Story: Chaalis Chaurasi revolves around four men- Pankaj Suri (Naseeruddin Shah), Bobby (Atul Kulkarni), Pinto (Kay Kay Menon) and Shakti (Ravi Kissen), who have accidently committed crimes.  The story begins with these men pretending to be cops driving a police van, with an aim of raiding a place that'll fetch them Rs.20 crores. But, soon this pretention turns into a reality, when they encounter a real cop. They are ordered to do an encounter of Bisleri (Zakir Hussain) under him. Now, will they gather guts to do so and also, will they be able to fulfil the dream of becoming a millionaire is rest of the story.
 
Story Treatment: The film begins on a very good note with some interesting comic-timing amongst the four male leads in the film and their unlawful acts as policemen followed by a remix of famous song Hawa Hawa is quite intriguing. But, the plot loses threads due to a dragged screenplay as soon as the writer starts sketching their characters. The plot again gets into form post the interval with some interesting twists compounded with humour leaving one spellbound.

Star Cast: All the three men are simply incredible. They are comfortable in their own space and gel into each other brilliantly. In fact, they come across as thick friends in real-life, which has translated into an amazing show up on-screen. Individually, Naseeruddin Shah is stunning with a performance that reminds of his young days. Naseer sparkles, especially in the remix of Hawa Hawa song, which brings back the memories of Oye Oye from Tridev. Atul Kulkarni springs up a surprise with some brilliant comedy, something which he has explored for the first time. Kay Kay Menon beautifully switches lanes between a coward and a brave man. Ravi Kissen and Zakir Hussain play their part well.
 
Direction: Hriday Shetty has come a long way from the films he has churned out earlier, in terms of direction. The flashback to transition sequences are shot with loads of conviction and innovation. He brings out the best from his actors. The realistic approach towards the situations and characters in the film is noteworthy, something very rare in Hindi films.

Music/ Cinematography/ Dialogues/Editing: Music doesn’t register except the remix of Hawa Hawa song, which is the highlight of the film. Cinematography adds on to the suspense factor and captures the emotions of four men with perfection. Dialogues too are impressive and editing takes the film on another level, although the look of the film doesn’t ring a bell.

3 Ups and 3 Downs: Power-packed performances, direction, dialogues are the strengths of the film. Music, look of the film, screenplay are the weak points.

On the whole, Chaalis Chaurasi is surely a one-time watch,` which promises to tickle your funny bone.