Chaar Yaar Review: Purav Jha's Car-Theft Caper Starts Fast, Then Loses Control
Chaar Yaar means "four friends", and the show's one rule is spelled out in the trailer: all four in, or all out. Jay, Tony, Saahil and Sameer are childhood friends from middle-class Mumbai families in the early 2000s, short of money and long on bad ideas. One loan from the wrong man later, they are stealing imported cars for a living, and the city's police and its gangsters both want to know who they are.
The trailer passed 20 million views on Prime Video India's YouTube channel within ten days. The reviews have been less kind. Below: the story without spoilers, who plays whom, the episode guide, the team behind it, the question of a second season, and whether it's worth your weekend.
What is Chaar Yaar about?
It starts with a favour. Jay's girlfriend, Jinal, suddenly needs Rs 10 lakh, and the four friends don't have it. They borrow from Imtiaz "Imti" Engineer, a loan shark who also deals in cars and is very much a gangster, then try to multiply the money on a cricket bet. The bet comes good, but they never get to collect, and now they owe Imti money they can't repay.
Tony knows how to get into a locked car, so the plan writes itself: steal one. Their first target is a 1984 imported car that the trailer calls the Kohinoor of imported cars in Mumbai. The job works so well that Imti hires them to steal for him, for a small cut of what each car earns him, and the friends soon decide they would rather run their own operation. That puts them in the way of far bigger gangsters, a missing consignment of drugs, and Inspector Sumati Bhalerao, an honest officer whose seniors keep undermining her.
Jay narrates, and the tone moves from heist comedy in the first episodes to a much darker crime drama by the end. Reviewers have compared the mix to Dhoom's car chases crossed with Badmaash Company's friends-on-the-make story.
Chaar Yaar cast and characters
Purav Jha is the name most viewers will know. He built his following with comedy sketches online, and Chaar Yaar is a big step into mainstream acting; nearly every review singles out his Saahil as the show's most natural performance.
The police and the gangsters
Also in the cast, according to Prime Video's listing: Manav Gohil, Pankaj Jha, M. Nasser, Bhagavathi Perumal, Muskaan D. Chandra, Paresh Ganatra and Virendra Saxena. The size of the cast is one of the main complaints about the show.
Who made Chaar Yaar, and is it a true story?
Vinay Waikul directs all eight episodes. He created the show with writers Sambit Mishra and Saurabh Sawant and with S. Hussain Zaidi, the former investigative journalist behind the Mumbai crime books Black Friday and Dongri to Dubai. It is produced by Pink Window Production (P.S. Shyam, Pranati Nagarsheth and Niraj Nagarsheth) and was developed with BBC Studios India.
Zaidi's name is why many viewers ask whether it's based on real events. There's nothing to suggest it is: Prime Video presents it as an original series, and nothing in the credits points to a book or a real case. The early-2000s Mumbai setting, with its imported cars, police task forces and underworld rivalries, is what gives it a true-crime feel.
Chaar Yaar episode guide
⚠ All 8 episodes: titles, runtimes and what happens (light spoilers)Show spoilers
| Episode | Title | Runtime | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Friend in Need… | 46 min | The four friends get back together to help one of their own and come up with a plan, without realising there's no way back. |
| 2 | Badla Gear! | 39 min | Babban is furious with the boys. Nagre's gang and the crime branch are both after a criminal called Abu Quasim, while Bhalerao goes after a new car-theft gang. |
| 3 | Research. Strategy. Execution. | 43 min | Abu Quasim sends a warning. Wankhede takes over the investigation and sidelines Bhalerao. The boys accept Imti's offer, knowing it will cost them. |
| 4 | Aafat Hain Yeh Launde. | 38 min | Tired of earning so little, the friends start their own business. Babu turns a man called Muthu against Imti. |
| 5 | Jaan Bachi Par Lakhon Gaye! | 43 min | With the crime branch confused and Nagre's gang scattered, the friends use the chaos to make their move. |
| 6 | Mumbai Ka King Kaun! | 42 min | With the competition gone, the friends start to do well. Babu plans to overthrow Nagre, and Bhalerao is more determined than ever to catch the car thieves. |
| 7 | Palti Kismat! | 39 min | Babu finds out his drugs have been stolen. Jay's big plan goes wrong, Bhalerao finds a key clue, and the friends start to split apart. |
| 8 | Bang! Bang! Climax! | 36 min | Gangsters take the friends' loved ones. The four must decide whether to stand together or pay the price, as Bhalerao and Wankhede clash and Babu's Rs 120 crore drug haul hangs over everything. |
Not the same as Jahaan Chaar Yaar
If you search for the show, you'll also find Jahaan Chaar Yaar, which is a different thing entirely: a 2022 comedy film, directed by Kamal Pandey, about four married women (Swara Bhasker, Shikha Talsania, Meher Vij and Pooja Chopra) whose trip to Goa turns into a police case. It was released in cinemas on 16 September 2022. The Prime Video series has no connection to it beyond the title.
Will there be a Chaar Yaar season 2?
Nothing has been announced. Prime Video released Chaar Yaar as a single eight-episode season and hasn't said anything about renewing it. The show does leave the door open, though: reviewers have pointed out that the story seems built for a sequel, and that some characters, including an elderly couple of hired killers, look set up for more. We'll update this page if a second season is confirmed.
Chaar Yaar review: what critics are saying
“It is not bad. It is not good. It is arguably something worse: middling and overlong.”
Most reviews land between 2 and 3.5 stars, and they mostly agree on what works. The friendship is the show's best asset: the four leads have easy chemistry, the banter feels like real friends talking, and the first two episodes are quick and funny. Purav Jha gets the warmest notices for Saahil, and the period detail of early-2000s Mumbai, from the cars to the clothes, is well done.
The problem is everything that comes after. Critics say the series keeps adding new characters and subplots (romances, a pregnancy, assassins, a drug war, a cop's old flame) instead of deepening the four friends. The Hollywood Reporter India called it "a slog that's four episodes too broad", and Scroll said it has too many moving parts. Bhalerao's police story, the most promising thread in the first half, is the one most often said to drift away from the main plot, and Sai Tamhankar is widely seen as under-used. The more generous reviews still found it a well-acted, unpredictable ride.
For more Hindi shows, see our Bollywood series coverage. If you'd rather have a lighter watch, try Netflix's sitcom Chumbak; for another thriller, there's Shaque: Trust No One.
Quick answers
Where can I watch Chaar Yaar?
Only on Prime Video, where all eight episodes have been streaming since 23 October 2026. It's available in India and more than 240 other countries and territories. It isn't on Netflix.
How many episodes does Chaar Yaar have?
Eight, released together. They run between 36 and 46 minutes, about five and a half hours in total.
Who plays the four friends in Chaar Yaar?
Prayrak Mehta plays Jay, Saqib Ayub plays Tony, Purav Jha plays Saahil and Naman Jain plays Sameer.
Is Chaar Yaar based on a true story?
No. It's an original story, set in early-2000s Mumbai. Crime writer S. Hussain Zaidi is one of its creators, but nothing in the credits says it's based on one of his books or on a real case.
Is Chaar Yaar season 2 confirmed?
Not yet. Prime Video hasn't announced a second season, although the ending leaves room for one.
Is Chaar Yaar suitable for children?
No. Prime Video rates it 16+ for violence, substance use, smoking and strong language.
Is Chaar Yaar the same as Jahaan Chaar Yaar?
No. Jahaan Chaar Yaar is a 2022 comedy film starring Swara Bhasker. Chaar Yaar is a 2026 Prime Video crime series.
Spotted something out of date? Send a correction.
