Analysis :

During the beginning stage itself I have had a problem with the perception of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ in this film. It is disclosed much later in the story that Alia’s character Veera comes characterized by an emotional baggage as heavy as Mahabir’s to justify the connection between the duo. Nevertheless experimenting with the volatile idea here doesn’t reap much good for the movie as a whole. Not only is the angle unconvincing and stark, it is unbelievable and horridly lame to say the least. I personally cannot identify freedom that doesn’t assure a sense of security. At the same time feeling free and ecstatic with someone who is brutal isn’t identifiable. Even though commendably it is a refreshing drift attempted on part of Ali, it isn’t good enough to save the film.

Alia’s Veera is a restructured version of Geet from Jab We Met. She is over-the-top whacky, on-the-edge impulsive and so adorable that you flow with her. Alia to assume the character a similar premise yet perhaps her character is written so sketchily that it fails to replicate a similar resonance. At many points the script fails to justify many of its high tension points. There is a scene where Mahabir asks Alia to run away from him and she failing to do that returns. A kidnapped girl returning back to the one who fascinated her is markedly unusual in appearance. At another point, she hides when the police searches Mahabir’s truck when she could have easily busted Mahabir. Understandably, the intention was to show how Alia regards with contempt the stiffly neat of her highest class of life but the scene came off as incredibly stupid.

Just in precedence of the interval strikes, out of the blue Veera tells Mahabir a deep secret from her childhood, which clearly most around her must have insisted she being quiet up on. She hugs Mahabir to seek comfort and he allows her. While all is satisfactory blazing in this affair, even if I cast aside my feelings about the chain of instances, the first most emotional moment of the film seems forced and shaky.

The story turns to a newer leaf post interval. In the first half, I was perhaps anticipating that the build up is leading to some good, in succession to interval it took me little time to realize the predictable climax. The film transforms into slides from a travel catalogue suddenly. A girl with traumatic past, a man from the proletariat section of the society and the tug of affection between these strangers are all given a miss. The focus shifts drastically towards capturing the natural landscapes more than the emotional one. It will be a cliched line but the climax is one you can predict from far away and is handled carelessly. During the last 15 minutes, the film manages to wrap up threatening and extremely angry evening out the bad aftereffects one would be needed to keep while coming out.

Performance :

Randeep Hooda is preoccupied with depressing thoughts and fearsome for most part. Ever since the actor’s onset in the industry, he has carefully selected roles which allow him to perfect the act of snarling and grunting. Hooda is damn good in the first half and in the rest he was repetitive.

Alia Bhatt never got out of playing her bimbo character from Student Of The Year and the actress plays Veera with a similar quotient of beginning energy. Nevertheless rendering the same excitement in tackling a sensitive film like this, it would have been advisable to tone down the rapturous drift of story to find something more serene and meaningful. I would have easily said she is a terrible actress especially subsequent to watching the scene in which she runs to take the bus with Randeep, yelling, screeching, her nostrils flaring enough to make me laugh. On the contrary in the last 15 minutes she steals the thunder proving her courage and fortitude with the ease of a pro.

Final Word:Highway whips up all the ingredients required for an arising the curiosity yet goes wrong as a whole. The bold subject like this one has been handled unconvincingly at the same time doesn’t come close to reality. In addition excessive heavy handedness in the screenplay was quite prominent and somehow the effortless ease that signifies the beauty of Imtiaz’s films is absolutely missing from it.

To emphasize on the fact that one cannot disagree to the actuality that it's only Rahman’s divine music and the pristine cinematography that works here. To be honest, it left me confused and deficient in emotion especially due to the reason that when its Imtiaz Ali there's huge expectations. It is extremely sad and I am rating it with an agreeably tolerant 2.5 star. It could have been much better!

Highway Releases on 21st FEB 2014