“Daal Chaawal” Movie Review: A Good Concept Wasted in Sloppy Execution

From what the trailer suggested, I went to watch “Daal Chaawal” without much expectations. I expected a dull film with bad writing and an equally bad execution but surprisingly it proved better than what I expected. Although the film has some very bad performances by supporting cast and also some cringe worthy moments but “Daal Chaawal”, directed by Awais Khalid, has its moments to keep you engaged.

Dedicated to the police force of Pakistan, “Daal Chawal” is a complete family film, packed with humor, romance, action and pride. The writing and concept behind the film is perhaps the best thing about it, but execution on the other hand is extremely weak. It is not just a hero heroine story. It infact has many layers in a rather simple plot and nothing is overly emphasized. Screenplay of the film is decent for most of the parts and dialogues are kept basic.

Performance wise veteran actors like Shafqat Cheema and Salman Shahid shine on screen and the debutante actors Momina Iqbal and Ahmed Sufiyan are good too. The female lead could have been given more substance and depth but the writer kept her character as basic as are the dialogues. The supporting and extras however are simply bad.

Coming to the shortcomings, the weakest aspect of “Daal Chaawal” is its technical execution. The whole film is dubbed in perhaps an audio studio and sounds fake. Keeping the action and chase sequences of the film in mind, the action director could have done a far better job in choreographing the action to add style to the film. The direction is also weak to an extent that in the climax when a person was shot, we could spot the fake blood bottles being shot at.

About the music of the film, the song “Hum Zinda Hain” sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and picturized on different armed forces of Pakistan will bring you to tears and you will feel for them strongly without being jingoistic. But other than that, there isn’t anything that stays with you for long.

All in all, despite the fact that its execution is unforgivably bad for a film being released in 2019, “Daal Chaawal” has its heartfelt moments, hence can be a one time watch. And though this one in spite of a decent script has not turned out to be a commendable product but makers of this films do have potential and should be looked out for, in the future.