Rating: My kids rated it 5/5. I give it 4/5..
Chillar Party is one of those few movies that come along and make you smile all along gently tugging your heartstrings. The movie starts off on a fun(du) note by introducing the characters and how they got their nicknames (Second Hand -because he wears his older brothers hand-me-downs, Silencer – who does not talk a lot, and so on).
The Chillar Party gang is a group of kids who hang out together in a garage in their colony (brought back memories of growing up in India), play cricket matches against rival teams from neighboring colonies, and stick together always. When a new boy(Fatka) arrives with his dog(Bheedu), they have some initial resentment which soon disappears and Fatka and Bheedu become a part of Chillar Party.
Soon, they are faced with a tough situation – which is what makes up the main story of the movie – because of political pressures, Bheedu can no longer stay there and the children need to prevent Bheedu being taken away by the dreaded dog van. How they work towards helping their friend (both human and animal) makes up the rest of the story.
The movie touches on many serious topics fleetingly (like child labor, class divisions) without being overly preachy. It subtly gives messages of friendship, fighting for what is right no matter what you face, honesty, and simplicity. The only downside in this movie is that it gets a little unrealistic when the kids take on the politician and get the media and the whole city to sit up and take notice.
But all said and done, this movie is a must watch just for the terrific performances of the child stars (and each one of them is wonderful). My favorites were Fatka played by Irrfan Khan and Jhangiya played by Naman Jain. And the item song by Ranbir Kapoor – mast!