Ek Chatur Naar Review: Divya Khossla & Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Film Lacks Cunning & Cohesion

Divya Khossla and Neil Nitin Mukesh star in Ek Chatur Naar, a film that attempts to blend psychological drama with dark comedy. The film’s ambitious premise, however, is let down by an inconsistent script, leaving it feeling more clumsy than clever.

September 12, 2025; The title of Ek Chatur Naar sounds familiar and nostalgic, but the story it tells, which is a blend of psychological drama and dark comedy, seems as pointless as the main character’s daily life. The movie is quite fun to see, but it doesn’t live up to the title’s promise of being smart.

Plot

The movie is set in Lucknow, which is a tough and real area. It narrates the narrative of Mamta Mishra (Divya Khossla), a single mother who is in debt and has a hard time with her alcoholic mother-in-law (Chayya Kadam). Thakur (Yashpal Sharma), her terrifying creditor, wants to kill her, so she does something weird to stay alive and outsmart him: she pretends she doesn’t reside in her own home. When she finds a smartphone that Abhishek Verma (Neel Nitin Mukesh), a wannabe agency man, “lost,” her carefully crafted charade starts to break apart. This surprise meeting rapidly evolves into a game of cat and mouse, with the smartphone acting as a great MacGuffin that propels the tale along. The writing, on the other hand, has trouble establishing a steady tone. In the last act, it awkwardly changes from a drama about survival to a badly done revenge thriller.

Acting

Divya Khossla does a great job as the “clever woman,” but the movie is ultimately unsatisfying. The way the character talks and acts makes them feel like they could do more than they do. They are smart and funny and have survived. Neel Nitin Mukesh also wants to play Abhishek Verma, but he doesn’t have the depth to play a man who is divided between ambition and moral doubt. The supporting cast isn’t very good, but they do give the movie some much-needed comic relief. For example, Chayya Kadam’s character is funny without meaning to be, while Sushant Singh and Zakir Hussain’s characters are more like typical, clichéd kinds.

Music and Technicals

The movie’s production is modest but superb, with a muted and realistic color scheme that portrays the spirit of everyday life in Lucknow. The music in the background is quiet and works well without being too loud. The nostalgic version of the classic song “Padosan” is a pleasant touch, and Kailash Kher’s version of the title song is a great way to get your mind off the movie’s plot holes for a bit.

Final Verdict

Ek Chatur Naar is a movie with a fantastic idea that doesn’t know what it is. It doesn’t do a good job of showing how smart its main character is since it makes her look more honest than sly. The story isn’t as good when it suddenly switches genres and uses simple plot twists. The movie is a little better than average and has some humorous portions, but it’s not a movie that you should rave over.