HIGHWAY
Story: Wealthy Veera is kidnapped by brutish Mahavir. Is she on a highway leading to hell - or away?
Review: Straight up, Highway is not a sunny, funny road-trip. It is Imtiaz Ali's starkest, darkest work yet. Rich Veera (Bhatt) steps away from her Monsoon Wedding-style shaadi preparations (a handheld camera capturing gold,Ghaghras and a girl going, "Bhaiyya, flav untilvers lappet do!") for a break with her reluctant fiancé. Driving into a foggy Delhi night, Veera steps out to breathe free - and gets kidnapped by violent criminal Mahavir Bhaati (Hooda) and his gang. Gagged, tied-up, slapped and starved, Veera's thrown onto a terrifying truck that drives off on a never-ending highway, leaving established society far behind.
What does Veera experience on this trip?
Highway belongs unabashedly to Alia Bhatt. Her Veera is stunning - sincere and simple, prettily earnest, shakily emotional. Bhatt's range and prowess are evident in her timid confidence, the slow swagger Veera gains as she takes control of the situation, captivating her captor, confronting assault.
Hooda's Mahavir is frightening, tightly controlled, the actor conveying dark dislike with crackling tension, switching to bewilderment with comic ease. Alongside, Aaroo (Durgesh Kumar), Mahavir's companion, who breaks into a delightful trance-wala dance with Veera as she sways to 'English music' on the road, is memorable.
But what stamps this film indelibly is its sheer boldness. Imtiaz Ali must be congratulated for his daring novelty, for a powerful heroine-centric story, for his heroine who looks like a Vermeer painting dressed in a dusty ghaghra. At times, Highway feels like an unending Bharat darshan, a long look at suffering souls through several deserts and eucalyptus trees. But some meandering is its only flaw.
Watch it for its cathartic creativity, for colours akin to Iranian palettes, for sound design where melting qawalis, chirruping crickets and a screeching train make layers of noise - for that shot where Veera rests her head on a pillow of water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSrDD52bx4A
Highway is not an easy ride. But it offers fresh breezes and new sights.
By knight reviews
A rich and cultured soon-to-be married young lady is unwittingly abducted by an uncouth and violent truck driver. What follows is quite a clichéd tale of love, loss and learning, but it’s told in a refreshing manner. Highway is the story of two seemingly opposite people who slowly grow together only to realize that they are not so different while on a road journey.
Veera and Mahabir, played by Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda are strong and sound characters, both with an intense background story. Alia sheds the Barbie image with her stellar portrayal of a girl finally breaking free from shackles of a hypocritical society. But even though the actors executed their parts beautifully, the script somehow fails to lend any real depth to the characters.
The movie in itself has ups and downs. It’s unconvincing in some places, such as when Veera becomes too candid a little too soon with her captors; light and funny in others; it even reaches a point where the movie continues with absolutely no addition to the actual story.Imtiaz Ali also manages to address the issue of rape of minors by their own family members without it sounding preachy or overpowering the entire essence of the film. The music by A. R. Rahman compliments the movie well without being invasive as is the case with many Bollywood movies.To summarise, Highway is an unorthodox spin on a story we’ve all heard before. Watch it for:Great performances by both the actors Visual treats from Rajasthan to Punjab to Kashmir
The movie in itself has ups and downs. It’s unconvincing in some places, such as when Veera becomes too candid a little too soon with her captors; light and funny in others; it even reaches a point where the movie continues with absolutely no addition to the actual story.Imtiaz Ali also manages to address the issue of rape of minors by their own family members without it sounding preachy or overpowering the entire essence of the film. The music by A. R. Rahman compliments the movie well without being invasive as is the case with many Bollywood movies.To summarise, Highway is an unorthodox spin on a story we’ve all heard before. Watch it for:Great performances by both the actors Visual treats from Rajasthan to Punjab to Kashmir
- The virtue of not being a run- of- the- mill romantic movie
Highway belongs unabashedly to Alia Bhatt. Her Veera is stunning - sincere and simple, prettily earnest, shakily emotional. Bhatt's range and prowess are evident in her timid confidence, the slow swagger Veera gains as she takes control of the situation, captivating her captor, confronting assault.
Hooda's Mahavir is frightening, tightly controlled, the actor conveying dark dislike with crackling tension, switching to bewilderment with comic ease. Alongside, Aaroo (Durgesh Kumar), Mahavir's companion, who breaks into a delightful trance-wala dance with Veera as she sways to 'English music' on the road, is memorable.
But what stamps this film indelibly is its sheer boldness. Imtiaz Ali must be congratulated for his daring novelty, for a powerful heroine-centric story, for his heroine who looks like a Vermeer painting dressed in a dusty ghaghra. At times, Highway feels like an unending Bharat darshan, a long look at suffering souls through several deserts and eucalyptus trees. But some meandering is its only flaw.
Watch it for its cathartic creativity, for colours akin to Iranian palettes, for sound design where melting qawalis, chirruping crickets and a screeching train make layers of noise - for that shot where Veera rests her head on a pillow of water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSrDD52bx4A
Highway is not an easy ride. But it offers fresh breezes and new sights.
By knight reviews
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