A film that breaks away from the bromidic plots of the current spate of bollywood flicks, ‘Life in a Metro’ is a welcome break in meaningful commercial cinema. The story revolves around various characters who are loosely knit together. But the common thread that binds them and makes the movie course through their lives effortlessly is the fact that all these characters dwell in a metropolis. That quite explains the name ‘Life in a Metro’.
The movie has successfully and that too pretty boldly, been able to take up a burning issue that India is facing. The country is undergoing a sea change in its culture, societal norms and the value system. All generations, particularly the youth is becoming more open to western ways on all facets of life. The transformation is more evident and staggering in the metropolises.
In the backdrop of all this metamorphosis, we see the movie appreciating various complex relationships elegantly. We see a young protagonist, Rahul working in a call center with big dreams (played meticulously by Sharman Joshi) in love with a colleague Neha played by Kangana Ranaut. Neha in turn is in love and a physical relationship with her boss Ranjeet. The toughest of the characters, Kay Kay Menon again proves is mettle as an actor of pedigree by brining out the feeling of hatred towards Ranjeet through out the movie. Ranjeet is a typical Indian male without any stand in life. Immediate gratification is all that he is looking for. Ranjeet is married to Shilpa Shetty, Shikha in the movie. Ranjeet’s infidelity leads to distancing him from Shikha and all family affairs. Shikha finds solace in the company of artistically endowed and a born rebel Akash, a brilliant performance again by Shiney Ahuja.
Konkona Sen Sharma plays the role of Shruti, younger sister of Shikha and Neha’s roommate. She is eager to get married but is disenchanted with the men she meets and weary of making a mistake in her life, something that she observed in her elder sister Shikha’s married life. She meets Irfan Khan in the character of Monty through a matrimonial site and instantly grows a hatred for him, fallout of Monty’s roving eyes. Her boss later hooks her up with the radio jockey in her programme. But eventually she discovers that the RJ to hide his sexual orientation from his family has used her. Her boss and the RJ are gay partners.
The buildup between Rahul, Neha and Ranjeet is a nice reproduction of the 1960 hollywood movie, The Apartment. There is also a beautiful tryst that introduces Shivani, Shikha’s music teacher in school enacted by Nafisa Ali. Her lover from youth, Amol (played by Dharmendra) realizes the mistake of leaving her 40 years ago and wants to come back to her to spend his last days of life together. He is suffering from a fatal ailment. The moments they share together and their conversations are a treat to the mind and an outlook for people on the subject of relationships beyond time.
An excellent drama, director Anurag Basu is able to hold the attention and fill up a viewer with apprehension, hatred and liking for various characters in the film. A master storyteller Anurag Basu has been wonderfully able to blend all characters with the movie progressing along the lives of these people unbroken. Another point where the movie scores is mindfully thought symbolization. When Shruti’s gay boss is trying to manipulate her to hook up with the RJ, a poster of Brokeback Mountain in the backdrop sends subtle signals. The music is refreshingly different, rock, at times loud and yet fitting in all sequences. The perpetual rain throughout the movie is a strong pointer to the turbulence that all relationships are going through.
The movie comes to a happy ending, in ‘compliance’ with the trend in Indian cinema. Neha and Rahul are together and Shruti finds love with Monty. Though Shivani dies leaving Amol alone, death of one of partners was always eminent. The movie had been successful in highlighting the turmoil in lives of people, living in metros in particular. Nevertheless, the story has a few fantastic scenes like the one when Rahul tries to fix up a rendezvous for one of his seniors at his apartment. What seems like the whole world is cheating on his / her partner. Though extra-ordinary in nature, such extravagances can be taken in positive light when movies become a medium to drive a point home.
With all goodies strewn in the film with emphatic characterization by the cast, the film was a spoilsport on one aspect. Though this view is inherently personal, Shikha’s fate of knuckling to family’s bonds is an antithesis to the overall perspective of the movie. This happens after her husband cheats on her, further insulting her and doubting her chastity when she tells about her almost innocent affair with Akash. Shikha calmly settles with her family after biding a ‘goodbye’ to Akash who is moving to Dubai and eager to take on the responsibility of Shikha’s daughter. The movie sadly reinstates the sacrosanct view of an Indian marriage, even if the partner (most of the times the woman) is suffocating in the relationship.
With so many radical thoughts and ideas introduced in the movie, Mr. Basu would have done better to portray an emancipated, married Indian woman, at least as a prototype to follow.
A must watch for anyone with a heart and mind, or any of the two.
The movie has successfully and that too pretty boldly, been able to take up a burning issue that India is facing. The country is undergoing a sea change in its culture, societal norms and the value system. All generations, particularly the youth is becoming more open to western ways on all facets of life. The transformation is more evident and staggering in the metropolises.
In the backdrop of all this metamorphosis, we see the movie appreciating various complex relationships elegantly. We see a young protagonist, Rahul working in a call center with big dreams (played meticulously by Sharman Joshi) in love with a colleague Neha played by Kangana Ranaut. Neha in turn is in love and a physical relationship with her boss Ranjeet. The toughest of the characters, Kay Kay Menon again proves is mettle as an actor of pedigree by brining out the feeling of hatred towards Ranjeet through out the movie. Ranjeet is a typical Indian male without any stand in life. Immediate gratification is all that he is looking for. Ranjeet is married to Shilpa Shetty, Shikha in the movie. Ranjeet’s infidelity leads to distancing him from Shikha and all family affairs. Shikha finds solace in the company of artistically endowed and a born rebel Akash, a brilliant performance again by Shiney Ahuja.
Konkona Sen Sharma plays the role of Shruti, younger sister of Shikha and Neha’s roommate. She is eager to get married but is disenchanted with the men she meets and weary of making a mistake in her life, something that she observed in her elder sister Shikha’s married life. She meets Irfan Khan in the character of Monty through a matrimonial site and instantly grows a hatred for him, fallout of Monty’s roving eyes. Her boss later hooks her up with the radio jockey in her programme. But eventually she discovers that the RJ to hide his sexual orientation from his family has used her. Her boss and the RJ are gay partners.
The buildup between Rahul, Neha and Ranjeet is a nice reproduction of the 1960 hollywood movie, The Apartment. There is also a beautiful tryst that introduces Shivani, Shikha’s music teacher in school enacted by Nafisa Ali. Her lover from youth, Amol (played by Dharmendra) realizes the mistake of leaving her 40 years ago and wants to come back to her to spend his last days of life together. He is suffering from a fatal ailment. The moments they share together and their conversations are a treat to the mind and an outlook for people on the subject of relationships beyond time.
An excellent drama, director Anurag Basu is able to hold the attention and fill up a viewer with apprehension, hatred and liking for various characters in the film. A master storyteller Anurag Basu has been wonderfully able to blend all characters with the movie progressing along the lives of these people unbroken. Another point where the movie scores is mindfully thought symbolization. When Shruti’s gay boss is trying to manipulate her to hook up with the RJ, a poster of Brokeback Mountain in the backdrop sends subtle signals. The music is refreshingly different, rock, at times loud and yet fitting in all sequences. The perpetual rain throughout the movie is a strong pointer to the turbulence that all relationships are going through.
The movie comes to a happy ending, in ‘compliance’ with the trend in Indian cinema. Neha and Rahul are together and Shruti finds love with Monty. Though Shivani dies leaving Amol alone, death of one of partners was always eminent. The movie had been successful in highlighting the turmoil in lives of people, living in metros in particular. Nevertheless, the story has a few fantastic scenes like the one when Rahul tries to fix up a rendezvous for one of his seniors at his apartment. What seems like the whole world is cheating on his / her partner. Though extra-ordinary in nature, such extravagances can be taken in positive light when movies become a medium to drive a point home.
With all goodies strewn in the film with emphatic characterization by the cast, the film was a spoilsport on one aspect. Though this view is inherently personal, Shikha’s fate of knuckling to family’s bonds is an antithesis to the overall perspective of the movie. This happens after her husband cheats on her, further insulting her and doubting her chastity when she tells about her almost innocent affair with Akash. Shikha calmly settles with her family after biding a ‘goodbye’ to Akash who is moving to Dubai and eager to take on the responsibility of Shikha’s daughter. The movie sadly reinstates the sacrosanct view of an Indian marriage, even if the partner (most of the times the woman) is suffocating in the relationship.
With so many radical thoughts and ideas introduced in the movie, Mr. Basu would have done better to portray an emancipated, married Indian woman, at least as a prototype to follow.
A must watch for anyone with a heart and mind, or any of the two.
P.S. Few insights are credited to my well-informed and diligent friend Mr. Abhishek Das. An avid blogger himself, you can read him up at http://www.baghorchhagi.blogspot.com
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