Choona, the brand-new political satire that became a heist drama, will be reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven. Choona takes the audience through the whole world of the political Game of Thrones and how bribery, extortion, corruption, scheming, and plotting become inherent parts of this circle. To break this cycle, a bunch of people want to go against the most influential politician in the state. It would require a huge amount of manpower to put him out of power through a robbery. What will the gang’s plan of action be, and how will they make sure the heist is a success?
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Avinash Shukla?
Choona began with the state minister for urban development, Avinash Shukla, requesting the presence of his loyal Pandit because he complained of being haunted by dreams that predicted his defeat. Avinash, who is known as Shuklaji, is a religious man, a staunch believer, and well-read in the subject of astrology, which he believes allows him to stay ahead of the curve.
Avinash was introduced as the antagonist right from the start of Choona Season 1. The tense political scenarios allowed him to become a powerful and influential man. Avinash reveals his plans to become the CM of the state, but he learns the Pandit is no longer his man and assigns his bodyguard, Madan Singh, to kill him. He killed the CM’s man to demonstrate his power to get rid of anyone who could harm his progress. Avinash, in his mind, had set the wheel in motion that could take him toward his goal, and getting rid of the priest was a bit of collateral damage on his way to glory.
Avinash was keen on clearing a slum area, for he claims it needs to be done for redevelopment and the construction of a mall in that space. Only a few knew Avinash had taken a whopping 300 crore as a bribe from the developer, and he intends to use that money to bring down the current government to place himself as the next CM of the state. This will allow him to fast-track the slum clearance project. Avinash is conceited at this juncture, and he feels his influence on the police and other local government officials is enough for him to go ahead with his plans. He believes himself to be more powerful than the CM because he has the financial capacity to buy off MLAs to destabilize the government.
Why Are Six Men Adamant About Hurting Shukla?
A powerful man such as Shukla was bound to have enemies that lurked around him like sharks. Six men came together because they had been subjected to humiliation by Avinash at some point in their lives without realizing the outcome of his actions. Yakub Ansari Shaikh wanted to avenge his uncle Faulad Singh’s murder, carried out by Avinash and his men. Ansari plays a meticulous political game to bring himself to Avinash’s attention.
Inspector Baankey was punished harshly in public for not recognizing Avinash and thereby treating him like a normal person who was trying to enter the temple premises. Avinash always considered himself to be above the people who voted for him, and Baankey beating him up in public triggered his ego. Baankey made sure to exact revenge by joining the team. Baankey’s sister Bela is in a relationship with Ansari, and she ends up becoming pregnant. Ansari was worried, but he had to step up to make sure she remained happy and safe. Ansari is the typical man who feels he needs to rescue the woman he loves, and he is sure the heist will be a success, and the couple live happily after this event.
JP Yadav was once a renowned contractor who was given a government contract, which was sabotaged by Avinash Shukla. His one word against this JP was enough for his company to go bankrupt. JP Yadav’s reason for going after Shukla was obvious. Bishnu is a mute man whose sister was married to Shukla until she was poisoned and killed. Bishnu was aware it was Shukla who killed his sister and joined the bandwagon to ruin the man. Bishnu had the most to lose if his brother-in-law ever came to know of his involvement in the robbery.
Bishnu rescued the Pandit after the latter was ordered to be killed, and they both formulated a plan to get Shukla out of power. The Pandit also helped Bishnu get his voice back, which was kept a secret from everyone. They came together to form a diabolical alliance, the likes of which Shukla would not have expected in this lifetime. The last person was Triloki, who had no agenda to join the heist. He is a conman or impostor who would cheat anyone for money. He had nothing to lose, only to gain after he joined the team and helped them enact their revenge.
What Is Their Plan Of Action?
The six men were joined by Jhumpa, Triloki’s girlfriend, who was a coder, gamer, and hacker. Meanwhile, Bela eventually joined the group as well. The plan was to steal the bribe money Shukla received from Shenoy, which had now increased from 300 crore to 800 crore owing to the change in political climate. If the robbery had been planned and executed correctly, Shukla would be in no position to report the crime to the police because the money involved was black.
They wanted to hit Shukla where it hurt and render him bankrupt instead of killing him. Murdering the man would be easy, but robbing his money from under his nose would not just demolish his arrogance but also make him realize that he is not as powerful or intelligent as he claims. There will be a black mark on his persona if this heist is successful, something that might force him to quit politics altogether.
The six men form an extensive plan to make sure Shukla falls for Triloki’s con as a Choona Maharaj and convince an already tensed Shukla to go for a foolproof method that would safeguard the money he had in hand. Shukla was willing to believe anything that the priest was saying to protect his political interests. Shukla’s knowledge of the subject of astrology was something the team took advantage of in the hope that the man would fall for their plot.
Meanwhile, the Pandit was instrumental in carrying out yagnas that would confirm Shukla’s downfall. Since the Pandit and Shukla had a certain belief system, their reliance on it would further help take their plan forward. The men were equally revered for the subject, and that’s why, at this point, it was a clash of intellectuals.
Was The Gang Successful In Carrying Out The Robbery?
As instructed by Choona Maharaja to Shukla, the money needed to be blessed by black sun rays, which implied that robbery would take place on the day of the solar eclipse. Meanwhile, as a political stance, Ansari had previously requested that Shukla give him a ticket to run for office from his party, which the man finally agreed to because he probably wanted to have power over him. Shukla could be gullible at this point, but he is not dumb to have asked Ansari to join his party. Shukla had bigger plans for himself by keeping Ansari by his side. Shukla wanted to evenly distribute 800 crores to eight MLAs, which could help him remove the current government from power.
We wondered what Ansari’s game plan was for joining Shukla’s political party. He either had a change of mind due to Bela’s pregnancy or was the other inside man after Bishnu who would be of assistance during the robbery. Ansari did have political ambitions, which could mean he could join any side that would benefit him the most. He had the option of forgetting his plan to avenge his uncle, the deceased Faulad Singh, and becoming a politician who also wanted to become a chief minister one day.
The team was rattled by Ansari’s plan to join Shukla, which put their heist plan in jeopardy. They had to make changes so that Ansari would not rat them out to his new boss. They had every reason to be worried because Shukla would go after every single member and make sure none of them got away alive if this robbery failed. The first two people who discovered Bishnu could speak were Jhumpa and JP, and they were in shock, which made them wonder if the man lied about everything else as well. As the robbery begins, many things go awry. Jhumpa and JP were almost arrested; meanwhile, Bishnu was rendered unconscious in his bid to drug the pet dogs. This was bound to happen because the gang did not calculate the buffer time or consider that the circumstances might go against them. It is hilarious to see them getting excited as the plan soon gets back on track.
It turns out it was Ansari who was always on the gang’s side, and this ruse to join Shukla’s party was only to gain his confidence. Ansari was a loyal man and had integrity, which made him not abandon the team that took him in the first place. He could not bear the sight of Shukla, and his revenge plan was also activated the moment the robbery began. Ansari was assigned to extract the money and important data from Shukla’s safe. To their shock, the money was safeguarded by a laser that was halted using the frequency of the walkie-talkie they carried. Once the laser was nullified, the robbery began, and they were successful in taking the 800 crore from the party office to their safe house, which is Jhumpa’s gaming parlor.
The robbery was a symbol of their rebellion against a man who was so conceited by his power that he forgot he was a common man as well before he became an influential person. He also forgot that it is people who give him power, not money. He could buy people to become the Chief Minister, but it is only elections and the vote of the common man that would decide his fate. His power-grabbing moves are a satirical take on the political climate of our country, where powerful ministers such as Shukla exist, and they do not consider the people’s mandate before destabilizing the government. They only want a democratic election when it suits their agenda. This robbery was done to prove to him that his power would never allow him to go after this money. Shukla’s smugness is the only reason behind his downfall, and this gang only took advantage of his overconfidence to carry out this heist. This robbery was their way to avenge the humiliations they faced at the hands of Shukla.
What Is The Aftermath Of The Robbery?
Choona Season 1 ends with Shukla finding out he was robbed, and it was too late to catch anyone. The whole team revealed themselves to Shukla, and he recognized only Bishnu, Ansari, and Pandit. They claim that Shukla was a common man once but forgot his roots when he became a powerful politician. This robbery was their way of reminding him of the horrible things he had done to them and other common people in his pursuit of power.
We do not think Shukla would learn anything from this robbery, and it seems he had a revenge plan in his head. Shukla may be defeated now, but he will make them pay for the ordeal he claims he was put through after the robbery. Shukla would always remain a devious man whose jail time could not change him much. He intended to run for office from his hometown and probably had plans to take on everyone he thought had wronged him. There will never be an end to this cycle. It is also understood that the Pandit was indeed in cahoots with the Chief Minister, and Shenoy, the builder, also switched sides now that Shukla was powerless and out of money. The first season of Choona ends with Shukla letting his assistant Asthana know that the war is far from over.
