Cheliya is all about a fighter pilot Varun (Karthi) who works for Indian Army. An unexpected accident makes him meet Leela Abraham (Aditi Rao Hydari) and he falls for her. After a long wait, he manages to convince her however within no time she realizes that Varun is the right person she intends. At this time, Varun gets trapped by Pak army during the Kargil war and the rest of Cheliya is all about how he escapes from Pakistan and lands back before Leela. Watch Cheliya to know about the complete film.

Cheliya is layered with an emotional love story along with war episodes set during the India – Pak Kargil war during 1999. Such films need an interesting and engaging screenplay which lacks in this movie. This alone can make a massive change and Cheliya is one film that lacks interest right from the first scene. Some of the scenes have been captured well but the journey lacks the much needed emotions. With some decent songs and performances, the first half of Cheliya tests the patience of the audience.

The second half of Cheliya is a huge disappointment and it lacks interesting narration and some emotional drama throughout. The songs of the film too have not been shot well though couple of tunes look soothing. Except an interesting climax, the second half of Cheliya is a massive disappointment.

Karthi who proved his mettle as an actor has been stable in the assigned role. He has been arrogant and apt for the role of Varun throughout. He performed with ease and showed the needed variations. Aditi Rao Hydari has been stunning throughout and she shined with perfection in the role. Her eyes speak a lot and it has been well captured on screen. She has been beautiful and glamorous throughout. All the other actors look decent.

The story of Cheliya has nothing much new and is outdated. For a layered film like Cheliya, screenplay plays a crucial role and unfortunately the screenplay of Cheliya is a huge letdown. The dialogues of the film look decent and the music has been just ok. The cinematography is the major highlight of the movie and the production values have been decent. Mani Ratnam fails to impress the audience with his outdated narration.

Final Word:

Cheliya is a meaningless and emotionless romantic drama that fails in all the available ways. Aditi Rao Hydari and the film’s cinematography work are the only saviors. Give the film a skip.