Life in a Metro (2007)

Very Cool!!!

An action-packed slog

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This movie is one of the rare gems that depicts the real life situations which are encountered in Modern India. It had from a age old love story to a woman's frustration in marriage. One of the sub-plots involving Kay Kay Menon, Kangana Ranaut and Sharman Joshi is based on 1960 movie 'The Apartment' starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley Maclaine. Konkana Sen once again proves and she is getting better and better with each film. Shilpa Shetty plays a confused wife whereas Kangana Ranaut is a perfect combination of beauty (she looks great with straightened hair) and her ability to bring out the dark side of human emotions. Kay Kay Menon is versatile and this movie is being a classic example. With respect to the sub-plots adopted in this movie, extra marital affairs, sexual favors to climb up the corporate ladder, appeasing the boss for promotion, and sexual preferences are facts of our modern life. Just to include the simplicity, the love story between Dharmendra and Nafisa Ali is beautifully constructed and proves among chaos, love is always pristine.

The title of this movies gives an idea of the setup of the movie. City of Mumbai with local trains, clubs, shopping malls, cell phones, rain and good looking people on the street are the basic assumptions behind the title. What the story brings is an interwoven but not complicated lifestyle of about a dozen characters. Shikha (Shilpa Shetty) is married to Ranjeet (Kay Kay Menon) who is having a no strings attached romance with Neha (Kangana Ranawat) who is sharing her apartment with Shruti (Konkona Sen-Sharma) who is not just Shikha's sister but is also having a buddy Monty (Irfan Khan) who previously got acquainted with Shruti as an arranged marriage proposals while Neha is stalked by Rahul (Sharman Joshi) who works at a call center under the supervision of Ranjeet. Is that all? Actually no. Shikha, after the disappointment from her marriage with Ranjeet, is having a 'butterflies-in-the-stomach' romance with Akash (Shiny Ahuja).I think that sums it up. Now the question is what next? I guess thats when Anurag Basu (writer and director) starts his imagination or experiences with relationships. Compared to his previous project, Gangster (2006), the script of 'METRO' is rather crispier and the characters look more intelligent and believable. Even though there are almost 6 parallel stories in the script there is not a single time when it confuses. From the introduction of all to the finales writer keeps you on the same page as his. The ambiguities of extramarital and unsure relationships are well written. Although initial fast pace of the script in the first 1 hr. drags a lot in the later half. The melodramatic finales of different couples are laughable. Save Shikha and Akash's temptations and anxieties. In a way this movie has almost nothing new to offer. What actually it offers is Shilpa Shetty's comeback and she perhaps steals the show with her looks. What accompanies is Shiny Ahuja (alway impressive) and Konkona Sen. Surprise package includes Sharman Joshi's ambitious character. His story with Kangana Ranawat (another 'for your eyes only') reminds of Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla in Yes Boss (1997). Also why there was the story of vintage actor Dharmendra and Nafisa Ali??? Music score by Pritam will add a star to this movie. The picturization of these songs is also a fresh new way as opposed to the same old aerobics or dramatic styles. Direction of few scenes, like the erotic sequence of Shikha and Akash uses a good mixture of lights and shadows which also is pretty well acted by the two. Last but not the least Irfan Khan's Monty is quite memorable. He is funny as hell.In and all the stories have been seen and heard before but fresh new faces including Shilpa Shetty and a nicely written screenplay will make this one a good experience. Worth a look with some popcorns and a gulp.Rating: 5/10.

Okay, just try and get past the corny title (Life in a metro? I mean come on... the working title was much better) the film at least has some substance, I'll give it that but it's much too much as well as much too little. It's generally a voyeuristic peer into the lives of a bunch of city dwellers as played out by a stellar list of Bollywood veterans and newcomers alike. Everyone from Big Brother's triumphant winner Shilpa Shetty as a woman trapped in a loveless marriage, to Bollywood royalty Dharmendra who stars as a man who has loved and lost rather than to have never loved at all. For the most part the script is solid it's just the execution that is quite contrived and uneven to say the least. Over-acting as well as over confidence ruins any hope you may want to have to Konkona Sen Sharma's essaying the role of Shruti Ghosh, a 30-year-old virgin looking for her Mr. Right. Shruti is also sister to Shetty's Shikha Kapoor (a role Shetty handles quite well). Shikha Kapoor is married to Ranjeet Kapoor (played by Kay Kay Menon) who is having an affair with a junior worker in his company, Neha (played by Kangana Renaut)who is room-mates with Shruti. I hope you're getting the CRASH a la BABEL similarities. Irfan Khan is also along for the ride as Shruti's happy-go-lucky love interest and Dhamendra comes in a Shruti & Shikha's aunt's long-lost lover. Shiny Ahuja plays a drifter who falls for Shikha and for there on it's all a back and forth masala of the days in the lives of all these people.Perhaps the best part of ...Metro is the awesome soundtrack, the actual singers of the songs appear at carefully interjected moments in the film rendering songs very poignant to each at every scene preceding their appearance. It's a very unconventional but a very much welcome addition to the Bollywood film-making.Each storyline could have been a film of its own and you can tell by the way the film begins to drag on at some points or if you're left with an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach by the time the credits start to role. The normally brilliant Anurag Basu (Gangster, Saaya & Murder) is at the helm but even he seems to have gotten overwhelmed with the overflow of story lines, plots and characters. It's meant to be a film but it seems like pure voyeurism, like a reality series set to celluloid.I guess the moral of the story is that history is doomed to repeat itself if people don't impact change.I give Life in a Metro, a C- in the Metro.

It should rather be titled "Love life in a Metro" or more appropriate " Loveless Life in a Metro". Multiple stories, Multiple tracks and common problem is "Love', especially "illegitimate" or "imperfect" love. The approach is nothing new and result was a disaster in earlier films-Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Salaam E Ishq etc. But here the circumstances, the ambiance is treated with panache making audience relate to the stories and therefore it succeeds. The film is able to catch the pulse of the city quite well for example how monsoon plays a role in getting otherwise reluctant people take notice of others etc. is all quite vibrant. The pace is fast, crisp and handling is taut. The way the songs are used in the form of a rock band with source of songs shown on screen is all very innovative. Another success in films dealing with realistic themes is when they are shot well and here once again Cinematographer Bobby Singh scores. But overall the magic and charisma of Director Anurag Basu in his previous, the superbly crafted Gangster is missing here. First half itself completes the story. Therefore somehow the film is not able to sustain its momentum in the second half and that becomes rather predictable. All lead actors have performed well. Dharminder-Nafisa Ali's love story is under-developed. Shilpa Shetty came across as Ms. Goody two shoes, a custodian of morality and her husband Kaykay as MCP Monster size, so there is some mismatch evident in characterization. My observation- A Wife stylishly dress in designer Kurtis and frocks whose top executive husband travels by business class, pays an EMI of 40K per month for flat, will rarely travel by a bus or a local train. My take is it would have been okay if the film left open ended without resolving the individual crises. The way Irrfan-Konkana 's story resolved is complete bollywood and out of place. Even the way Kangana runs out of a car has more drama than reason. Overlooking all this, nevertheless, it is a sensible cinema though not great but thought-provoking, relevant, contemporary and above all refreshing.