Suchin Mehrotra reviews Chaar Yaar, the eight-episode crime thriller from creators Sambit Mishra, Vinay Waikul, S Hussain Zaidi and Saurabh Sawant, streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Set in Mumbai in 2001, the series follows four childhood friends played by Saqib Ayub, Purav Jha, Naman Jain and Prayrak Mehta as they enter the carjacking business and find themselves navigating a world of gangsters and cops.
Suchin finds a promising premise weighed down by generic characters, unconvincing chemistry between the friends and an intrusive voiceover that explains every beat. The power struggles among the established crime lords offer a more compelling parallel story, while Rajesh Tailang’s casting as a crooked encounter cop provides a refreshing change of pace. But the sprawling ensemble, repetitive plotting and lacklustre heists leave the series struggling to sustain its eight episodes. The THR Bottomline: Chaar Yaar wants to be a chaotic high-speed chase but refuses to go past second gear.