The Good Road
Film: Highway
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Alia Bhatt
Directed by: Imtiaz Ali
Duration: 2 hrs
Rating: * * *
Director Imtiaz Ali steps out of
his comfort zone to make a film that attempts to stray away from the weekly
Bollywood fare. The result is mixed, while you appreciate the attempt, the
script doesn’t have enough fire-power to push it
in to the big league. Nevertheless, here is a
film that either you might love or ‘not like it so much’. There will be a few
reservations but chances of detesting it are slim and not many films fall in
that bracket these days.
On the positive side, there is a
lot to be admired. This is one of the most beautifully shot films in recent
times and Alia Bhatt as an actress springs up a surprise. She plays Veera
Tripathi who gets abducted by Mahabir (Randeep Hooda) just before her wedding.
The kidnapper with his gang (a terrific ensemble cast) keeps moving from one place to another giving ample scope
for a road movie.
Even though she is captive, she
starts enjoying her ‘freedom’ from her family and
it is not too long before the Stockholm syndrome kicks in. In Hollywood
we have seen more than a dozen films on this subject and though it is not a
first in India
(Subhash Ghai’s Hero is perhaps the most popular film), it is not explored in
depth here.
Being a thoroughbred criminal she
has no qualms about it; he is a hard nut to crack but gives in eventually. The
two are on the run, moving from one place to another till they settle down in
one place and the second half of the film is more like a promotion for Himachal
Pradesh Tourism. Visually it does look gorgeous but it does not do the story a
world of good.
The finale where some
uncomfortable secrets are revealed also stretches on after the point is made
and I wish the film had ended a few minutes before it actually did, at the high point.
But again, the film holds your
attention even when it is not all gung-ho. There are some splendid set pieces,
like the one where she breaks into an impromptu dance to an English song. If
you dig deep into the issues brought up here, you might draw a few blanks (like
the girl suddenly discovering a new world out there) but the point about the
dangers at home and outside are well intended, a little subtlety would have
helped though.
A.R. Rahman’s score is music to
ears and veteran Anil Mehta’s cinematography is clearly one of the assets of
the film. Add to it the cast - Durgesh Kumar (as the sidekick) and Saharsh
Kumar Shukla (as the creepy gang member) are unknown names, but they deliver a
remarkable performance.
Randeep Hooda plays his part well, his character
demands that he grimace for most parts in the film, which he does with
conviction. Student of the Year was not an ideal film to show her talent but
Alia Bhatt proves she has that spark in her and credit should also be given to
Imtiaz Ali for extracting a superlative performance.
You may not go gaga over this Highway but overall, it is not
a bad trip at all.
Published in The Navhind Times on 23rd Feb 2014
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