Batti Gul Meter Chalu (meaning “Lights off, meter on” in Hindi) is a 2018 Indian drama film. Directed by Sri Narayan Singh, the film was produced by Bhushan Kumar, Nitin Chandrachud, Nishant Pitti and Krishna Kumar. It stars Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyandu Sharma and Yami Gautam. The story focuses on the problem of high electricity bills in rural India.
The shooting of the film began in February 2018 in Tihri, Uttarakhand and was completed by July 2018. It was released worldwide on 21 September 2018. However, it received mixed reviews and did not do well at the box office.
In the film, Shahid Kapoor plays a man who goes from being carefree to becoming a determined fighter against corruption. His character takes on the issue of unreasonably high electricity bills that affect the people of his village. Shraddha Kapoor and Divyandu Sharma play her friends, and Yami Gautam is a lawyer who helps in the legal battle.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu continues draws attention to problems in the electricity supply system and broader issues of fairness and accountability in rural India. Despite mixed reviews, the film highlights an important issue that affects many people in the country.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu Brief Introduction
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Shree Narayan Singh |
| Screenplay by | Siddharth-Garima |
| Story by | Vipul K Rawal |
| Produced by | Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nitin Chandrachud, Shree Narayan Singh, Kusum Arora, Prerna Arora, Nishant Pitti |
| Starring | Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyendu Sharma, Yami Gautam |
| Cinematography | Anshuman Mahaley |
| Edited by | Shree Narayan Singh |
| Music by | Score: Vijay Verma, Anamik & Lyton Songs: Anu Malik, Rochak Kohli, Sachet–Parampara |
| Production companies | T-Series Films, Krti Pictures LLP, KriArj Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Cinestaan AA Distributors |
| Release date | 21 September 2018 |
| Running time | 161 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | est. ₹56 crore |
Batti Gul Meter Chalu Starring Cast & Crew
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Shahid Kapoor | Sushil Kumar “SK” Pant |
| Shraddha Kapoor | Lalita “Nauti” Nautiyal |
| Divyendu Sharma | Sundar Mohan Tripathi / Ratul Gupta (faux name) |
| Yami Gautam | Advocate Gulnaar Rizvi |
| Farida Jalal | Lalita’s grandmother |
| Sushmita Mukherjee | Judge |
| Samir Soni | Sanjay Bhaduriya, SPTL owner |
| Rajendra Chawla | Janak Khanduri, complaint officer |
| Sukhvinder Chahal | Pankaj Bahuguna, SPTL official |
| Sudhir Pandey | D.N Pant, SK’s father |
| Supriya Pilgaonkar | Beena Nautiyal, Lalita’s mother |
| Atul Srivastava | Murarilal Tripathi, Sundar’s father |
| Anushka Ranjan | Rita Tripathi, Sundar’s sister |
| Brijendra Kala | Deendayal Gangotri Travels owner |
| Badrul Islam | Kalyan |
| Sharib Hashmi | Vikas |
| Mukesh S Bhatt | Upreti |
| Anna Ador | Ariana |
Batti Gul Meter Chalu Box Office Collection
| Day | Collection (₹ Cr) |
|---|---|
| Day 1 Collection [1st Friday] | 6.76 |
| Day 2 Collection [1st Saturday] | 7.96 |
| Day 3 Collection [1st Sunday] | 8.54 |
| Day 4 Collection [1st Monday] | 3.16 |
| Day 5 Collection [1st Tuesday] | 2.91 |
| Day 6 Collection [1st Wednesday] | 2.65 |
| Day 7 Collection [1st Thursday] | 2.45 |
| Week 1 Collection | 34.43 |
| Day 8 Collection [2nd Friday] | 0.53 |
| Day 9 Collection [2nd Saturday] | 0.95 |
| Day 10 Collection [2nd Sunday] | 1.35 |
| Day 11 Collection [2nd Monday] | 0.50 |
| Day 12 Collection [2nd Tuesday] [Gandhi Jayanti] | 1.30 |
| Day 13 Collection [2nd Wednesday] | 0.40 |
| Day 14 Collection [2nd Thursday] | 0.30 |
| Week 2 Collection | 5.33 |
| Day 15 Collection [3rd Friday] | 0.15 |
| Day 16 Collection [3rd Saturday] | 0.20 |
| Day 17 Collection [3rd Sunday] | 0.25 |
| Day 18 Collection [3rd Monday] | 0.10 |
| Day 19 Collection [3rd Tuesday] | 0.09 |
| Day 20 Collection [3rd Wednesday] | 0.08 |
| Day 21 Collection [3rd Thursday] | 0.07 |
| Week 3 Collection | 0.94 |
| Week 4 Collection | 0.10 |
| India Net Collection | 40.90 |
| Worldwide Collection | 58.40 |
| Overseas Collection | 6.00 |
| India Gross Collection | 52.40 |
| Budget | 55 |
| Verdict | Flop |
| Screen Count | 2400 |
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Batti Gul Meter Chalu Review, Storyline and Plot
After dealing with the toilet problem, writers Siddharth-Garima focus on another major problem of the common man- power cuts. In Tehri, while power is low, the spirits of the residents are high. This is especially true for Lalita aka Naughty (Shraddha Kapoor), Sushil Kumar Pant aka SK (Shahid Kapoor) and Sundar Mohan Tripathi (Divyendu Sharma), whose lively conversations and antics dominate the screen.
Even though power cuts are frequent, the trio is often seen dancing in the glow of LED lights. The characters speak Kumaoni so fast that it is difficult to keep up with them, their conversations mostly consisting of witty insults and jokes.
SK is a lawyer without principles, more interested in making money than helping people. Lalita is a fashion designer, whose charming style stands out in Tehri. The pretty, good-natured character has to struggle to bring about a change.
Director-editor Shree Narayan Singh has taken almost three hours to tell the story of power crisis in small towns. The film first features a love triangle, then addresses issues of power cuts, corruption in the power sector, high electricity prices and harassment of citizens. In this triangle, sparks fly both romantic and otherwise which lead to various conflicts.
Sundar’s business faces a hefty electricity bill, forcing him to shut down his business and sinking him into debt. This situation forces him to take drastic measures. The death of a friend inspires SK to reevaluate his life and attempt to become an honest lawyer.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu film culminates in a high court battle against a powerful private electricity supplier. Unfortunately, a female lawyer (Yami Gautam) faces judgement, objectification and derogatory comments during the trial. The filmmakers use these moments for humour, with the court audience acting as SK’s cheerleaders.
Shahid Kapoor’s character still shows remnants of his role as Maharawal Ratan Singh, who moves around like a warrior, although he now wears his costume. Shraddha Kapoor shines more as a serious person in the latter part compared to her earlier lively role. Divyendu Sharma gives a performance that evokes sympathy, while Kapoor’s character often resorts to shouting and preaching. When they don’t raise their voices, the characters spend most of their time in tears.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu film uses two travellers named Vikas and Kalyan to tell the story, which is an approach with limited appeal. However, the question “Kalyan aur Vikas kidhaar hai?” resonates in today’s context, as does the sarcastic statement “Bure din aaye”. Siddharth-Garima aim to highlight an important issue this time, but their message often gets lost in the noise.
