Explosive. Erupting. For the first time I experienced a film whose direction, tempo, narrative and feel move so closely with the character. Its like a coiled spring being wound up really really tightly is suddenly let go and BOOM ! There is an explosion and you feel like you are thrown into space from earth. The first half of this film is really slow, subdued and uneventful. You almost write it down as another story of an underdog making it big and yawwwnnn. Havent we had enough of the singing superstars and sports wonders. But then the second half is like a canon being fired. And you are wondering wtf happened !?
The whole story unfolds, acts out in the later half and rises like a phoenix. So far this is the best film of this year. Brilliant screenplay and direction, though I felt that the dharavi slum gig was a bit too much. It felt perpetual and rubbed in. But the whole rap art and exceptionally lyricized songs were original and new. We know the origins of rap and how it emerged as an art form for black americans as a means of expression. Relating that to the suppressed, lower income class youth forced into a mold set by family, community and society is intelligent.
That was about the film and now for the second part. Alia Bhatt ! She deserves a separate discussion. She adds a new almost exclusive dimension to the film with a startling striking performance. A sharp tongued, physically aggressive, ultra possessive "hateli" girl is unforgettable. My readers know I feel she is an extraordinary actor but here she blew my mind away. Right from the beginning she is like a live wire literally holding together the first part where you are about to give up. Another underdog and bomb which keeps exploding throughout her love story unlike the main character who is ticking till the second half. Like many of Bollywood actors Ranveer too is a performer whose acting seems almost the same in every film. He might be playing different roles but the essence of his acting is quite repetitive. This was the first film where he has a different presence. He gives a unique performance which is very different from his work before. Siddhant Chaturvedi has a sexy swag full of attitude and class. He kills it bro !!
The whole mumbaiyya lingo with the bhai and chhote is music to the ears. There are many one liners which I don’t recollect but every dialogue amongst the dharavi friends is like a rhyme of a poem.
Tu nanga hi tho ayah hai kya ghanta leke jayega ? Don’t miss this one.
Rating – 4 / 5
