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Special Chabbis Movie Review
Ratings:3.5/5 Special 26 Review By: Rajeev Masand Site: CNN IBN (IBNLive)'Special Chabbis' works on account of its meaty, realistic plot and nicely fleshed out characters. This is solid, assured filmmaking, evident in the meticulous detailing of its 80s production design. The film charms you with its subtle humor. If the film falters occasionally, blame it on the pacing; the first half feels particularly stretched out because of the needless songs that act as speed-bumps in the way of a smooth narrative. 'Special Chabbis' works on account of its meaty, realistic plot and nicely fleshed out characters. This is solid, assured filmmaking, evident in the meticulous detailing of its 80s production design. The film charms you with its subtle humorVisit Site for more
Ratings:4/5 Special 26 Review By: Taran Adarsh Site: BollywoodHungama
SPECIAL 26 is not one of those mindless masala entertainers with leave-your-brains-at-home attitude. SPECIAL 26 encompasses three startling cases that sent a shiver down the spine of many a businessman in the 1980s. What makes the film tick is the manner in which Neeraj Pandey integrates these episodes in a sequence and develops a clever cat and mouse saga between law breakers and law enforcers. Like a wednesday, SPECIAL 26 also sets you thinking.Yet, it's sharp, intelligent and thoroughly enjoyable. On the whole, SPECIAL 26 is an intelligently woven, slick and smart period thriller with its subject matter as its USP. It's sure to get listed as one of the most gripping heist dramas based on real life occurrences. A film that's sure to win accolades, acclaim and awards. Also, box-office rewards!Visit Site for more
Ratings:3.5/5 Review By: Anupama Chopra Site:Star World (Hindustan Times)
Special 26 is the best Hindi film I’ve seen this year. Inspired by a real-life heist in 1987, writer-director Neeraj Pandey constructs an elaborate cat and mouse chase between cops and robbers. Except here, you’re rooting for the bad guys to win. The film’s titles play out against newspaper headlines, which creates a sense of immediacy and urgency that never lets up. Pandey deftly keeps the plot moving. The climax isn’t fully convincing but you won’t mind because Neeraj Pandey has delivered a sparkler. I’m going with three and a half stars and strongly recommending that you catch Special 26.Visit Site for more
Ratings:3.5/5 Review By: Madhureeta Mukherjee Site:Times of India (TOI)
Inspired by a real incident, Neeraj Pandey cuts to the chor-police chase and weaves an intelligent, mind-racing thriller, keeping you tightly strapped to your seats. It captures the 80's era beautifully; and the cinematography ( Bobby Singh) is a cut above . The powerful background score enthuses the pace. The only place he loses momentum is the romantic track and dance number, kinda unwarranted, we must say.Interestingly, this con-job story is not superbly-stylish or stealthily serious. It doesn't stun you with a social message like Pandey's 'A Wednesday', but it grips, excites and ahh...climaxes too! And no ... you can't fake this one! Catch it for pure cinematic orgasm.Visit Site for more
Ratings:3.5/5 Review By: Sukanya Verma Site:Rediff
Old is gold AND exciting. In his latest offering Special Chabbis -- based on true heist incidents -- director Neeraj Pandey highlights this likelihood with his tremendous mix of shrewd brainpower against obsolete technology. But what’s truly Special about this Chabbis is to see two such different actors, one reliably awesome and the other getting out of his comfort zone of mindless money-spinners to collaborate and credit a script that gives them something concrete and equivalent to work on. Oh yes, Special Chabbis is my second favourite film of 2013 so far.Visit Site for more
Ratings:4/5 Review By: Saibal Chaterjee Site:NDTV
Special 26 is an intelligently scripted, superbly acted, enthralling and believable heist film that is more than just that. Special 26 hinges on four pivotal performances, with Manoj Bajpayee’s star turn being the standout one. It is a classic demonstration of what a consummate actor can achieve when he is at complete ease with the material at his disposal.Verdict: Special 26 truly special. Not be missed.Visit Site for more
Ratings:-- Review By: Komal Nahta Site:ETC
On the whole, Special 26 may be a fairly entertaining thriller but it is not without some glaring flaws in its screenplay. At the box-office, it will not prove to be a paying proposition for the distributors, given its high cost to them (all-India: around Rs. 36-37 crore). Its producers, of course, will make a profit due to the high price at which they have sold the all-India rights and also due to revenues from sale of satellite and other rights.Visit Site for more
Ratings:3.5/5 Review By: Shubhra Gupta Site:Indian Express
'Special 26' is a better film, coasting on realistic performances and locations, and a rapid pace for the most part. Because Hindi cinema doesn't usually do well with intelligent hide-and-seek games, I didn't have too much hopes from 'Special 26', but the film surprised me. Its flaws are minor; on the "whole, 'Special 26' is a gripping, well-made heist film.Visit Site for more
Ratings:4/5 Review By: Malavika Velayaniyal Site:DNA
The director has got most of the details right and therefore, despite the incredulous way the gang gets away with their 49 raids, the movie wears a realistic air.Those little things apart, Special Chabbis is a well-written, well-made thriller sans histrionics which translates into wholesome entertainment.Visit Site for more
Special 26 Hindi Movie Review Other Critics
Ratings:---- Review By: Sneha May Francis Site: Emirates 24by7A little more focus on the modus operandi, the forgery, the cases or even what really becomes of the loot they jointly accumulate, would’ve made for some interesting viewing. Despite these obvious shortfalls, that occur when the sensibilities of commercial and realistic cinema are fused, Neeraj does pull it off, fairly impressively. He keeps us on the edge of our seat, for most parts, tweaking the events to finally unveil a thrilling end.After a remarkable debut with the political thriller ‘A Wednesday’, Neeraj follows it up with a notable ‘Special 26’.Visit Site for more
Ratings:3/5 Review By: Martin D Souza Site:Glamsham
To take a real-life incident and give it a 'reel twist' that is captivating calls for a 'genius streak'. For this delightful twist in the tale itself, Neeraj Pandey the writer deserves a round of applause. But the manner of the heist we see in SPECIAL 26 is indeed special! It's a jaw-dropping sequence in the end. Right from the first frame onwards the screenplay yanks you into the goings-on. what pulls SPECIAL 26 back a little is the plot between Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggarwal. It's an annoying interference. For one, minus this, the film would have been tauter and pacier.Visit Site for more
Ratings:2.5/5 Review By: Roshni Devi Site:Koimoi
What’s Good: Some dialogues; the jokes; the climax. What’s Bad: Kajal’s unnecessary role/romance angle; the songs; a few unexplained bits. Loo break: None. Watch or Not?: Watch it for the con-jobs, the humour and Akshay-Manoj’s war of wits. Special 26 is a captivating con-movie with an equally thrilling chase with Akshay Kumar and Manoj Bajpai doing their best chor-police jodi.Visit Site for more
