screen. The song that is set to grow quite well in time to come though is <strong><em>'Khairiyat'</em></strong>, which is also the best of the soundtrack. This one appears in a couple of versions, one happy and one sad by Arijit Singh. A song which is about a lover wondering if the one whom he believes to be his life no less even thinks about him while being far away, <em>'Khairiyat'</em> boasts of a beautiful melody and deserves to be played in loop. Though it has been released recently, one just wonders about the kind of distance it would have already covered had it arrived a couple of weeks back. <strong>OVERALL</strong> The music of <em>Chhichhore</em> is the kind that grows on you and has the potential to make an even better impression when heard and experienced in the context of the film. This one has a classy feel to it. <strong>OUR PICK(S)</strong> <em>‘Khairiyat’</em>, <em>‘Fikar Not’</em>, <em>‘Woh Din’</em>

For most adults, the years spent in college are often considered to be the best part of their lives. It’s a time when the fear of the uncertain future always looms over the head but the joy of being with friends makes this period worth it. Nitesh Tiwari, after delivering the monstrous blockbuster DANGAL [2016], is back with CHHICHHORE, which focuses not on just the student part of the character’s lives but also on what happens when they have a reunion a couple of decades later. So does CHHICHHORE manage to give viewers an entertaining time and make them go down memory lane? Or does it fail to stir up any emotions whatsoever? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1014857" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Movie-Review-Chhichhore.jpg" alt="Movie Review Chhichhore" width="720" height="450" /> CHHICHHORE is the story of ‘loser’ friends trying to become winners and learning some important lessons on the way. Annirudh Pathak aka Anni (Sushant Singh Rajput) is a middle-aged man residing in Mumbai with his son Raghav (Mohammad Samad) after divorcing his wife Maya (Shraddha Kapoor). Raghav is under immense pressure as he has just given the entrance exams for engineering. Both his parents were rankers when they gave the entrance examination. As a result, Raghav is feeling the pressure tremendously. Anni however is confident that he’ll make it. Finally, the result is out and sadly, Raghav fails to make the cut. Scared that he’ll be labelled a loser all his life, he attempts to commit suicide by jumping from a high rise. He survives but the doctor treating him, Dr Kasbekar (Shishir Sharma) makes it clear that the chances of him recovering are slim. Anni is obviously heartbroken and with no option in hand, he decides to adopt a novel method to ensure that Raghav gets the will to live. He starts narrating him his story as an engineering student in Mumbai’s National College of Technology. He’s allotted a room in Hostel no 4 aka H4, considered to be the residence of the ‘Losers’. At first, Anni is flabbergasted with the kind of characters in H4. But slowly, he becomes good friends with some of them like Gurmeet Singh Dhillon aka Sexa (Varun Sharma), Acid (Navin Polishetty), Sundar aka Mummy (Tushar Pandey), Bevda (Saharsh Kumar Shukla) and Derek (Tahir Raj Bhasin). The number of girls in engineering is negligible and the most popular among them is Maya (Shraddha Kapoor). Anni manages to woo her and they soon start dating. However, Anni and others are still called ‘Losers’ and there’s a reason for it. The General Championship aka GC is a sports tournament that takes place annually in the college. The students of H4 always lose miserably and are the last among the ten hostels. Hence, the ‘Loser’ tag. Raggie (Prateik Babbar) from H3 is a champion who wants all the winning students from other hostels to be in his hostel so that H3 can win the GC. He invites Anni, since the latter is a basketball champion. But Anni refuses, thereby earning the wrath of Raggie. Anni and others from H4 decide to shed the tag of ‘Loser’ once and for all by winning the H4. However, the road to the trophy is full of hurdles. Cut to present-day. Raghav’s condition stops deteriorating after listening to the story of the ‘Losers’ but there’s no improvement either. What happens next, in the flashback as well as in the present day, forms the rest of the film. Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra's story is entertaining, moving and has potential. The film is more than what the promos indicate. Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra's screenplay doesn’t exploit the story to its full potential however. Sure they try their best and keep the narrative simplistic without complicating it. They also add humour in adequate doses to appeal to the masses. But it also is a bit superficial especially when it comes to the emotions part. A little more depth in terms of characters, their background etc. was required. Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra's dialogues are simple but funny and well-worded. One however wishes the writers had written some extremely funny liners for the slogan sequence. This is a scene that could have caused a riot but the end result is decent not extraordinary. Nitesh Tiwari's direction is appropriate for most parts. He deserves praise for the way he goes back and forth with the present day and flashback scenes. Also, in the climax, three scenes are running parallel – one of the chess tournament, one of the relay and one of the basketball match. He merges them very well. On the flipside, he skips some of the details with regards to the characters’ lives and that hampers the impact. For instance, viewers never come to know properly what exactly went wrong between Anni and Maya that they had to divorce and why didn’t Maya take the custody of Raghav. Except Sexa and Mummy, none of the students’ parents are ever shown. As a result, we don’t know what kind of families they hail from. Not just that, even in present-day portions, except for Mummy and Sexa to an extent, the other characters’ lives are not explored at all. Mummy apparently flies from USA to be with Anni. How did he manage to do so that too immediately remains a question mark. Then there are scenes that are unconvincing like Raghav attentively listening to the story of the ‘Losers’ but at the same time, we are told that he is critical. Even when his health deteriorates in the pre-climax, he doesn’t look medically serious. The ‘Losers’ or Raggie are never really shown studying and we never come to know how they are faring in the exams. It seems like the reason they have taken admission in the college is simply to win the GC. CHHICHHORE begins on a high note, which nicely depicts the kind of mischief happening in hostels as well as the enmity between H3 and H4. The movie then focuses on Raghav getting tensed over his result. The film drops a bit here but the shocking suicide sequence ups the interest. Soon the flashback portions commence and the interest in the film gets maintained. From here, the film is sans complaints as director Nitesh Tiwari uses the first hour to introduce the characters, the college setting and how much GC means to the students. In the second half, the college portions manage to entertain and even raise laughs. Anni’s idea of demotivating the rival teams psychologically is interesting and makes for fun watch. However, it also raises questions since the method is deemed to be too effective in even improving their game, which was very poor in the first place. How that happens is bewildering. The climax is based on an interesting idea of three tracks running simultaneously but goes on for too long. The basketball scenes especially go on and on. The end result of the GC might divide audiences with some not finding it acceptable. However, it is in sync with the film’s message. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Chhichhore | Public Review | FDFS | Sushant Singh Rajput | Shraddha Kapoor</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/chhichhore-public-review-fdfs-sushant-singh-rajput-shraddha-kapoor/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Performances are exemplary by all. It’s great to see that not just the lead actor and actress but the others also get a big chance to shine. Sushant Singh Rajput plays the part with ease and is apt as Anni. He’s not playing the typical ‘hero’ as such and slips into the character and performs accordingly. In the older portions, he’s quite good and has modulated his voice a bit which is praiseworthy. Shraddha Kapoor lends able support. Her character sadly doesn’t have much to do after a point. The romantic track is very weak and doesn’t even get sufficient screen time. And she doesn’t look that old as compared to others. Varun Sharma is quite entertaining and will be loved by audiences. He was dull in films like ARJUN PATIALA and KHANDAANI SHAFAKHANA. But in CHHICHHORE, he seems to be in form. He also surprises in the entry scene of the older Sexa. Tahir Raj Bhasin looks dashing and performs very well. The pain and anger in his eyes comes out very well. Naveen Polishetty has a good screen presence and is lovely as the guy with the acidic tongue. Tushar Pandey is fine for the character he plays and adds humor to the proceedings. Saharsh Kumar Shukla has a very late entry but has a brilliant screen presence. In the finale especially, he has a major part to play. Mohammad Samad has his moments. Prateik Babbar leaves a mark as the baddie. Shishir Sharma, Sanjay Goradia (Mummy’s father), Rohit Chauhan (Chris Cross), Ranjan Raj (the underweight Abhimanyu Rathod aka Danda) and the actor playing the cook are fine. Pritam's music is in sync with the film’s mood but won’t have a long shelf life. <em>'Fikar Not'</em> is the best of the lot as it also reflects the film’s message. <em>'Control'</em> comes next as the situation during which it’s played is funny. <em>'Woh Din'</em> and <em>'Khairyat'</em> fail to make a mark while <em>'Kal Ki Hi Baat Hai'</em> is played just for a few seconds. Sameer Uddin's background score is subtle but makes an impact. Amalendu Chaudhary's cinematography is appropriate. The hospital, hostel and sports scenes are well captured. Laxmi Keluskar's production design is good. Mukesh Chhabra's casting deserves praise as all actors fit the bill. The casting of Abhimanyu Rathod is quite nice. Sunil Rodrigues's action is not too gory obviously and works. Rohit Chaturvedi's costumes are authentic. The characters are even shown repeating their clothes in hostel scenes to keep the realism. Preetisheel Singh's prosthetics and character design is overall quite good. But in case of Shraddha Kapoor and Tushar Pandey, it’s not very convincing. Charu Shree Roy's editing is slick and the present-day and flashback portions are well woven in the narrative. On the whole, CHHICHHORE is a decent entertainer that has its share of entertaining and touching scenes. At the box office, it will be liked by its target audience – the youth and the families. However it will require a positive word of mouth to sustain and excel.

Chhichhore is all about its characters, frankly, and the hoops they're made to jump. In them you'll likely find traces and memories of your own youth.

Shraddha Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput bring a touch of glamour and of course, the much sought after romance to campus life.

'It's a good thing when your first film is not a hit. The important thing is to sustain. I've been lucky to work with Shoojit Sircar, Nitish Tiwari, Sooraj Barjatya...'

Chhichhore offers too good a time to pay attention to its faults, feels Sukanya Verma.