It’s a fun watch. A well-directed, interesting and unusual story that revolves partly around demonetization. But yes, it’s not about demonetization as some of the articles or reviews are making us believe.
It’s a story of a lower-middle-class family, Sarita Pillai, Suhas Pillai, and their son. It’s a story of their struggle; the strain that their relationship is bearing due to lack of money even after being very much in love with each other.
Everything works for Choked but still, it is not one of the fantastic films out there. It’s just a one-time watch. It’s not even the film that will stay with you for a long time. It falls into the category of sheer entertainment. It’s a kind of movie you would want to watch on a weekend though. Simply sit back, relax, give your mind a break, and have fun. Though the plot is intriguing, the performances are up to the mark, the direction is good enough to keep you hooked, something was amiss. What might have gone wrong? If this film would have released in the theatres, I am afraid people wouldn’t have purchased the tickets. Why is it so?
Because the pace of the movie didn’t change. This happens with most of the realistic films. The line between reality and a movie gets so blurred that it bores you after a certain point. The beginning of the movie was excellent. It was fast-paced, gripping, thrilling, every aspect that would have made it an extraordinary film was present. But then, by the middle of the film, it suddenly stopped moving ahead. It was almost like that the makers got comfortable with the characters carrying on with their daily lives. That is where you, as an audience, feel like the story isn’t going anywhere and we might never reach the end of the rope.
But then again, by the end of it, the magic that was present in the beginning returns, but since by then the movie starts nearing its end, the improved pace doesn’t help us fall in love with it all over again. I think that the flat curve is what went wrong. The film failed to keep the audiences at the edge of their seats though the story, narration, performances, and direction – all had the potential to keep the audiences hooked, to make them sweat, to make them laugh, and also give them the space to breathe.
Does that mean Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai is not worth your time? I am not saying that. It absolutely is. As I again and again said, the plot, direction, and performances, all were amazing. Watch it for Saiyami Kher. She totally surprised me in Choked. Her look and her acting, both are praise-worthy. And I cannot not mention Roshan Mathew here. I don’t know if he is as innocent as he looked in the movie or his acting was that real but that guy truly made a mark. If I ever see him again in a movie or web series, I would remember him as a guy from Choked. Amruta Subash was cherry on top of the cake. Wonderful performance! If there ever comes a ‘best supporting actress’ award for digital films, she would certainly win it for Choked.
All in all, Choked is a film that had all the ingredients needed to become a blockbuster, but unfortunately couldn’t surpass the ‘one-time watch’ category.
Where to Watch? Netflix
The Digital Popcorn 