City Lights

Citylights marks the collaboration of Vishesh Films and the award- winning duo of Shahid fame, director Hansal Mehta and actor Rajkummar Rao. The camp which has an enviable legacy of films portraying realistic issues and the harsh veracities of life adapts the subject from Sean Ellis's much celebrated flick 'Metro Manila'. With an unflinching inside-look at the harrowing experiences of a poor family which migrates to the maximum city for a better life, Mehta jolts the comforted.

Deepak Singh, played by Rajkummar Rao, is a poverty-stricken farmer who moves to Mumbai along with his wife,Raakhi(débutante Patralekha) and daughter Mahi with a hope for better survival. Little does he know that life is not a bed of roses, he gets duped by tricksters upon his arrival and even spends nights on the pavements. Penury forces Raakhi to take up the job of a bar girl while Deepak, trying his hands at daily wage work, eventually lands a job in an armored truck company. He befriends his seemingly compassionate superior Vishnu Sir(Manav Kaul)whose arrival signals a downward spiral for him. Mehta constructs this socially poignant drama with vivid moments only to culminate the story with a devastating end, while surreptitiously carving its way to become a thriller.

Maintaining dim-light atmospherics(Shahid Deja-vu) which gels with the mood of the plot, his treatment has a docu-drama feel. Yet the director is never impassioned. The selection processes of the protagonists for their respective jobs provides space for humor and giggle amidst the raw cruelty that they face in their daily fight for existence. Jeet Ganguly's music(a little overdone with those background scores) augments the proceedings to permeate the emotionally walled-up zones of our minds.

Lending emotional heft to the plot, Rajkummar Rao approaches his character with so much of realism that's bound to leave your feet numb. The phenomenally talented actor overcomes the lacunae evident in the form of no pressure-cooker urgency or repetitive maneuvers to project grimace.Patralekha pitches in with a sterling performance and makes her suffering palpable.Manav Kaul, who was last seen in Kai Po Che, is the real surprise package( Rajkummar and Manav teamed in Kai Po Che as well !)- quite unassuming yet ballistic.

There were days when parallel cinema reckoned with names like Bimal Roy, Satyajit Ray and Guru Dutt. Citylights discreetly takes us back to those good old times where filmmakers put the truths on the table with unapologetic ferocity. Quite heavy and gut-wrenching, yet it has a soul.

Definitely not a bad film, watch it for the acting by everyone.

This is a film of the downtrodden families and the helplessness of the people living that life. There are lot many compulsions and obligations they shall be having. Mostly, they are in forced circumstances making them go for desperate measures to improve their life style. The protagonist Deepak Singh is one such poor should who is driven to take desperate steps to improve the living of his family.

Rajkumar Yadav becomes Deepak Singh literally. From the Rajasthani accent to the demeanor, to the attire and even body language, everything is pitch perfect with him. Its good to find a new-age actor who becomes the characters rather than just playing the part. Rajkumar Yadav has gone way beyond many of his contemporaries. The next best part was of Manav Kaul who played the tight security guard "Vishnu". Manav was damn good in his role, just refreshing to see a new face play a character with such conviction. Also, the heroine of the film Patralekha was commendable. While others did their job well. So this film was a lot about acting above all else.

This is an official remake of the British-Filipino film "Metro Manila". It's heartening to see a lot of credit being given to the original film. Never saw the original film, but this film was weak at places while it was brilliant at some places. Deepak comes back drunk and asks his wife, (who takes up the job of a bar dancer) to dance for him. That was a brilliantly performed scene I felt. Coming to the weakness, it lies in the writing that defies logic.

It's a film that tries hard to be as real as possible. Real locations, realistic characters and more-so the scenes that could have possibly happened. But, there are a few things that did not satisfy my logic. So I was a bit disappointed by what was offered by this team of "Shahid" which I think was a brilliant film.

Hansal Mehta did great job in extracting acting, but he stuck to the script so tightly, that he might have forgot to ask a few questions to the writers and producers. So thus, he had presented some flaws unintentionally. The editing should have been more precise. The film though 2 hours in length seems long with not much happening. The intimate scenes of the main leads could have been trimmed down is what I strongly felt.

It's a good film still, but not a thoroughly satisfying venture to me as a viewer. A 3/5 for a film that's good and could have been so better.

Rajkumar Rao once again scores high in this film. Really gripping story and cinematography with a flavour of excellent acting makes this movie worth watching.

I would certainly rate City Lights at par with Shahid as far as the intensity of the film goes.. Hansal Mehta returns with Rajkumar Rao.. to deliver yet another spectacular film experience.. the atrocities.. the hurdles .. that a poor family has to bear .. all of them have been shown wonderfully (in a sad way in fact) ..to put it simply the film shows how fortunate how lucky some of us really are that we haven't been touched by the harsh realities of life.. the conditions unimaginable which the people coming to big cities have to experience and live in..

I was left speechless at some of the scenes where the drama is so real that .. you don't even know whether you're watching a film or not. acting was out of this world.. Rajkumar Rao hands down !! another national award is awaited for this one.. Patralekha was superb.. Manav Kaul (Kai PO Che fame)another revelation and actor to look out for i feel this movie deserves as much as Queen did.

the only reason why i am cutting 1 mark is that some of the songs in the background were unnecessary !!

9 cheers!! go for this one

One of the best movies i have ever seen from Bollywood Cinema. Realty of a poor man and his struggle to get his family out of poverty. This movie simply touched my heart how well it portrayed the real life scenario's of a real person, so many difficulties and sacrifices he has to give just to achieve a roof over and three times food for his family. Even though it wasn't a typical khan movie this movie is a block buster in my list. Unfortunately it didn't get the praise it deserves. But still you should watch the movie and enjoy. Bot male and female actors have done there best. And for this they deserve an applause. Don't get deceive by the film cast just like a book by its cover. Watch and enjoy and than praise the cast.