Chikku Bukku Review

Sometimes you come across a film that just tickles your fancy ever so lightly and before you know it, you want to know all about it! Chikku Bukku which has Arya, Shriya Saran and Prateeka Rao in lead roles directed by first time director Manikandan is not one of them.

So here's how it goes: Arjun[Arya] is a DJ born and bred in London. His life consists of flirting with women, surfing Facebook and music. While Arjun wants nothing to do with it, his grandmother instructs him to go to back to India and save his ancestral property in Kaaraikudi. Cut to Anu[Shriya Saran]. A mischievous final year student at University, hers is thoda masti, thoda mazaak kinda character. Living it up in london, she certainly doesn't want to go back to Simmakal, Madurai but has to go home to see his ill father. With varying reasons, the two set out to make their way back to the home. All things are going to plan untill they reach India. Flights in Bangalore are cancelled as there is a strike by employees. Now this is where the Chikku Bukku reference comes from as the two have no other resort but to buy illegal[black] tickets for a train ride to Madurai as husband and wife. But the fun doesn't stop there. As two unlikely travel buddies, they also get forced to hitchhike rides from random strangers, sleep on top of an abandoned bus, steal a car and get chased by goons in said car along the way. In between the chaos, through writings of Arjun's father Shekhar's[Arya again] diary, we shift to 1985. An era when Shekhar was waiting for his police training call. An era where he fell in love. So how does Arjun and Anu's travel link with Shekhar's love story? Board the train to find out.

After knocking me flat with an emotional Parithi in Madrasapattinam and into hysterics as Bhaskar in Boss Engira Bhaskaran, Arya is back as the cool, fun loving Arjun and a matured man of loyalty and dignity as Shekhar. Although making the two characters completely different, he underplays them so that a "like father, like son" trait is visible and also keeping the two era's in mind. Shriya Saran is in a role that was announced with Genelia first and I think they should have stuck to her. As the hyperactive, talkative, know it all Anu, she tends to go overboard alot. Understandably, she's playing a crazy character and it has worked before but this time it just doesn't. The two actors seem totally out of sync for the massive amount of screen time they have with Arya's casual act and her overreacting. To fans of Amrita Rao, Prateeka is beautiful and clearly has similar traits to her sister Amrita but don't expect the same acting. She makes her presence felt in certain scenes but as a newcomer still has a long way to go. A special mention must be made to all the cameo's in the film. Usually, cameo's are an added highlight, but for this film they are the reason the film perks up with the likes of Santhanam, Vayapuri, Pandu and Jagan making their presence felt.

While Gurudev's camera keeps the ongoing pleasurable to see, Milan's sets in the flashback era lack authenticity. Dialogues by director Manikandan and Ramakrishnan are just about ok. So what can I say about one time assosciate of Jeeva, Manikandan on the writer/directoral front. The story is pretty easy to follow but there is a sense of one era has the story and the other is just an unnecessary second track. There is also a tad bit of confusion on whether this is a crazy travelogue between two contrasting characters or a tale of how two men fall in love and how they express it. Its good that on the outset characters have been identified but the bonds between them haven't been established properly so instead of feeling for them, you are left blank. The styling[V.Sai and Deepali Noor] of the main leads, especially Shriya, definitely needs work. Where Arya looks the parts, both the leading ladies are a bit all over the place. Shriya's especially was a mish mash of items put together so instead of being hip and stylish, she looks confusing to say the least barring the saris. The music by "Colonial Cousins" Leslie and Hariharan leaves a lot to be desired with Zara Zara being the pick of the lot. The background score is Pravin Mani works well with the proceedings. 

Chikku Bukku: A romantic ride with travel sickness and nice visuals.

Rating: 2/5