Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Kay Kay Menon and Ravi Kishan decide to loot Rs. 20 crore, posing as policemen. But a real police inspector pours water on their plans. Read the review of Chaalis Chauraasi for more.

Business rating: 0.5/5 stars (Half star)

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Kay Kay Menon, Ravi Kishan.

What’s Good: The performances; a few comic scenes.

What’s Bad: The lack of superb comedy so necessary in a film like this; implausible plot because it rests on a weak foundation; its TV serial-like feel.

Verdict: Chaalis Chauraasi is a dull fare with only the performances of the actors as its real plus point. But that’s just not enough. Considering its budget, it will entail a big loss.

Loo break: Some in the second half.

Watch or not?: Watch it for the acting.

Maask Entertainment and Filament Glo’s Chaalis Chauraasi (A) is the story of four men who impersonate policemen to carry out a mission which will secure their futures.

Pankaj Suri a.k.a. Sir (Naseeruddin Shah) used to be an English professor who was imprisoned for ten years for killing his wife. After serving his jail sentence, he now works as a driver for hawala king Balsara Choksi (Manoj Pahwa). Bhaskar Sardesai alias Bobby (Atul Kulkarni) is an aspiring singer who ends up as a pimp. Albert Pinto (Kay Kay Menon) is a car thief who is extremely fond of a particular brand of Fiat cars. Shakti Chinappa (Ravi Kishan) is a drug peddler. Sir learns of a fake currency notes racket and plans with his other three friends to loot Rs. 20 crore (real money) from the racketeers who have dispensed the fake notes in return for the real money.

The four get a stolen van painted like a police van as they intend going to the racketeers’ den, posing as policemen and traveling in the fake police van. However, the stolen van (number 4084), painted to resemble a police van, is further stolen so that the foursome is forced to steal a real police van to carry out the operation. A few hours before their plan is to begin, a police inspector, Mahesh Nayak (Rajesh Sharma), intercepts their van and asks them to help him nab gangster Tony Bisleri (Zakir Hussain) who is holed up in a lodge. The four crooks have no option but to pose as policemen on the beat and accompany inspector Mahesh Nayak who actually knows that they are impersonators but pretends otherwise.

Once Tony Bisleri is arrested, Mahesh Nayak threatens to kill the four who, to save their lives, reveal their plan to loot Rs. 20 crore and now lure Mahesh Nayak to carry out the operation and keep the cash for himself. Mahesh Nayak seeks the help of these very crooks to get hold of the Rs. 20 crore under the belief that only two men are guarding the cash. However, there are not just two but more men who give the plunderers a tough fight. As luck would have it, these racketeers had stolen the van painted to resemble a police van and bearing the number 4084. What happens thereafter? Who finally gets/keeps the cash – the racketeers, the four crooks, inspector Mahesh Nayak or Tony Bisleri?