This is one of those mainstream movies that delivers its message coated with a thick layer of melodrama. And it works.

Batti Gul Meter Chalu is a hark-back to a forgotten tradition, which, at its best, gave us story and substance. Batti Gul gives us both, for most part.

This is just shabby filmmaking all around. It goes to show that today’s producers don’t care for the craft either, as long as there’s a “message,” a digital revolution (you know how most new-age filmmakers depict the power of the internet – a video goes viral, and the nation and news channels react in phases?) and a rousing monologue. So what if a few thousand screens squeeze the region’s power stations dry to broadcast this three-hour-long exercise of crippling nobility? It’s the thought that counts.

The film doesn’t shy away from getting over-dramatic, especially in the second half. However, it refrains from being preachy, a welcome move.

The court scenes, which were supposed to be the highlight of the film, take away the sheen of an otherwise watchable film.

Butti Gul Meter Chalu had a lot of promise, but just like the government it targets, it fails to deliver.

Shahid is the gravy of a spicy misal while Shraddha, Yami, Divyendu and other actors are just the toppings.

Batti Gul Meter Chalu’s final few minutes weepily rave and rant about the injustice meted out at the ‘sadharan aadmi.’

But the mockery that precedes it akin to watching Shahid Kapoor host a humourless awards show.

The actor gives his all to the part, smoothly swinging between the stand-up and speech-y tone of its courtroom scenes.

Unfortunately, his comic ease and contagious energy are not enough to brighten up this dim-witted slog.

Shraddha Kapoor is occasionally fetching but what unfolds on the screen is precariously low on wattage.

With a tighter runtime and more focus on the crux of the story, this social drama had the potential to shine bright. The cinematography by Anshuman Mahaley manages to capture the beauty of Uttarakhand’s hills very well. The movie also has a parallel track of two characters named Vikas and Kalyan, narrating the story, but the metaphor doesn’t quite click. BGMC loses power under the load of its heavy-duty screenplay.

If you really want to watch a film about how an inflated electricity bill can play havoc with the life of a common man, watch Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar’s delightful “Ek Cup Chya” instead. It makes the same point in a much more subtle and effective way.

Watch BGMC because it throws light on the issue of electricity, which is a fundamental human right. If we sit like frogs in a well, we may never learn what ails the real India. Jaago guys, jaago. 

Shree Narayan Singh’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu is a genuine attempt at educating people, but lacks lustre. You can give this a skip. Because ‘when you getting gold, why go for tamba?’

Other than adding to the glam factor, Shraddha Kapoor does little to enhance the film. Shahid Kapoorshines, but only when the second half commences. Yami Gautam as the lawyer opposing Shahid Kapoor seems inadequate

The trailer of this film tells you almost all there is to know. Take that three minutes and add another 172: The main feature is a bloated narrative that skirts almost three hours. If the filmmaker had cut out the vapid first 15 minutes, and the black and white scenes (a narration device), think how much electricity and time could have been saved – not to mention how much more tolerable this film would have been.

Overall, despite excellent production values, the film does not cut the mark of distinction.

Overall, Batti Gul Meter Chalu is a film that does seem to have its heart in the right place with the subject it wants to deal with, albeit with a mild case of cardiac arrhythmia – perhaps a little shock is in order to set its pace back in order?

…well-intentioned but artistically deadbeat and dull…

While the film gives you an idea about the gravity of the power-supply problems in Indian small towns, it doesn’t stoke the activist in you or make you enraged on behalf of the common man. You remain a mute spectator and that makes this film a lost opportunity.