Choona, the Lucknow-based heist comedy series, just got a trailer. Netflix has some new footage for the Jimmy Shergill-directed series (A Wednesday), which chronicles a revenge drama against the corrupt and highly superstitious politician Shukla as an unlikely group of six gangs banding together to bring down his empire. Much of the narrative’s plot revolves around astrology—the alignment of planets and stars—as it is how Shukla determines his daily activities, including the right time to commit any form of violence. Pushpendra Nath Misra – best known for ‘Taj Mahal 1989’ – is writing and directing the satirical series, which is set to hit Netflix on August 3.
The Choona The trailer begins with voiceover from the corrupt Shukla (shergil) when he arrives in Lucknow to overthrow the government and become the next Prime Minister. “Your stars determine your fortune in politics,” he says, while displaying his jeweled fingers. “And thanks to the power of those stars, Shukla flies up.” He likes to compare himself to a “calculator” who has planned every last detail in advance to ensure the planets are always aligned in his favor. As you can imagine, Shukla loves to take advantage of those in need, even prompting one of them to immolate themselves in front of them to show their devotion. “We want to emotionally torture Shukla,” says an off-screen narrator as we are shown images of him harming those who dare utter a word against him.
When it is announced that Shukla is to receive Rs. 300 crore in cash – presumably through illegal means – the unlikely group join forces on a mission to steal it and destroy his political position. The raid team includes an astrologer (Atul Srivastava), a love interest (Monica Panwar), a dumb man (Chandan Roy), a shape-shifting informant (Namit Das), a petty criminal and student leader (Aashim Gulati), a drunkard (Vikram Kochhar) and a demoted police officer (Gyanendra Tripathi).
With a common enemy and the estimated amount rising to Rs. 600 crore, all that remains is to find a way to infiltrate Shukla’s party office. “Have you ever seen the party office?” the unnamed drunkard – once a successful building contractor – asks the group. “They have 10 armed police officers. There are 100 crazy party staff, there are surveillance cameras everywhere, and Shukla sits on the top floor.” Even if it seems like an impossible task, the politician can be deceived or manipulated choona through astrology, which essentially clears the way for our heroes – or rather, thieves.
“There’s no way we’re getting away with stealing 800 crore rupees,” says the student leader, as the Choona trailer devolves into a montage of action sequences involving local thugs, cash floating around, some cheap-looking VFX of moving planetary bodies, and tense car chases. As for the escape plan, one of them suggests that the drunk jump out of the window and down a zip line, to which he replies wittily, “Hey bhaiI’m not Tom Cruise.”
All episodes of Choona will be released on August 3rd Netflix.
