Chennai City Gangsters feels like that one friend who keeps recycling the same jokes—you chuckle once, then zone out. Directed by Vikram Rajeshwar, this crime comedy scrambles together a gang of goofy misfits for a series of chaotic heists, but forgets to pack actual humor along with the cash bags.
The story (loosely speaking) follows orphaned thieves Pandi (Vaibhav) and Poochi (Manikandan), who fumble an insurance scam involving their boss’s boss Saleem (Shihan Hussaini) and the middleman Pasupathy (Livingston). After drunkenly losing the loot, they try to redeem themselves by roping in a washed-up crew led by Nettai (Redin Kingsley). Enter the “legendary” gangsters: Split Soosai (Anandraj), who turns into a cop when sirens blare, Memory Das (Mottai Rajendran), whose forgetfulness defines him, and a few others barely intimidating enough to scare a kitten.
Rather than telling a coherent story, the film leans hard into sketch comedy mode, stringing together gags that rarely stick the landing. Characters are defined by single traits, milked dry for punchlines. Vaibhav and Manikandan try their best, but there’s only so much you can do when the script’s only direction seems to be “act dumb, look shocked.” Even Redin Kingsley’s natural flair feels underused, and Anandraj’s bizarre dual-mode persona gets a few fleeting laughs.
The second half manages some rhythm as Anandraj flips on his gang, but by then, you’re too numbed by the film’s own amnesia to care.
Verdict: A forgettable farce that confuses noise for comedy and quirks for characters. A film that exists because someone said “let’s do a heist comedy,” but forgot to write the comedy.
⭐ 1.5 out of 5