Plot: It starts with those typical girl-learning-to-drive-collides-with-the-hero-falls-in-love-hero-goes-away storylines we know to be so common in Bollywood. The twist right before the interval! And then the prestige of the hero and then they fall in love again. So typical, right? Trust me, it isn’t!
Cinematography and Direction: The first half of the movie, though slow, is beautiful in the period setup and those few delicately handled romantic scenes. The authentic Bengali setup, with its vibrant colours and intricate sculpture cannot be missed. The second half is where the brilliance of the movie starts. Like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black, this movie takes beautiful form in the second half. Every act in the first half starts having more relevance in the second. Each moment is revisited, though in a changed scenario. And the way the climax is handled – pure brilliance!
Acting: Ranveer and Sonakshi are good, the real ‘hero’ of the movie is the direction, though.
Music and Lyrics: Amit Trivedi does make it a tad too exciting in places, but overall, is brilliant. The movie has no “songs”, only background score. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there is a beautiful line, so delicately woven in the storyline, that you will go WOW!!.
Zinda hoon main, kaafi hai…
Overall: The movie progresses at a very very slow pace. So slow, you can go for a tea break and you wouldn’t have missed anything even if you decided to have some samosas along with it. But then, that is where the brilliance lies! Each scene has so many details, so intricate that you will realise their presence only after you exit the theatre. This movie will linger with you – you will either hate it for the slow pace, or love it for the direction and cinematography.
