HIGHWAY: An Imtiaz Ali film that is so not Imtiaz Ali Film! It’s different!! [3.5/5]

Expectations lead us to disappointments, by and large. But with Imtiaz Ali’s HIGHWAY, it is us who fall short of what to expect from this modern-age master of romance. Imtiaz is known to dig up diverse human relationships in order to drench us in the most vigorous and spirited emotions one can feel. HIGHWAY is no exception in substance but definitely in its approach. Through this journey of love, longings & togetherness in just not-so-feasible settings, Imtiaz dares to push his boundaries as a filmmaker and comes up with a love-story much darker, edgier and better than his bests.

Loosely based on ‘Stockholm syndrome’ where victim starts feeling compassionate, concerned, considerate and connected to offender’s sufferings that come as baggage from times of yore and drive him to perform such crimes, HIGHWAY brings two damaged souls troubled with their respective haunting pasts closer. Just a couple of hours before her wedding, Veera [Alia Bhatt as a revelation] accidently gets abducted by a murderous gang of goons largely dealing in petty illegal practices of land-grabbing & mugging on highways. Realizing the fact that the father is a hot-shot industrialist having his connections rooted in powerful politics and that their unplanned abduction could turn things on their own; they, especially the leading man here cold-hearted Mahavir Bhati [Randeep Hooda proving his comfort, ability and confidence in playing the character] decides to stick with the plan. Not knowing where it could get them both, starts the road-trip through scenic, rustic, mystic locales of North India.

Fans would agree that Imtiaz’s films have always been loud about life’s very existence despite its own flaws and imperfections but here silence speaks more. So, most of the times all you hear is submissive background score by AR Rahman filling in to the subjective road-shots captured from behind the front glass of the truck. Characters here have deeper secrets from pasts. Veera is a victim of incestuous child abuse. Mahavir has seen a tormented childhood where his father would throw his mother into sexual favors to his rich & powerful master. Sure you haven’t expected all that in an easygoing Imtiaz Film. Sure you wanted to get entertained with all candy floss romance and not some harsh reality that speaks how women are unsafe even if they are in considerably the most secured place for them called home. So, disappointment comes easy for you.

What you can not have any iota of uncertainty on is the performances. Alia Bhatt is a surprise packet of the film. The presence, effortlessness, confidence she shows is extremely rare for anyone who’s just one film old in the line of work. She’s beautiful and she acts the same way. Randeep Hooda sinks his teeth into the rugged, rigid, vigorously ferocious character of Mahavir. Watch him in his final outburst as he hesitates to go on the crossroad that could either take him to a better world filled with love & affection or could throw him back in the pit of crime and hatred.

Breathtaking visuals, grasping soundtrack, juicy dialogues and performances that will never leave you alone even after leaving the theatre; HIGHWAY has it all but not for all. With the portions with docu-drama style of shooting, extended shots, rhythmic travelling footage, reduced usage of dialogues; it is not an easy film to watch. It’s different. It’s dark. It’s one of those that add up your expectations. I am all excited to see what next Imtiaz Ali could come with! Recommended! [3.5/5]

PRISONERS: What ‘THE CONJURING’ did to horror, ‘PRISONERS’ does to thriller! [3.5/5]

In order to keep you glued to your seats, regular thrillers often try to bomb every trick mentioned in the rulebook on you, one after other. Exhaustively pacey narration, deliberately designed twists, in your face-jaw dropping action, over the top drama and what not…but it all looks so gimmick-so unreal-so unconvincing when you experience Denis Villeneuve’s PRISONERS.

PRISONERS belongs to the same genre but mainly to a minimal sub-part of it that doesn't believe in all those textbook rules and absorbs your soul in its atmospheric mood and the intensity of the actions. The complex human behavior itself plays so hard as an integral motivator that you don’t feel alienated to what is happening on the screen. It is dark, murky, intricate, violent, layered, riveting and a pure thriller to enjoy-indulge & invade!

When law enforcement agencies [Jake Gyllenhaal as an out-and-out dedicated police detective] find it hard to book a possible suspect in a child-abduction case lacking enough evidential proofs, father of one such girl [Huge Jackman, riding high on emotions rather than showing muscular strength] decides to take charge in his hands, illegally of course. But the density in the maze to track down the offender is so thick that even a far-sighted would need to think twice before guessing who’s behind all.

From the very first frame, film creates a perfect ambiance for a thriller with the suspenseful chilly-frosty-foggy woods of Pennsylvania as the base of events. Camera beautifully captures and extracts the mystical feel from those wooden houses to torch-lit shots used mostly for the dark places to explore and investigate. But as I have made it clear above, the focus is always on how human behavior gets adulterated by the heat of the situation and complexities take over. And to show it better, nothing but the performances emerge as the winner. 

Two towering infernos here are subtle at the most parts but when the break down happens, you should never miss a moment. The way Jake reproaches his supervisor for not being supportive is hilarious. The way Jackman as a helpless father shows his angst and aggravation while torturing the possible suspect in his illegal custody is disturbingly bone-chilling. His hard-to-break instinct to believe that the man in his charge is the culprit they all are looking out for is very contagious.

The name Denis Villeneuve is well-associated with the Oscar-nominated incest-thriller INCENDIES. That was a complete awe-striking movie that takes your breath away with its exceptional ending. This is not that but still a genre-defying effort. 

One or two not-so hard-to crack twists, a slow pace that might work in negative to lose your constant consideration and a little drawn out duration of the film [153 min is quite unseen-unexpected for recent Hollywood movies] could easily be avoided if you have an urge to watch good thriller with performances of first rate. This is definitely season’s best. What ‘THE CONJURING’ did to horror, ‘PRISONERS’ does to thriller! [3.5/5]