Choona Review: The Netflix series stars Jimmy Shergill as Avinash Shukla, Namit Das as Triloki, Vikram Kochhar as JP Yadav, Aashim Gulati as Ansari, Chandan Roy as Bishnu, Gyanendra Tripathi as Bankey along with Atul Srivastava, Monika Panwar, and Niharika Lyra Dutt. It is written and directed by Pushpendra Nath Misra. The Hindi series has 8 episodes in total.
Netflix’s Choona Review Contains No Spoilers
Choona Review: Plot Summary
The series opens with Avinash Shukla (Jimmy Shergill) having a nightmare where a voice tells him that bad things will happen to him soon. He’s been told that his past enemies will return to harm him. Shukla is a notorious politician and Urban Development Minister who wants to build a mall in an area called Pathani Tola. But the residents refuse to give him the land. Shukla has his own ways to get the work done. He is very calculative about his moves and mostly relies on horoscopes for the positions of stars and moon to make decisions.
While Shukla believes he’s doing everything possible to shoo away the bad planets, fate brings his past enemies together. When Shukla’s rivals come together, they devise a plan to pull off a heist that will cost him everything. With Shukla being so vigilant and having a record of never going wrong with his calculations, will these men succeed in their mission?
Choona Review: Discussion
The show gets your attention in the first 15 minutes with how the director introduced Shukla to us. The voice is of narrator Arshad Warsi, who is aware of everything. Shukla is ruthless, yet we see him foolishly relying so much on stars and planets. Superstition is also a lead character of the show. We are introduced to Shukla’s bad planets/enemies, one by one. They will be the reason for his upcoming misfortunes.
We are first introduced to JP and Ansari and are narrated their backstories. The backstories are sad, yet the presentation is hilarious. Like the Avengers, eventually 6 people (or more) assemble to seek their revenge. One of the strongest aspects of Netflix’s Choona is the unexpected twists. When you think the story is going straight, there’s a deviation and a good one.
The first 3 episodes focus on assembling the team that will change Shukla’s stars. Episodes 4, 5 and 6 focus more on scheming the heist. The series goes dull during the planning process, especially in episode 5. There’s a lot of talk and action going on that adds very little to the main premise. But from episode 6, the show picks up its momentum again and keeps you engaged.
The last 2 episodes are where the heist execution happens. As I mentioned earlier, Choona’s unpredictable nature makes it fun. Many random things happen that affect not only these men but also Shukla. The excitement to see whom the stars favour keeps you glued to the screen and the wait is totally worth it! Choona lagana means to deceive someone. You can’t wait to know who gets deceived – Shukla or the revengers?
Choona on Netflix is an amusing blend of superstition, politics, technology and revenge. The humour lies in the most unanticipated scenarios and deep exchanges. Often, the characters say the silliest things with passion and intensity. The entire superstitious element is discussed with utter sincerity, yet there are moments when it comes across as absurd, and you can’t help but laugh out loud.
Every character has a valid reason to seek revenge. But what’s startling was to see how oblivious Shukla was to the biggest and closest enemy in his life. For Jimmy Shergill, playing a character like Shukla comes easy. He is earnest with his portrayal of a politician who is full of himself, cruel yet unaware of many things. Jimmy shines in scenes highlighting Shukla’s absurdity and obsession with stars, moons and astrology.
Namit Das gives a stand-out performance from the Choona cast. He’s a shapeshifter. Just like you don’t see the next twist coming, you don’t know what Triloki will be next. Namit is the man shouldered with the major task of deceiving Shukla, and he delivers it exceptionally. Namit balances the confidence, chaos and worry his character has to convey. His comic timing is spot on.
Aashim Gulati also leaves a great impression with his performance as Ansari, a young, impulsive man ready to take on Shukla anytime. He’s a revelation as he awes you with his rage, action scenes and dialogue delivery. Actors Chandan Roy, Vikram Kochhar, Gyanendra Tripathi, Monika Panwar, Niharika Lyra Dutt and Atul Srivastava are phenomenal. Arshad Warsi, as a narrator, is an apt choice to add the fun factor to the storytelling. He brings the variation required whenever the plot shifts to something else, and his impeccable coming timings are a cherry on the cake.
Choona Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Choona is a thrilling and hilarious revenge heist series. The enjoyment lies in its irrational characters and random things that happen in every episode. Episode 5 slows down the pace. But overall, you will be entertained. The show ends with a tease of season 2. I appreciate how the season 1 story was wrapped with only a few loose ends. Nowadays, we hardly see shows concluding their primary plot. Thankfully, director-writer Pushpendra Nath Misra didn’t deceive us in the end.
The series is now streaming on Netflix.
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