Workaholic Aditya brushes off his father Bipin until Bipin is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. Bipin's last wish, a drive through Uttarakhand to the Ganga and Kedarnath, becomes the road on which father and son rebuild their bond.
Chaal Jeevi Laiye became the biggest Gujarati hit in history by doing something simple very well: making a father and son actually talk. Workaholic Aditya brushes off his father Bipin until a terminal diagnosis reframes everything, and Bipin's last wish, a drive through Uttarakhand to the Ganga and Kedarnath, becomes the road that rebuilds them.
Vipul Mehta directs it as a warm road film, and Siddharth Randeria and Yash Soni give the central bond real texture. The Times of India praised the screenplay, cinematography, music and lead work at four out of five, and audiences turned it into a phenomenon, the first film of the century to complete three hundred weeks in theatres and later remade in Marathi with Nana Patekar.
It is not immune to Gujarati cinema's fondness for melodrama, and some found the climax overlong, but the emotion is earned rather than manufactured. Watch it for a father-son story that knows exactly what it wants to say and says it without cynicism.
Verdict
The Sholay of the modern Gujarati box office, and it earns the affection. A warm, sincere crowd-pleaser that actually lands its emotion.
What works
- Genuinely earned father-son emotion
- Siddharth Randeria and Yash Soni's chemistry
- Sachin-Jigar score and Uttarakhand vistas
- A landmark commercial run
What holds it back
- Occasional melodrama
- Climax runs long
- Predictable road-film shape
- A guest arc that adds little
Cast & crew
Writers: Vipul Mehta (screenplay and dialogue); Niren Bhatt (lyrics)
Music: Sachin-Jigar
Cast: Siddharth Randeria (Bipin Chandra Parikh), Yash Soni (Aditya Parikh), Aarohi Patel (Ketki Mehta), Jagesh Mukati (Bhala Kaka), Aruna Irani (Dr. Vadia (guest))
Producers: Rashmin Majithia (Coconut Motion Pictures)
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Vipul Mehta
More Comedy Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Chaal Jeevi Laiye! worth watching?
The Sholay of the modern Gujarati box office, and it earns the affection. A warm, sincere crowd-pleaser that actually lands its emotion. Kevu Che rates it 4.5 out of 5.
What is Chaal Jeevi Laiye! about?
Workaholic Aditya brushes off his father Bipin until Bipin is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. Bipin's last wish, a drive through Uttarakhand to the Ganga and Kedarnath, becomes the road on which father and son rebuild their bond.
What is the IMDb rating of Chaal Jeevi Laiye!?
Chaal Jeevi Laiye! (2019) holds an IMDb rating of 8.7 out of 10 from 1.9k votes.