I was initially sceptical of watching LIFE.in a Metro as I realized from its trailers that its again an attempt to tell multiple parallel stories in a single film, like Salaame Ishq, Honeymoon Travels.
But then, after reading the reviews in TOI n mouthshut, n watching reviews on NDTV, I decided to give it a go.
Well, to my surprise, the screenplay is refreshingly well crafted. The way all the stories are presented by the director Anuraag Basu is commendeble.
The plots of the individual stories are not very new or uncommon though. I got to know that parts of the film, played by Sharman Joshi, Kangana Ranaut & Kay Kay are inspired by the 1960’s hollywood film, The Apartment.
But credit goes to Mr Basu for presenting the stories in an innovative manner.
Another selling point of the movie is the experimental music scores by Pritam which has a college band music kind of feel to it. I must say, the music sounded real good in the theatre.
The movie potrays that a Metropolitan city takes away a lot of things from you as much as it gives you the comforts & pleasures of life.
This is illustrated by the stories of the individuals being told in the film.
The best act in the movie is by Sharman Joshi. who’s character is highly ambitious. The best dialogue told by him. which I felt. is this. when Kay Kay asks him, dont you think you are running too fast.? To this, Sharman answers that. Life is a race & we are racing here. n not going on a morning walk:)
This reflects the attitude of today’s youth and rightly so.
But as the story takes its course, Sharman is made to realise that after all, life is not just about minting money. working against true values n virtues of life.
The other best performances come from Konkana n Irffan. The two are well past their ages of getting married, in search of finding a perfect partner, happen to meet each other & gradually realise that, it is after all, not a perfect world where you can find a perfect human being. Sometimes, you have to listen to your hearts & go by its gut feeling and take a chance in choosing your partner.
Kay Kay and Shilpa Shetty are married since 8 years and have a kid but they have lost their love for each other amidst the fast paced lifestyle of living in a METRO. Long working hours, stressful jobs to meet their comfort needs of life. to be able to pay their EMI’s, have taken its toll on the couple who slide into having extra-marital affairs. The performances by both Kay Kay n Shilpa are real good.
The movie is rated A by the censor board, & rightly so. as it is meant for the mature audience and must admit that there are a few steamy scenes in the movie which are sensitively n asthetically picturised. Its in no way obscense or vulgar from the point of view of a multiplex audience.
Now coming to the minuses of the film, the characters played by Shiney Ahuja, Dharmendra n nafisa Ali required to be groomed in a more effective way. This was bound to happen in a movie where there are parellel lines of stories being told in a single movie, or else it would have ended up being a lengthier film which would have blurred the effectiveness and slickness of the film.
In conclusion, Metro is a real refreshing flick from Anuraag Basu and its worth the money you pay for your tickets.