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Highway (Film Review)

In bondage, she found freedom

  


Highway - The movie

As soon as the trailers of this ambitious venture of producer Sajid Nadiadwala and writer director Imtiaz Ali were out for the audience, the film generated buzz; be it for its casting – the unconventional lead pair or the contemporary storyline.  (Highway Film Review)

After all the anticipation, one thing was sure, Highway had to prove its worth to the audiences.

The movie commences with a young rich city girl Veera Tripathi (played by Alia Bhatt) about to get married. Just a few days before her wedding she convinces her fiancé to take her for a late night drive to get away and take a break from all the customs and preparations.

Despite continuous warnings from her fiancé, she insists on driving till the highway, much to his dismay for it being an unsafe area to drive on especially at the time. Little did she know that one drive could change not only her entire life but also would change her.

Highway is the story of Veera who, though belonging to one of the most powerful and rich families of the country believes in the “simplicity of life” and the “simple pleasures that life has to offer” much in contradiction to her world and hence feels trapped and suffocated in her huge mansion and wishes to get out and breathe in the fresh air she never seemed to get in the city. It’s the story of her abduction and the journey she goes through in finding her true self and finally living the life she had always craved.

Gradually, a strange bond begins to develop between the victim and the oppressor. It is in this captivity that she, for the first time, feels free. She does not want to go back but she also doesn’t want to reach where he is taking her. She wishes this journey to never end.

Alia Bhatt as the lead Veera, is surprising and refreshing. She plays the character remarkably well and makes one feel every emotion she experiences, she makes you laugh with her, cry with her and even enjoy with her. Her cries for help make you feel the pain she feels and even the helplessness she experiences. At times she seems to resemble Kareena in Jab We Met, but then again brings her original feel to the scenes. She has definitely far left behind her “baby-doll/glam-doll” image from her first film and has taken over this performance oriented role very well.

Randeep Hooda as Mahabir (Veera’s kidnapper) is phenomenal in his role. He brings with him, the rawness required by the role- from his appearance and dialogue delivery to his mannerisms, everything screams perfection. he must be given great credit for making the film what it is and brings his own charm to the role which even though may make you hate him at first, will also makes you feel sympathetic towards him. He has proved that he is a great performer and should be awarded the credit he deserves rightfully.

Imtiaz Ali as the writer and the director of the film has done an extraordinary job. He has managed to put together such unlikely characters and nonetheless also managed to create a beautiful bond between them.

As in all his movies, Imtiaz has yet again ascertained that he masters the ability to capture India in the most surreal manner and depicts the landscapes so well that one seem to loose themselves in the scenes. There are glimpses of Jab We Met in this film, sometimes in the characters and sometimes in the landscape yet it is an original piece of art.
A.R. Rehman’s music and background score adds to the serenity of the film and furthers the meaning and emotions in each scene. The soundtrack of the film; though lacking the item numbers; is an assortment of soothing tracks.

This film is an invigorating change from the “masala-films” tradition which seem to have taken over Bollywood. At the end of the film, it leaves a tear in your eye and a smile on your face.

It’s an indie/ art house cinema type of a film and will be enjoyed by the section of audience which appreciates this genre but may not be well accepted by the main-stream film lovers as the film lacks those dumdaar dialogues and item numbers.

Click on the Thumbnails for Enlarged Pics:

 

Cast:
Alia Bhatt (Veera Tripathi),
Randeep Hooda (Mahabir Bhati)

Crew:
Presented by – Sajid Nadiadwala
Released by UTV MOTION PICTURES
Produced by – Window Seat Films
Directed By — Imtiaz Ali
Music – A R Rahman
Cinematography – Anil Mehta
Lyricist – Irshad Kamil
Editing – Aarti Bajaj
Sound Design – Resul Pookutty
Costume Design – Aki Narula
Production Design – Acropolis
Publicity Design – Rahul & Himanshu Nanda
Marketing & P.R. – Mohit Choudhary
Highway (Film Review)