CHENNAI CITY GANGSTERS MOVIE REVIEW

In an early scene from the first half of Chennai City Gangsters, Redin Kingsley’s Netta stirs up trouble with a man nearly three times his height. When the latter, understandably irked, calls for a fight, Netta responds by summoning his army of vertically challenged men. Until this point, the film seems to play it safe with its brand of comedy. But the moment the group assembles, the taller man quips, “Endha circus lerndhu da vandhirkeenga?” Problematic humour like this is sprinkled across Chennai City Gangsters, which seems more interested in pulling off a laugh heist than intelligent storytelling. The ensuing fight brings in some genuine chuckles: Netta pulls out tufts of hair from the tall man’s beard to escape like it’s loot to be stolen, and Vaibhav’s Pandi swoops in comically to bail him out. In the end, it’s easy to classify Chennai City Gangsters as a film that not only refuses to take itself seriously but also treats the audience like hostages to its half-baked jokes.

Chennai City Gangsters is a comedy of errors that kicks off when Pandi and his friend Poochi (Manikanta Rajesh) team up with a motley crew of yesteryear burglars for one last score, hoping to loot some quick cash after misplacing the money of a notorious thug. But what drives Pandi to go all in? It’s not just about covering up a botched job; it’s about protecting the lives of his one-sided love, Jennifer (Athulya), and her family, who find themselves caught in the crossfire.

Absurdity in comedy can be a delight when done right. Its success lies in how well the exaggeration is balanced with believability. In Chennai City Gangsters, however, the characters are so wildly over the top that they feel more like caricatures. Take Pandi and Poochi, who casually barge into the home of an overweight cop named Abathu, beat him up, and walk away unscathed. Despite being assaulted in his own house, the cop makes no effort to track them down. Instead, he’s more interested in what a suspect has as a meal three times a day than in any actual evidence. In one scene, he even barks like a dog to decode the final moments of a dying man who barked before collapsing. These moments don’t just undermine the abilities of the police force; they fail to land as comedy, weighed down by tired stereotypes and forced gags.