Chhichhore
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''Chhichhore'' () is a 2019 Indian
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-language
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
comedy-dram by
Nitesh Tiwari Nitesh Tiwari (born 22 May 1973) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist known for his works in Hindi films. He debuted as a co-director in '' Chillar Party'' (2011) which won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film. He ...
in association with Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra, and produced by
Sajid Nadiadwala Sajid Nadiadwala (born 18 February 1966) is an Indian film producer, film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. He is the owner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and the grandson of filmmaker A.K. Nadiadwala. Sajid has written ...
under
Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Pvt Ltd (NGE) is an Indian film production company based in Mumbai. The Nadiadwala family have been in film production since 1955; continuing this legacy, Sajid Nadiadwala established the company in 1995. The ...
, with
Fox Star Studios Star Studios (formerly known as Fox Star Studios) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney Star (via Disney Entertainment), part of the Disney International Operations segment of ...
acquiring the distribution rights. Based on Tiwari's experiences as a student of the
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT- Bombay or IIT-B) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. IIT Bombay is mainly known for the highly competitive four-year Bachelor of Techno ...
, the film stars late
Sushant Singh Rajput Sushant Singh Rajput (21 January 1986 – 14 June 2020) was an Indian actor best known for his work in Hindi cinema. He earned acclaim for his performances in several notable films, including ''Kai Po Che!'' (2013), ''Detective Byomkesh Bakshy ...
,
Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987)Rishita Roy Chowdhury (3 March 2022)"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kapoor! Tiger Shroff to Anushka Sharma, celebs wish the actress" ''India Today''. said she turned 35 on 3 March 2022"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kap ...
,
Varun Sharma Varun Sharma (born 4 February 1990) is an Indian actor and comedian. Best known for playing "Choocha" in the ''Fukrey'' film series, he is known for his comic as well as supporting roles in various Hindi and Punjabi films. Education Sharma ...
,
Naveen Polishetty Naveen Polishetty (born 26 December 1989) is an Indian actor and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu films. He made his debut with the film '' Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya'' (2019). He then appeared in the coming-of-age blockbuster film ...
(in his Hindi Debut),
Tahir Raj Bhasin Tahir Raj Bhasin (born 21 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Bhasin made his screen debut with ''Kismat Love Paisa Dilli'' (2012) and made brief appearances in ''Kai Po Che!'' (2013) and ''One by Two (2014 film), One by Two ...
, Tushar Pandey and Saharsh Kumar Shukla in the lead roles, with
Shishir Sharma Shishir Sharma (born 10 January 1955) is an Indian film and television actor. He appeared in Zee TV's ''Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann'', and is known for playing the role of Jagmohan Prasad in '' Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli''. Currently, he can be ...
and
Mohammad Samad Mohammad Samad (born 7 May 2000) is an Indian actor, who works predominately in Hindi films, including ''Gattu (2012)'', '' Haraamkhor (2015)'', ''Tumbbad (2018)'' and '' Chhichhore'' (2019). He played the lead role of Manju Kumar in the Netfli ...
in supporting roles. Set parallelly in the 1990s and 2019, ''Chhichhore'' tells the story of Aniruddh "Anni" Pathak, a middle-aged divorced man whose son Raghav tries to commit suicide after failing to clear the JEE entrance examination, and who, despite survival, is unwilling to live due to the fear of being branded as a "loser", which makes a desperate Anni recount his own experience to Raghav of his own time at college, wherein he and his five friends too were called 'losers', and how they managed to remove that 'tag'; as he continues along to narrate his story, the other five join their friend and complete the story.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
commenced in September 2018. ''Chhichhore'' was released on 6 September 2019, receiving mixed reviews from critics. Earning 215 crores (2150 million/$28 million) worldwide to emerge as a blockbuster, it went on to receive the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Hindi Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kama ...
at the
67th National Film Awards The 67th National Film Awards were announced at a press meet on 22 March 2021 to honour the best Indian films certified in India between 1 January and 31 December 2019. The awards ceremony, at which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents it ...
announced in 2021. It also received five nominations at the
65th Filmfare Awards The 65th Filmfare Awards ceremony, presented by The Times Group, honored the best Indian Hindi-language films of 2019. The ceremony was held on 15 February 2020 in Guwahati and broadcast on Colors TV the following day. This is the first time in ...
Best Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...
for Tiwari, Best Story, Best Dialogue and Best Editing..


Plot

Anirudh "Anni" Pathak is a divorced middle-aged man living with his teenage son Raghav Pathak, an aspiring
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
, who is awaiting the results of his entrance examination in the hope of enrolling in the National College of Technology. On the eve of the results, Anni gifts Raghav a bottle of
champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
, promising him that they will celebrate his success together, unaware that Raghav is under intense pressure. The bottle of champagne only fuels Raghav's worries as to what will happen if he does not make it. The next day, while checking the results at his friend's apartment, Raghav finds out that he has not qualified for IIT-JEE exam results and, afraid of being called a "loser", he deliberately slips off the balcony to commit
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
, but survives, although in a fatal state. Anni rushes to the
hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
where he tries to comfort his ex-wife Maya Pathak. She blames Anni for not noticing how much pressure Raghav was in. Dr. Sunit Dev "S. D." Kasbekar informs Maya and Anni that Raghav's condition is deteriorating as Raghav does not have the will to live. Realizing that his son is afraid of being called a "loser", Anni, who stumbles upon pictures of his college days, begins to recount the tales of his time in college in an attempt to rekindle hope in Raghav, who he wants to believe that his father, too, was once a "loser". During the recount, the story flashes back to 1992 when it was his first day of college at the National College of Technology campus. Anni is allotted a room in Hostel 4 a.k.a. "H4", which is famous for housing "losers". The occupants of H4 have earned this tag for numerous unknown reasons, one of them being the poorest quality of mess food on the entire campus. Dissatisfied, he applies to change his hostel block although a clerk informs him that his application might take time. Meanwhile, a senior H4 student Gurmeet "Sexa" Singh Dhillon pokes Anni in the butt the first time they meet, but they soon become friends, with Anni describing Sexa as a hyper-sexual senior who was obsessed with
pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
all the time. At this point, Raghav has a convulsion, causing Anni and Maya to panic, but Dr. Kasbekar reveals that he is now conscious, though his condition is still the same. When he asks about "Sexa", though, Anni, convinced that Raghav was listening, goes in with Maya to meet Raghav, who doubts if it is indeed a true story. Anni, convinced that he just needs proof to make his plan work, eventually traces Sexa, who is currently working as a consultant in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, through a call, and informs him about the tragedy. Sexa postpones his work commitments for the week and flies down to
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
to reunite with Anni and Maya, and seeing Sexa, an initially dismayed Raghav recognizes him and puts all his doubts to rest, as Sexa continues with the story. Sexa narrates Anni's desperation to change his hostel, and in 1992, during their initial conversation at a canteen, they notice Maya for the first time. As the story returns to the present, Sexa narrates to Anni and Maya during a lunch break how he and a friend named Himanshu "Acid" Deshmukh once received a funny pro-ragging request in 1992 from the father of a fresher named Sundar "Mummy" Shrivastava, a young introvert who is tied to his mother's apron strings and is very dependent on her. At this stage, Mummy joins Sexa in the present day, working as an executive in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, which has thickened his accent. When both Anni and Sexa spill news of Acid's arrival, Mummy exclaims to Raghav that Acid is "bad news". Anni then describes Acid as a school topper who began flunking his college tests and developed a bitter, swearing tongue. A brief introduction for Acid soon pans back to Sexa's classmate joining them in the hospital. All of them briefly reminisce about the fun they had in their college days, showing their photo album to Raghav and telling him about Anni's newfound relationship with Maya back then, even as Dr. Kasbekar, time and again, informs them that Raghav's brain is swelling, and his condition doesn't show signs of improvement. Meanwhile, back in 1992, a super-senior student named Raghuvir "Raggie" Chalkar, a reputed hostelite of Hostel 3 a.k.a. "H3", which is known to be a world-class hostel and the absolute antithesis of H4, fast-tracks Anni's application and offers him to come to H3, but Anni has a sudden change of heart while discussing this with Maya, later rejecting the offer, much to the chagrin of Raggie, who reveals that H4 super-senior Derek D'Souza, a well-known athlete, has been "rotting" for the past three years after having similarly rejected a previous offer. Derek is revealed to be a chain smoker, and as he reunites with Anni, a scene of their first meeting back in 1992 plays out, wherein Derek reveals that Raggie is a full-blown college bully who inducts talented students from other hostels into H3 and claims total credit for winning "GC". An initially surprised Anni soon learns that H4's "loser" status comes from its consistently worst performances over the years in the "GC", which stands for General Championship, an annual sports competition whence students of all 10 hostels of the entire institute compete in 30 sports over 2 months. Anni then convinces an initially skeptical Derek to try for one last time, and they begin a series of trials, hilariously failing in the bargain. After multiple attempts to find the right players fail, Derek gives the same reply to Anni as one that Dr. Kasbekar gives to him and Maya - that it has to be all about trying, for there's no other way. Back at Anni's house, everyone is having a discussion, where Derek, Acid, Sexa, and Mummy tell Anni and Maya that they'll be sticking around to support them after Anni requests them to leave due to the negative reports of Raghav's health, when just before everyone can assemble for dinner on the dining table, Anni and the "losers" find their long-missing member, Sahil "Bevda" Awasthi, at Anni's doorstep. Bevda joins the group at the hospital the next day, and as is implied, he is shown to be the "''
Devdas ''Devdas'' (, transliterated as ''Dēbôdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden childhood love ...
''-inspired
drunkard Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...
" of the group, also a known
chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
champion. They then recount that while preparing for the GC back in 1992, as they lose an initial string of matches in different sports, except carrom tournaments where Mummy leads them to the quarter-finals, all six boys decide to sacrifice things closest to them until they win the GC. Anni, in his bid, decides to temporarily boycott Maya, avoiding her constantly. However, this tactic hits back severely on their faces when Bevda has a relapse and is taken to the hospital, causing the H4 team to lose hope. However, after a moment of introspection, Anni soon comes up with a trifecta of plans to defeat other hostels. His methods work, resulting in several massive victories for H4. During a celebration hang out at a bar, however, a violent clash between Raggie's gang and the leading losers culminates in Mummy injuring his finger, causing Mummy to lose the carrom semi-finals. Even as Acid consoles a crying Mummy, lack of representation in a weightlifting tournament instantly strikes an idea in Anni's head and he chooses Abhimanyu "Danda" Rathore, an H4 hostelite, to lose 2 kgs through training under Anni and Derek's supervision and compete in the 42  kg category. His hilarious victory is soon accompanied by Bewda's return from rehab, which the hostel celebrates. Bevda continues to reign in points for H4 in chess after his return, Derek's athletic skills prove a great asset for H4, and eventually, H4 makes it to the finals, pitted against H3, for the first time in college history. Back in the present, Dr. Kasbekar asks Anni, Maya, and their friends to leave Raghav at this point, so that he can have his surgical operation done the next morning, and they all promise Raghav to wait patiently for the "climax". After the friends return to Anni's home, the friends have a discussion where Anni reveals that he probably failed in teaching Raghav how to deal with failures, pointing to the bottle of champagne he had bought for him. Seeing Mummy call up his son Vedant and tell him that he will gift him a bike irrespective of what his exam results would be, Maya surmises that Anni is an exceptional father and reconciles with him after an emotional breakdown. Right in the middle of the night, Anni's phone suddenly rings, wherein Dr. Kasbekar informs him that Raghav has had severe convulsions, and an immediate operation would have to be carried out. Anni requests 10 minutes for finishing the story, and Dr. Kasbekar, initially reluctant, gives in after Maya supports him. They resume the story, where back in 1992, a vexed Raggie, upon learning of H4's methods, decides to sabotage Bevda by offering him a bottle of
alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
and deliberately has his teammate injure Derek's foot. Bevda initially appears to be drunk when Anni and Sexa are to receive him, and after Anni departs for the basketball final, tends to move towards a loss in the game, when he suddenly reveals that he isn't drunk and that he had let his opponent make a huge mistake sacrificing his knight. Eventually, with both Acid and Derek winning the relay final, Bevda also wins the chess tournament. They reunite with Anni at the basketball court, and while Anni gets a penalty shot and aims for a 3-pointer, his shot misses by almost an inch, causing H4 to lose the GC by a close margin. Back in the present, Raghav is shocked at this moment of loss and asks Anni if he felt like committing suicide at that moment, having lost a battle this close. Anni, Derek, Mummy, Acid, Sexa, Bevda, and Maya take turns in replying with a "NO", as Anni then explains in a flashback to 1992 that Raggie publicly called them "champs" instead of "losers" for the first time, creating a loud wave of cheer for H4 and congratulating the team for putting up a good fight. Anni then explains to Raghav that the H4 hostelites were never called "losers" again and that it is not one's results that decide whether he or she is a "loser", but rather one's efforts. Convincing him that he tried very hard, Anni asks Raghav to put up a strong face and fight all his challenges in life, including the operation, and as he is being taken to the operation theatre, Raghav visualizes Anni, Derek, Mummy, Acid, Sexa, Bevda and Maya in their younger selves cheering him to fight on. A year later, a fully recovered Raghav attends his first day of college, requesting the viewers to never ask what the name of his college is or what his rank was since he is content that he is getting to live life and enjoy it the maximum. As he reaches the new campus, he laughs at his senior's question as grown-up apparitions of his parents and the rest of the 'losers' look at him.


Cast

*
Sushant Singh Rajput Sushant Singh Rajput (21 January 1986 – 14 June 2020) was an Indian actor best known for his work in Hindi cinema. He earned acclaim for his performances in several notable films, including ''Kai Po Che!'' (2013), ''Detective Byomkesh Bakshy ...
as Anniruddh "Anni" Pathak *
Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987)Rishita Roy Chowdhury (3 March 2022)"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kapoor! Tiger Shroff to Anushka Sharma, celebs wish the actress" ''India Today''. said she turned 35 on 3 March 2022"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kap ...
as Maya Sharma Pathak (Anni's love interest and later wife and Ex-Wife *
Varun Sharma Varun Sharma (born 4 February 1990) is an Indian actor and comedian. Best known for playing "Choocha" in the ''Fukrey'' film series, he is known for his comic as well as supporting roles in various Hindi and Punjabi films. Education Sharma ...
as Gurmeet "Sexa" Singh Dhillon (Anni's hypersexual senior who is obsessed with adult content) *
Naveen Polishetty Naveen Polishetty (born 26 December 1989) is an Indian actor and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu films. He made his debut with the film '' Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya'' (2019). He then appeared in the coming-of-age blockbuster film ...
as Himanshu "Acid" Deshmukh (Anni and Mummy's senior and Sexa's classmate who has developed a bitter and swearing tongue) * Tushar Pandey as Sundar "Mummy" Srivastava (Anni's classmate who is tied to his mother's apron strings but is a talented carrom player) *
Tahir Raj Bhasin Tahir Raj Bhasin (born 21 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Bhasin made his screen debut with ''Kismat Love Paisa Dilli'' (2012) and made brief appearances in ''Kai Po Che!'' (2013) and ''One by Two (2014 film), One by Two ...
as Derek D’Souza (Anni, Mummy, Acid and Sexa's senior who has great athletic skills and is a
chain smoker Chain smoking is the practice of smoking several cigarettes in succession, sometimes using the ember of a finishing cigarette to light the next. The term chain smoker often also refers to a person who smokes relatively constantly, though not nec ...
) *Saharsh Kumar Shukla as Sahil "Bevda" Awasthi (Anni, Mummy, Acid and Sexa's super-senior who is an alcohol addict and a known
chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
champion) *
Prateik Babbar Prateik Smita Patil(born Prateik Babbar; 28 November 1986), is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The son of late actress Smita Patil and former MP and actor Raj Babbar, he began his career as a production assistant befo ...
as Raghuvir "Raggie" Chalkar (leader of H3 who detests Anni and Derek) *
Mohammad Samad Mohammad Samad (born 7 May 2000) is an Indian actor, who works predominately in Hindi films, including ''Gattu (2012)'', '' Haraamkhor (2015)'', ''Tumbbad (2018)'' and '' Chhichhore'' (2019). He played the lead role of Manju Kumar in the Netfli ...
as Raghav Pathak (Anni's and Maya's son) *
Shishir Sharma Shishir Sharma (born 10 January 1955) is an Indian film and television actor. He appeared in Zee TV's ''Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann'', and is known for playing the role of Jagmohan Prasad in '' Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli''. Currently, he can be ...
as Dr. S. D. Kasbekar, Raghav's doctor *
Nalneesh Neel Nalneesh Neel is an Indian people, Indian actor who has acted in various Bollywood and Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films. He is best known for his roles in ''The White Tiger (film), The White Tiger'', ''III Smoking Barrels'', ''Chhic ...
as Pandu Singh (
Chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...
in H4 mess) * Abhilasha Patil as the Head
Nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
treating Raghav *
Saanand Verma Saanand Verma is an Indian film and television actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the the ...
as H4 Staff Member * Gautam Ahuja as Rajveer, Raghav's friend * Aashray Batra as Raghav's senior * Rohit Chauhan as H4 Chris Cross * Neil Dhokte as H3 Maradona * Akshay Neb as H3 Pele * Abishek Joseph George as Venkatesh Naidu a.k.a. "Venky" (Raggie's friend and a hostelile in H3) * Rudrashish Majumder as H4 Bagula Freshie * Nitin Kumar Singh as H4 Fish Freshie * Ranjan Raj as Abhimanyu "Danda" Rathore (Anni's hostel friend in H4 who is chosen to contest for the hostel in a 42 kg weightlifting tournament) * Raziya Sultana as Dulari Pitroda, Maya's hostel friend in H10 who competes with Danda in the 42 kg weightlifting tournament * Adarsh Gautam as Jitendra Singh Dhillon (Sexa's father) *
Sanjay Goradia Sanjay Goradia is an Indian actor, director and producer. He has produced more than hundred Gujarati plays and acted in quarter of them. He has acted in several Hindi and Gujarati films and has produced television shows. Biography Sanjay Gor ...
as Amit Srivastava (Mummy's father) * Vishal Gupta as H4 Asthma Kabaddi player *
Prasad Jawade Prasad Jawade is an Indian actor who mainly works in Marathi film and television. Currently, he participated in Colors Marathi's reality show '' Bigg Boss Marathi 4'' as a contestant. Personal life Jawade has been in a relationship with Amr ...
as a Father on the train * Kamaal Malik as Professor Mishra * Anud Singh Dhaka as H4 Student * Dheeraj Shaji as Hostel Staff * Nishad Mandalkar as Football Referee


Production

''Chhichhore'' is inspired by writer-director Nitesh Tiwari's own experiences of college life as a metallurgical engineering student at the
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT- Bombay or IIT-B) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. IIT Bombay is mainly known for the highly competitive four-year Bachelor of Techno ...
, his alma-mater, which is depicted in the film as the 'National College of Technology'; although not completely biographical in nature, it features character sketches loosely inspired by Tiwari himself as protagonist Aniruddha Pathak, as well as some of his closest friends and seniors. Some of the scenes were incorporated from the lives of co-writers Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra, who worked under Tiwari at Leo Burnett.
Filming Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sensor or light-s ...
began on 30 September 2018, and first schedule was wrapped on 30 October 2018. The second schedule started on 14 November 2018 and wrapped on 15 December 2018. Major portions of the film were shot at IIT Bombay. The
theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
was shot at a cost of 9 crores (90 million). This marked the reunion of choreographers
Bosco–Caesar Bosco–Caesar is an Indian choreographer duo who work in Indian films. They are Bosco Martis and Caesar Gonsalves, who have together worked on 200 songs and about 75 films. They run the Bosco Caesar Dance Company in Brampton (Canada), Scarboro ...
after three years.
Shane Nigam Shane Nigam is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. Having made his debut in the 2010 film Thanthonni, he performed as a supporting character in various successful drama films '' Parava'' (2017), '' Kumbalangi Nights'' (2019), and ' ...
was supposed to play the role of a
Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...
student, but opted out due to scheduling conflicts with ''
Kumbalangi Nights ''Kumbalangi Nights'' () is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy drama film, drama film directed by Madhu C Narayanan, Madhu C. Narayanan. The directorial debut was written by Syam Pushkaran and jointly produced by Fahadh Faasil an ...
''; he was subsequently replaced by newcomer Abhishek Joseph George.


Marketing and release

Over the close of February 2019, the cast of the film donned their characters' costume video on the making of the poster on 30 May 2019. The film was theatrically released in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
on 6 September 2019. It was screened at
51st International Film Festival of India The 51st International Film Festival of India was held from 16 to 24 January 2021 in Goa. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the festival went hybrid, there was physical and virtual screening of 50 films out of 224 films across various categories. ...
in January 2021 in the Indian Panorama section. The film had a theatrical release in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
on 7 January 2022, the first in two years following a de facto ban on Indian films there due to the
2020–2021 China–India skirmishes Beginning on 5 May 2020, People's Liberation Army, Chinese and Indian Army, Indian troops engaged in aggressive melee, face-offs, and skirmishes at locations along the Sino-Indian border, including near the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh and t ...
.


Home video

Later, it was released on
Video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
on
Hotstar Disney+ Hotstar, also known as JioHotstar or simply Hotstar, is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Disney Star. The brand was introduced as Hotstar for a streaming service carrying content from Di ...
on 1 November 2019.


Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the film was composed by
Pritam Pritam Chakraborty (born 14 June 1971), also popularly known mononymously as Pritam, is a National Award winning Indian composer, instrumentalist, music producer and singer. Graduating from FTII in Sound Engineering, he worked as an ad jin ...
, while the lyrics were written by
Amitabh Bhattacharya Amitabh Bhattacharya (born 16 November 1976) is an Indian Bengali lyricist and playback singer who works in Bollywood films. At the beginning of his career back in 2000's, he was working for few musicians as a singer & met Pritam, who gave him ...
. The album became chartbuster. "Khairiyat" became one of the very first Bollywood songs to reach 1 billion + views only in 4 years of release. "Kal Ki Hi Baat Hai" also become super hit.


Reception

Sukanya Verma Sukanya Verma is an Indian journalist and film critic. She has been the principal movie reviewer with web portal '' Rediff.com''. She has written a number of columns as a freelance writer for ''The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English ...
reviewing for ''Rediff'' felt that Chhichhore offered "too good a time to pay attention to its faults", giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars. Sreeparna Sengupta of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, praising the performances of
Sushant Singh Rajput Sushant Singh Rajput (21 January 1986 – 14 June 2020) was an Indian actor best known for his work in Hindi cinema. He earned acclaim for his performances in several notable films, including ''Kai Po Che!'' (2013), ''Detective Byomkesh Bakshy ...
,
Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987)Rishita Roy Chowdhury (3 March 2022)"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kapoor! Tiger Shroff to Anushka Sharma, celebs wish the actress" ''India Today''. said she turned 35 on 3 March 2022"Happy Birthday Shraddha Kap ...
,
Varun Sharma Varun Sharma (born 4 February 1990) is an Indian actor and comedian. Best known for playing "Choocha" in the ''Fukrey'' film series, he is known for his comic as well as supporting roles in various Hindi and Punjabi films. Education Sharma ...
and
Tahir Raj Bhasin Tahir Raj Bhasin (born 21 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Bhasin made his screen debut with ''Kismat Love Paisa Dilli'' (2012) and made brief appearances in ''Kai Po Che!'' (2013) and ''One by Two (2014 film), One by Two ...
. Sengupta noted that the screenplay was predictable and the pace was slow, but the film had a theme of academic success that connected with youngsters and parents, writing that, "it 'Chhichhore''tells you that the journey is far more important than the destination and that losing is as critical a life lesson as winning. The film scores high on many accounts and is certainly worth watching." Monika Rawal Kukreja from ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' wrote that, "the Sushant Singh Rajput-Shraddha Kapoor film takes you on a nostalgia trip to your college days with an engaging narrative and flashback sequences". Rahul Desai of ''
Film Companion Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-defunct digital platform Film Compani ...
'' praised the film, calling it a "solid, homegrown college movie for the ages", further adding that, "Chhichhore is a hoot, but it's not flawless. Eventually though, it's Tiwari's understanding of mainstream emotional dynamics that tide the missteps over to frame an enjoyable film".
Rajeev Masand Rajeev Masand (born 13 March 1976) is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films rel ...
, reviewing for ''News18'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it hhichhore"good, harmless fun". ''
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...
'' in its review wrote that, "on the whole, the Sushant Singh Rajput Shraddha Kapoor starrer Chhichhore is a decent entertainer that has its share of touching scenes", while giving it 3.5/5 stars. Prachita Pandey of ''
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, noting that, " 'Chhichhore' drives home the point that in life's battles between winning and losing, the most important thing is 'life' itself" while praising the film for initiating the viewers on "a nostalgia trip". Udita Jhunjhunwala while reviewing for ''Mint'' praised the film by calling it a "lively homage to hostel life"; moreover praising the film's humor, she called it "organic". ''The'' ''Economic Times'' gave the movie 3.5/5 stars, calling it a "likeable film with relevant social message", further adding that the movie contains "plenty of nostalgia and warm, feel-good moments, several frat boy jokes, and some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments". The film found criticism from Rachel Saltz of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
who'' called the film to be "programmatic and timid". Vibha Maru of India Today felt that the movie was "no 3 Idiots", giving it 2.5 stars out of 5. Shalini Langer of ''
Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language India, Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the Indian Express Limited, ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnat ...
'' criticised the performance of Sushant Singh Rajput and called the film "a disappointing fare", giving it 1.5/5 stars. Anna MM Vetticad criticised the film, calling it "a hotch-potch with a 3 Idiots hangover", rating the film 1.75 stars out of 5. Arnab Banerjee of ''
Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...
'' gave the film 2.5/5, and while he criticized the film for its writing and direction, he felt that "some of the characters are played by decent actors".


Box office

''Chhichhore'' grossed 6.92 crores (₹69.2 million) on the first day of its release. It showed growth on its second (first Saturday) and third day (first Sunday) grossing ₹34.77 crores (₹347.7 million) by the end of the opening weekend. By the end of the first week, the Sushant Singh Rajput-Shraddha Kapoor starrer had collected ₹66.63 crores (₹666.3 million). The lifetime gross of the movie from India is ₹172.64 crores (₹1726.40 million) and approximately 31 crores ($4.35 million/₹309.93 million) from overseas market, taking it worldwide gross to ₹203.63 crores (₹2036.3 million). The film is part of the prestigious "200 Crore Club". The film was released in China on 7 January 2022, where it performed poorly, grossing only 22.52 crores ($3.01 million), becoming the lowest grossing Indian film in China. The performance at the China box office is being attributed to the fact that the ongoing pandemic has greatly reduced in theatre footfalls. This coupled with the fact that ''Chhichhore'' saw immense competition from new and previous releases entailed a tough uphill task for the business of the film at the China box office.


Accolades


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{National Film Award Best Feature Film Hindi Fox Star Studios films 2010s Hindi-language films 2010s Indian films 2010s coming-of-age comedy-drama films Films set in universities and colleges 2019 films Indian coming-of-age comedy-drama films Films directed by Nitesh Tiwari Best Hindi Feature Film National Film Award winners Films about depression Films about bipolar disorder Films about suicide