It seldom happens that you expect a lot from a movie and you don’t get disappointed after watching it. I had found director Anurag Basu’s earlier movies average. Even a movie like "Gangster" couldn’t impress me much (I agree it was a well-made movie). However, with a fabulous and huge cast in "Life in a metro", my expectations had risen. The movie gives what it promises - excellent performances. Movies having multiple plots have been made earlier but this is the best attempt so far. The flick depicts the life of people in Mumbai very well.
We have Konkona Sen Sharma who plays the role of a working woman (working in a radio station). She is single, virgin and frustrated! Through a matrimonial site, she meets up Irrfan Khan who is a pervert. She rejects him and tries for her colleague (with help from her boss), on whom she has a huge crush. Later, she finds out that the guy is a gay and is even sleeping around with the boss (reminiscent of Madhur Bhandarkar’s "Page 3")! She then falls for Irrfan. Konkona’s elder sister is a Shilpa Shetty here. She is unhappily married to Kay Kay Menon, a chauvinist. Kay Kay is sleeping around with a subordinate (Kangana Ranaut, who happens to be Konkona’s room-mate) who in turn is doing so for perks and promotions. Sharman Joshi works in the same call-centre.
He is in love with Kangana, even after knowing about her relationship with his boss. He is compromising for the same reason - perks and promotions (ofcourse not by sleeping around but by renting his flat to his superiors including Kay Kay). Shilpa learns about her hubby’s whereabouts. She gets into a relationship with a struggling actor (Shiney Ahuja, who has been dumped by his wife because he is a loser) but doesn’t cross her limits ("bharatiya naari"and all that shit!). There is also a very warm sub-plot starring Dharmendra and Nafisa Ali. Dharam "paaji" comes to India to spend the last few years of his life with his long-lost sweetheart (Nafisa Ali). They start living-in but fate has other plans.
All the performances are good. But I was disappointed to watch Shiney and Kangana. They are the best newcomers in the hindi film industry but they have been underutilised here. They don’t have a single scene together and we miss the onscreen chemistry they shared in " Woh lamhe". The best performances come from Irrfan and Konkona. Irrfan does a fabulous job and is hilarious. He is one of the finest actors we have today. The two of them share a very good onscreen chemistry and you tend to compare it with those of SRK-Kajol and Saif-Rani. Sharman Joshi delivers his best performance so far. We all know that his comic timing is good. Here, he also makes us feel for him apart from keeping us in splits. Shilpa looks very beautiful (she rarely looks good!) and acts well but she was better in Revathy’s "Phir milenge".
Kay Kay leaves an impact with a role he has done before (in Kalid Mohammed’s "Silsiilay"). You start detesting him. Such is the power of his performance here. Again, he is one of the better actors we have around. Nafisa Ali is passable. It might sound strange but Dharmenra gives one of his finest performances till date in a supporting role. His entry scene is really good and the man still looks so handsome. He is a better actor than the overrated Big B. The direction is terrific. However, the Sharman Joshi plot is heavily inspired by a hollywood movie - "The apartment". It seems that Mr. Basu is going the Madhur Bhandarkar-way but he does well. He deserves a pat. The cinematography in "Gangster" was better. The same goes for the music. Music by Pritam is a disappointment. Only one track ("Alvida") can be called good. Any flaws? Yes. The "metro band" irritates. The climax could have been better. It is quite "filmi" but enjoyable. I also felt that Shilpa should have chosen Shiney in the end.
"Life in a metro" will make you jump with joy and at the same time, feel for the characters. Each and every actor leaves an impact and this is the main reason why I’ll go the the extent of calling it a cult film. A must-watch!