Metro (2007)
Heavy rains and people traveling through the city of Mumbai and the credit roll on. “Metro” takes on a wonderful start. The characters are introduced during the credits. I was quite skeptic about watching Anurag Basu’s “Metro” but I have to admit that I enjoyed it.
The story of Metro is of different people and their relations, running parallel and linking to each other.
Ranjeet and Shikha live a loveless marriage. Ranjeet finds pleasure but not love in his colleague, Neha. Neha’s colleague, Rahul loves her and has big aspirations. He lends his flat to his bosses to carry on their sexual escapades and extra marital affairs. Shikha’s Sister, Shruti works in a radio station and is desperate to get married. She is searching for her love through matrimony sites and meets Debu. She is also falling for the RJ at the radio station. Shikha meanwhile finds solace and emotional support in Akash, a struggling actor who’s wife had left him. Shikha also visits her dance teacher, Vaijanti in the old age home. Vaijanti has a teenage love, Amol who visits her after many years and both rediscover their lost love.
The story reads like countless soap operas on television and still is quite simple when you see it on screen. The stories run parallel and at most time interlinking with each other. Anurag Basu has written and directed the movie and he almost gets it perfect where Nikhil Advani failed in “Salaam-E-Ishq”, where Reema Kagti failed in “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Limited”, where Meghna Gulzar failed in “Just Married”. The idea was to show different stories and churn out a single story instead of each story looking like a different episode.
The stories range from a failed marriage, to finding love, to extra-marital relations to long lost love to a humorous spouse finding story. Although most of the stories are predictable, Anurag Basu weaves them into a single enjoyable movie. The pace does not slackens anywhere. There is drama, emotions and humor too.
Kay Kay Menon plays Ranjeet and he plays the character quite effectively of a MCP. Shilpa Shetty plays Shikha his wife. She acts well if not good. Shiney Ahuja plays Akash, the struggling actor. He excels in that small underdeveloped role too. Their story is quite predictable. The end to thier story was not a logical one but maybe a cinematic one.
Neha is played by Kangana Ranaut. All the movies she had done earlier including Gangster and Woh Lamhe, she plays a mentally unstable person or acts like one. Here too she almost goes to that mode. What’s with her playing such a character every time?
Sharman Joshi plays Rahul, Neha’s colleague. After RDB, he plays a small but significantly good role, a person who believes in doing everything to get ahead. Again a predictable plot, a predictable story but again made good by Kangana and Sharman’s performance.
Nafisa Ali plays Vaijanti, Shikha’s dance teacher. She does ok. Dharmendra comes bac after a long time to play Amol, Vaijanti’s long lost love. The director was bold enough to show a kiss between the old couple. Their story could have been given a little more importance and maybe handled differently.
The main attraction of the movie is Irfan Khan playing Debu and Konkana Sen Sharma playing Shruthi, Shikha’s sister. Without them the movie would have been quite heavy with almost becoming an over emotional affair. Both share a good chemistry and it shows in the movie. This is where Anurag Basu excels as a writer.
Look at the scene when Konkana is angry at every male she knows and Irfan takes her to the terrace. He tell her to shout and let the anger out. Watch the scene when Konkana shouts and breaks down. The scene ends on a funny note when Irfan tells her
“Tumhari servicing ho gayi” (Your servicing is done) and this is without the scene losing its impact. Even the climax scene between the two has a comic touch.
The music is good and some of the songs are good too. They gel quite well with the story and thankfully, there was no running around trees. Although it appear quite a new experiment showing the band singing on rooftops, rain and railway station.
Metro explores relationships without making a classic. Its not a classic but at the end of the movie, its still a good movie. Anurag Basu does not crowd the movie and keeps the movie within a descent 2 hours. It is much better than the stories that have come in recent weeks.
I liked the movie and I would rate it at 8/10 even extending it to 8.5/10
Rating: 8/10
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18 Responses to “Metro (2007)”
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very poor appreciation.nothing new you wrote.do some homework.
As the movie itself, the review is simple yet honest and somehow comes thru!
AND those three guys in black haunted me through the film and even later.. was he making a music video for them???
the last 15 minutes grows on u and u forgive the other lifting and ripping and silly stuff that you’ve seen before in the film..
thanks to the music, shilpa’s new found popularity or plain simple UTV’s brilliant marketing strategy - the movie is a big hit here in NY/USA
and i think it was very well made…
smooth flow… awesome music/performances…
anurag basu rocks!
jai mata di - msKatohora
- ajay, PFC - as much as it is about the filmmakers and related media writing on it is also about the daily working guy and girl coming here to express their views and thoughts about cinema. It is not about creating great articles here, rather it is about enjoying a platform with the everyday guy and girl to talk about cinema as if we all are sitting in the same living room. We don’t go for Pulitzer level speeches when we talk to friends over tea while discussing cinema… do we?
Punds is one of the first who stood by me and gave me his constant support when PFC was being built from scratch. He “has” done his homework
as always, nice, simple review punds
ajay.. you: :-@
us: |-)
Thank you shruti
Feenix
It looked like Anurag basu was making a video for them but it was different and actually they made me like the songs of Metro. I had not heard the songs before that.
Manan
I totally agree. Smooth flow, good music and good acting
Oz
Thanks a lot.
Striker
Thank you
Ajay
The last comment was for you. I am no film critic but I am a viewer and I write what I feel while watching the movie. It is possible that my view may match with another viewer but that does not have to affect my views. If you do not find this view informative or adding much value, it would have been appreciated if you could add your views in comments.
-Punds
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/may/14box.htm
**********
Metro, GBBB open poorly
The lean period at the box office continues as last week’s releases — Life In A… Metro and Good Boy Bad Boy — did not click.
Metro was a superficial film with few gags and nothing else. Good Boy Bad Boy was a loser from day one.
***********
hey nice review……… do bother to check out my review tooo. …… http://movietonic.com/2007/05/13/review-life-in-a-metro/
i feel that its an open forum …where we can express our views.
if you all like only good words…then i must write your article was great.be happy,write more and ek-doosre ki peeth sahlao.
thanks oz,thanks striker for reminding me its MUTUAL ADMIRATION FORUM.
ajay:
it is as u said an open forum
everyone is welcome to comment without getting personal. and so, you will get comments going against your observations as well.
no mutual admiration soceity here boss…
chill
ajay // don’t get emotional. this forum IS free and open to all those who are willing to avoid obnoxious conduct and follow the forum rules, however please be mindful of the fact that it is not a chat room. which means, you can post your views and opine on writings. however it also means that you will have to be respectful of other posters - no personal attacks. there are a few rules of conduct that we all need to adhere to. we all break rules occasionally, by mistake, and that is tolerated - the offending post, trolls, even from pfc members, could be deleted though. but repeat offenderswill be barred from posting on the forum going forward, and will have their IP and other personal details published on the site by the admins. oz and striker are pfc admins (forum editors or moderators) and hence their comments. that said, punds is one of the most valued members of the team and your comment is harsh and a tad personal.
ajay, your comment didn’t nearly qualify as criticism, hence my sarcastic comment. had you delved more into your problem with the review instead of a snide remark like the one you made, i would’ve humoured you. but you continue to make remarks like the one you made, and i would be more than happy to dish out what i did.
Great review Fultu - my 2 cents
1. “He tell her to shout and let the anger out. Watch the scene when Konkana shouts and breaks down” … wasn’t this a scene straight from a film called Hero Hiralal *ing Naseeruddin shah and Sanjana kapoor (???) where he plays an autorickshaw driver and she a film star. He asks her to cling onto a tree and scream…
RK, Vasan and other 80’s hindi filmy buffs ???
In a sense it was a nice tribute that Irrfan re-did the scene done by Naseer
2. The kiss between Dharam paaji and Nafisa Ali wasn’t needed at all !!! pure sensationalism
3. Watch OUT FOR SHINEY AHUJ’AS THEATER PERFORMANCE… IT IS UNINTENTIONAL COMEDY !!!! I WAS ROFL … =))
KK: u r right abt Hero Hiralal.
have not seen Metro, but Hero Hiralal, had that scene in Hyderabad where Naseer takes Sanjana from her outdoor shooting location in his tampo and goes to this big tree and says that if someone is sad then one shd hold the stem of the tree and shd scream with full capacity. He shows her twice. later when he is sad that Sanjana has gone to Bombay without even telling him, he again goes to tree and screams again. I always wondered if Naseer did not get his voice hoarsed after that powerful screaming. He amazingly screamed.
Sydney side reporter:
finally released here today
3rd show - all together 15 people.
everyone stays till the credits end…
fultu timepass!!!!!!
i heard all sort of comments picking and choosing scenes and moments in the movie which people didnt agree on BUT seamless is how it is!!!!
smooooooooooooooooooooth!!!!!
except for some jarring scenes with dharam paaji
ajay,looks like u r new to this place. pfc is open forum for everyone but there is a way to say things.what do u mean by do some homework ? you cant be so rude. films are for everyone.one can have any point of view.everyone doesnt have to be intelligent to see and tell a story.
Anurag Basu is a fabulous writer, I don’t think this was an exceptional piece of cinema but it most certainly was a refreshing piece. The performances made for excellent viewing, great chemistry between all the co-stars .. hats of to Anurag for good story writing and good casting.
My fav couple in the movie was Irfan and Konkana, they provided the laughs