Rodovia

'Highway' finds Imtiaz Ali at his best. The talented storyteller delivers a beautiful, tragic film that left me spell-bound. Here's a film that celebrates love & tragedy, with skill. Also, Alia Bhatt pitches in a brilliant performance in the central role.

'Highway' Synopsis: Right before her wedding, a young woman finds herself abducted and held for ransom. As the initial days pass, she begins to develop a strange bond with her kidnapper.

'Highway' is amongst Imtiaz Ali's finest works. His Screenplay is wonderful. It creates a world of diverse characters who eventually develop a bond. The protagonist, Veera, played by a sterling Alia Bhatt, is a character who finds freedom while being kidnapped, while the character of Mahabir, played by Randeep Hooda, is in search for love & respect. It's the diversity between these two-characters that makes this road-movie so engaging. Ali's direction is excellent. He's in top-form! Anil Mehta'a Cinematography captures every frame magnificently. Editing is crisp. Music by A.R Rahman is enchanting.

Performance-Wise: Alia Bhatt triumphs with 'Highway'. She delivers a brilliant, sterling performance as the vibrant yet haunted protagonist. She's the life of the film. Randeep Hooda is ever-impressive. He enacts his part with amazing understanding. The supporting cast lends good support.

On the whole, 'Highway' is near-perfection. A marvelous motion-picture!

I have a soft corner for Imtiaz Ali. Dating back to an interaction two decades back. I almost stood up when I first saw Jab We Met. The surprises at every corner of the road traveled by Shahid and Kareena were absolute delights. He evoked a classy sense of humor in Love Aaj Kal and then I watched with disconcert not sure if I had liked RockStar. Having been drunk on the heavenly music of the movie by Maestro A R Rahman and after practically selling Pataka Guddi to everyone who wanted to hear, the wait for the movie was finally worth it.

The verdict straight away. I wanted to stand up again. Just microscopically short of being a marvelous and a great movie. The opening kidnapping scene takes you back to Roja, when another master Mani had led you to the hills and captured them with the camera caressing nature careful not to pollute it with attention too much. I bit my lips praying that the wonderful songs by ARR were not tucked into the screenplay to pop up jarringly to justify themselves.

The film is not about a story. It is about treatment. It is about loving your country well enough to make it appear more alluring than a dozen other over rated countries. It is the ability to see beauty as much in a whole row of dilapidated trucks lost in time as in a snow laden country racing by, or taking the road less traveled alongside a river with virgin gurgling waters.

The protagonist Alia lands up, in a sequence of events, on a road journey with her apparently malicious perpetrator. Being on the run is not used as an excuse to showcase scenery but knowingly used as a tool to allow the individuals who are hurting from deep within to unravel themselves. If you do not allow yourself to be sucked into their lives you may find the plot-line dreary because you cannot connect with the alternating misery and happiness of the main leads.

The girl is from a wealthy and powerful family and appears gung-ho about life. Till the road journey scratches her surface provoking her to abandon efforts to get back to her cozy life and instead tease out the wound which appeared to have healed externally but is hurting deep within. The experience mirrors in the male lead Randeep's evolution in the journey. Brilliantly interweaving personal stories within the main matrix of a kidnapping used as a tool to lay out the emotional wares, Imtiaz is simply outstanding out doing himself in the process and marching into uncharted territory without sacrificing the entertainment index.

Talking too much particulars and specifics of the movie will actually destroy the experience of watching it and the hard work put in creating the various moments an accumulation of which actually completes the experience, will be lost. Softly nudging the story along is AR Rahman with his soulful numbers never ever appearing out of place and taking care never to intrude into the narrative and when it does with Pataka Guddi, Alia simply traces out the music with her fingers in the air. She even sings a lullaby with not a note lost.

There are many winners in this movie. Randeep Hooda, a wonderful actor who has been floundering for some time now trying to make a niche for himself has found his cut with this role. He performs it with the right amount of restraint never once going overboard or hamming to overwhelm his own character.

Director Imtiaz Ali brings a lot of serenity with his very clear presence behind the camera. The editing is seamless aided by great photography except when camera shots on top of a truck giving the front and the back views are totally disconnected, the rear camera showing a well tarred road and the front one showing a narrow rough road. Obviously very bad editing at that point. Perhaps they thought no one would notice it but it jars!

There are wonderful real people all along the screen play and they live up to their individual roles with natural vigor creating memorable characters. Imtiaz merits each character in the story with an uniqueness that allows them to stand out on their own and make a mark in the few moments that they are on screen. Last seen only in Lagaan or Swades.

And as for the main female lead. Dare I say that this is the performance of the year? Perhaps in the last few years only Vidya Balan has come this close with her natural flair in Kahaani. Here we see a full throated performance from Alia who gives herself up to the director and his vision. This is one of the most spirited natural performances in recent times. Be ready to get choked in a final long gut wrenching climax carried on shoulders fully by the young girl. The signs of a star certainly.

Want to be surprised? Want to flush the bad experiences of some bad movies recently? Enter this Zen like audio visual experience. And you will not regret. So why not a full five star rating. Because the film is allowed to intentionally flag at some places making the narrative appear to be taking a pause. But this is highly debatable in terms of the impact they could have on the final output.It is the total sum of all the effects that complete the experience for the audience. It is difficult to believe that the movie has not been shot chronologically. So perfect is the transition from scene to scene. This is a craft difficult to create and easy to comment on. For today I will just applaud! Well done Imtiaz!

'HIGHWAY - Imtiaz Ali' Its all the way just my way or the Highway… Imtiaz Ali is NOT the 'on your face' kind of Director but he certainly is very well on the saddle/the hand behind the wheel … totally in control. So whether you like it or not, the story simmers and seeps through the crevices deep into your veins, slowly, no hurry; no intention to make any point.

It's Imtiaz all the way and he sure, is a wanderer… subtly like all his earlier movies (jab we met/ rock-star/ 'Love Aaj Kal'/ 'Socha Na Tha'), he shall take you on a ride to India and make you realize how much you have missed all these years, not wandering. He is probably the guy who could have easily fitted well with NatGeo. May be he lives the moments that he wants to live – through his movies, may be he entices you, invites you to live/ relive those moments, may be….

So this 'Highway'… also moves. It lives up the name, a constant hum of alternate emptiness while the visuals zip past, picture perfect - perfect, anamorphic widescreen shots; just the right exposure wherein the inter-wined scenes give out an Expanse all around. Lot of bonnet- front panned shots which open up visual sectors wide angled as you move ahead, these and those reverse shots from where the camera turns a full 180 degrees to take you back to the front. I mean, achieving all this in a feature film is tremendous especially when the whole movie is shot with natural lighting. And along with it, a subtle (not loud) story chugs along beautifully. Nothing is aggressive ever, even when people get aggressive once a while… it's a highway, remember!

Imtiaz had this passion of sanctifying the childhood. He does that in all the movies; it keeps his present intentions well heeled in what went by. It's always important for his stories. Sure then, the protagonists are always trying to free themselves up, get out there in the open. Its an yearning, well yearned for! It keeps the things in perspective, unbound!!

To sum it up: you can't just be passive, nonchalant, yuck-Yanky in Highway. It sure breathes in some restlessness, differently for every different people; you want to react, getup, breathe out!!! And Highway helps you gulp out the welt, 'welp'! The narrative is smooth, the lessons are bitter; dialogs are simple, sound is perfect, music is just the right amount and blend (AR Rahman).

What would you look for --- Imtiaz Ali, who has a different script (always) and is amazingly observant while being silent (always shows you both sides of the coin in all his movies – while slyly hinting at the upper class society), Strong female lead as always (even Alia Bhatt has been made to act – high notch, very promising now), Randeep Hooda – just fantastic, very original, very mature, needs to be casted more often (if only Gunday was made with him and Ranveer), India – because you still haven't seen it all, felt it –need to be on a highway.

What not to expect – 'Totta Maina Ki Kahani', 'Naach Gaana' PT style, bubbly looks, third-rate jokes.

That's Imtiaz's way or take the Highway!

I used to consider Imtiaz Ali to be quite overrated, but with Highway, my opinion of him has changed dramatically. Highway is one of the most beautiful films of recent times in Hindi cinema, in terms of both photography and storytelling. Telling the story of a young girl kidnapped in an act she herself would eventually consider pure bliss, Highway starts as a road movie and what could have become a suspenseful thriller of sorts, turns into a deeply involving love story between two aching souls. The captive girl finds a true saviour in her captor and eventually falls for him, showing little interest in coming back home. The movie is not without its clichés, and the sub-story of child abuse the young woman had been through as a child tends to be a little corny, but then everything is handled with great delicacy. It is emotional but totally controlled and sensible, all thanks to Ali, who deals with the complex subject with impressive understanding and

Aided by brilliant cinematography, the movie is beautifully shot across some of North India's most breathtaking locations, but not only does it capture the beauty of India's exotic mountains and the magic of its simplicity, it consistently stands as a celebration of the human spirit and conveys a meaning of freedom is spite of the potentially troubling proceedings. The film is slow paced, but totally engaging and absorbing, and that's because the story is expertly developed, with the ensuing portions of romance working quite effectively. Everything grows naturally, and what starts with a quietly serene narrative style is gradually filled with music up to a point where the narrative is nothing but music and high spirit. And for that you have to thank the master himself, A. R. Rahman, whose stupendous soundtrack and score enhance the film and its story. The songs are in sync with the proceedings and always reflect the characters' state.

The acting is excellent even by actors appearing in minor parts. The lead pair is played by Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt, and the two have fantastic chemistry. The romantic tension between the two is built up with great conviction - it never looks peculiar in spite of the nature of their parts, and never looks missing in spite of the lack of too much physical interaction. Hooda is tremendous as Mahabir, brilliantly underplaying the essence of a man who may look cruel and fearless, but beneath this tough exterior there's a poor, compassionate and quietly tormented soul. But the movie belongs to young Bhatt, who's pretty and bubbly but just totally immersed in the spirited character of Veera, so much that even she herself might not have expected from herself. She seems to really get the resilient nature of her part, but rather than playing it, she lives it, presenting an exhilarating portrait of strength, determination and positivity.

Highway ends on a poignant but realistic note, and the ending is extremely cathartic and satisfying. It ends up being a greatly affecting love story which surely is inspiring to watch, and besides that it is a true visual treat worth watching more than once. A rewarding cinematic experience, highly recommended.

IMHO...

Excellent... beautiful... superlative... three words i am very wary of using when describing a movie... the rarer i do it, the more importance it holds.

GET ON THIS HIGHWAY.

Ramesh Sippy had his Sholay, Alia Bhat has her HIGHWAY. This young actress, i never thought good of (i gave her Student of the Year a wide berth). Here she has kept me riveted for a good length of time with her facial contortions... her voice, her silence, her eyes, her dressing..... everything. her transformation from a cocooned girl to a free butterfly during the course of the movie is sublime. ill give her a perfect 12 out of 10. and she didn't have to resort to ANY skin show; no T&A here, pure genes at play. She shines. the movie belongs to her, and she excels.

the story is simple, the subplots un-complicated. be it the horny accomplice (well its essentially a kidnapping story), the good at heart sidekick, the adequately sinister/ curiously enigmatic randeep hooda (more on him later, he deserves a separate writeup), the camera work, the locations, the un-obtrusive soundtrack and music that grows on you. i found very little to complain about in the movie. probably Alia's Stockholm Syndrome kicked in too early into the movie, but im willing to overlook it.

Randeep Hooda has the kind of brooding, lingering, intense screen presence that you'd associate with say a Ajay Devgn. tough to find fault. the way he hisses his expletives, the snarling of a person with a repressed background, the slow unfolding of a soft core, the endearing body language and sheer rugged sexiness. WOW. from the rustic dialect, to the clothes, to the grime filled fingernails... the effort to live the character is commendable.

the background score and the songs, the overall tempo of the movie is very well complimented with the accompaniments. the purpose of good music is not to make its presence felt, but to ensure that its absence will hamper the narrative. That happens here. i don't remember a word of any song sung in the movie, but i know it was essential to drive the movie forward.

The locations depicted in the movie, the adept camera-work made me want to whip out my cell phone and take pictures of the screen. the mountains, the overhanging cliffs along the routes, the beautiful countryside (kashmir/ rajasthan, lovely roads)... the lenses have been taught to fall in love with the locations. Zero doubt about it.

watch the movie... Watch The Movie... WATCH THE MOVIE...

good acting, good direction, good camera-work, good story, a well handled sensitive subplot, brilliant characters... what else do you need?