LIFE IN A METRO… a review

LIFE IN A METRO… a review

Chatting with a friend, she quoted, about the big mean city of Mumbai.. ‘ye shahar jitna deta hai us se kai jyada leta hai!!’ and this set us discussing the movie METRO.

I watched it just a couple of days back and expected it to be a heavy one but it was so amazingly light… just the way it should have been. I found myself agreeing and nodding on many occasions. Rarely happens these days with movies.

Each of the characters are well thought of and well portrayed, the humor is played down and perfectly executed on screen. The character Monty played by Irfan Khan is absolutely hilarious…his down to earth practical way with life, from making a job recommendation effortlessly to his boss on the phone, teaching Shruti (konkona sen) how to get her anger off her chest, conning her into shopping for his would be bride. All were absolutely amazing and he makes his way slowly and surely into your heart and into Shruti’s heart as well. From a prospective suitor whom she rejects he turns into the love of her life!!

Shikha (Shilpa Shetty) and Ranjit (Kay Kay Menon) play a married couple with a kid. Both have made extremely good performances. Kay Kay is the cheating male who convinces himself that he has every right to be happy and if this can be accomplished without hurting another then what could be better. Shikha trapped in a marriage which she describes aptly in two powerful sentences…‘shaadi aur kuch sikhaye na sikhaye, acting karna jaroor sikha deti hai’ and the complete loneliness expressed by ‘ ab hamari khamoshi bhi aapas mein jhagda karti hai’…while Ranjit feels completely justified having an affair with Neha, his subordinate at work, (Kangana Ranawat) Shikha is devastated by her love for the soft spoken, gentle and sensitive Aakash (Shiny Ahuja)

Rahul – a young man (Sharman Joshi) Ranjit’s subordinate who holds the magical key to many influential bosses, cheating on their wives. He loves Neha and is devastated by the knowledge of her being used by and using the boss Ranjit. Things come a full circle when Neha and Ranjit stand exposed to Neha’s room mate and Shikha’s sister Shruti..

Two other characters who portray the idealistic love that knows nothing and believes nothing else are Shivani (Nafeesa ali) and Amol (Dharamendra)… no questions asked, no undying declarations of love, no promises of until death do us apart. Just a quiet assumption and assurance and the power of love to out shadow all others. Magical..almost unreal amidst the midst of the sordid dependencies..

Finale….
1. Ranjit confessing to his wife Shikha of his relationship with Neha, Shikha looks guiltier and confesses to her love for Aakash (which never was consummated) but Shikha giving up love for marriage and family and stays.
2. Neha realizes her folly and goes after Rahul. Rahul quits his job as a manager of others affairs among other duties!!
3. Shruti realizes she actually loves Monty, and chooses to declare her love while the poor guy is riding on a horse back with sehera and on his way to his own marriage..!! Better late than never as they say.
4. The sad part with Shivani passing away leaving Amol guilty as ever to have left his love in search of the worldly pleasures in life.

Finally, for me the movie took me back to monsoons in Mumbai city… crowded streets, people waking unfazed with umbrellas, unstopping by the rain and the incessant pitter patter stopping for no one. The buses and trains and auto rickshaws bring the city back to everyone who has ever lived there in full dose of poignant memories.

By Prakruti–http://doorgagankichaonmain.blogspot.com/