User reviews

You just watch and get along with it. A movie to watch once again if you just leave everything and go as the tide or the intensity in the movie takes you at its own pace. Background score and cast is the most refreshing part.

Plot: Romance springs between Tara, a widow restaurateur, and a divorced actor Amar. Tara supplies food to to Amar, they talk over the phone and almost after an year of just talking, they decide to meet. Their romances uncovers and is not taken well by Dev, Tara's son and to top it, Amar is not ready to get into relationship. How the story unfolds is the rest of the story about...

What worked well? 1. Lead actors: Shefali Shah as Tara and Neeraj Kabi as Amar have literally lived the characters. They are so seasoned actors that you can only expect magic from them. The film shows how Shefali Shah as an actress has been under-rated. Her eyes speaks the dialogue and some of the scenes gets a lift just because of her performance. She is amazing!!! 2. The film doesn't have music all the time and largely relies on the silence. Similarly it heavily relies on actor's expression than dialogues. Both have worked well. BGM, wherever used, is excellent and will make you hum even after watching the movie 3. Excellent camera work: Mumbai nights have been beautifully captured What didn't work well? 1. It takes time and is very slow. Though it's just 1 hr and 45 mins, you will feel it's more than that. 2. This film is to be seen in a very calm and serene mood. You will either like it completely or dislike it completely.

I can say it's technically an another scenario of movie "The Lunchbox" where lead characters meet.

A must watch for drama lovers. It's a performance packed mature romance drama and a very feel good film albeit a bit

The movie has an element of realism. Shefali Shah portrays her character beautifully, and makes the movie watchable. Every scene with her is worth watching. The phone conversations between the characters were well done, I think some of the best lines in the movie is during these scenes. A lot of it is good, the wide pan shots of the city, the bustling in the streets at night, the shots of Shefali in the restaurant cooking were the best moments of the film. However, the movie suffers from the melodramatic music, overtly emotional and sometimes completely unsuitable to the scene itself, making what could have been a good scene into something akin to an amateur film school student's creation. The ending is also uncharacteristic of the rest of the movie, makes little sense and leaves the viewer utterly unsatisfied. This is not to say that an ambiguous ending is not good, it just was not done very well, unlike "Lunchbox", another movie with a similar theme of loneliness. The movie could have been a lot more if there was sharper editing, removal of weird dancing montages and a more well thought out ending. Overall, though I do not regret wartching it. It's worth a watch just for Shefali's performance. Very underrated actress.

Once Again is a spectacularly well-photographed feature which celebrates love and relationships quietly and with impressive delicacy. The film follows the growing relationship between a widowed woman and mother of two running a small-scale food business and an ageing and lonely film star. Their acquaintance results from him becoming a regular customer who orders her meals. They become increasingly fond of each other, they have many heart-to-heart conversations, but their sweet romance is kept a secret, as she comes from a milieu where such a relationship could only damage her reputation and children.

Let's just start by pronouncing the main attraction of the film and it's the cinematography. The film is amazingly well shot - the camera captures the tiniest of details the script asks for. The way the city lights are shot during night drives, the closeups capturing the protagonists' emotional state, the views of the city landscapes during the day, and obviously the art of cooking and the portions filmed in the kitchen, are all an absolute delight. Director Kanwal Sethi makes a film that is meticulously detailed in its expression that you could easily enjoy it as much without the dialogue. Moreover, the background score is very soothing.

Does the story live up to the technical mastery? It does. The film does get a little self-indulgent for its own good, but it's quick to pick up from some of its pitfalls. The romantic tension between the two leads is effectively constructed, and its realisation is nothing short of staggering. Story-wise, it is a little amusing that such morals still exist even in the more urban areas, that, as one of the elder characters says, the happiness of the children trumps that of the parents. This narrow-mindedness feels so old-fashioned and dated you wish there was another conflict. I also wish the bitterness of the male lead, which is a little overdone, was toned down a little.

Shefali Shah is stunning. First, in terms of her appearance, she has never looked so attractive, but not in the cheap sexy sense - her real, earthy Indian beauty blossoms as she dons traditional attire equally as much when she walks on the street or engrossed in kitchen work. This is obviously just the exterior, as Shah is obviously one of the prime examples of an actor so natural, nuanced and unself-conscious that her scenes often look like a piece of footage captured from a hidden camera. She's amazingly minimalistic and phenomenally expressive at the same time, and her eyes convey so much of the supposedly missing dialogue.

Neeraj Kabi is excellent in a role which does get a tad stereotypical but never takes away from his understated performance. I do understand film stars deal with difficulties pertaining to their fame, including lack of privacy, loneliness, and the challenge of maintaining one's artistic ground. That said, the role would have benefitted from some positive strike as he looks consistently bitter and frustrated. The rest of the cast do really well in their bit parts, and the film concludes on a nicely positive note. Once Again is a very nice watch - it is well-photographed and narrated and particularly strong in the acting by Kabi and particularly Shah.

Movie would have been 5/5 stars if the male lead was better looking.

He looks like a street vendor. A love story is more enjoyable when the if the main actors ate sexy. Shefali Shaw is an exceptional actress, sexy and an outstanding actress.

The male lead is drab looking. He has no sex appeal what-so-ever. I can think of dozens of male actors that would have fit the part better.

The movie had a great storyline, really good actors, except for the male lead.

Shefali Shaw is outstanding in every movie she has been in. Too bad there wasn't a different male actor to star with her. Movies aren't real life. You want attractive and sexy actors.

The leads are major stars, and the film is enjoyable to watch them develop their characters. But both the writing and direction meander and stop and start to such an extent the film became annoying, even boring. And after all the misdirections, I didn't believe the ending at all.

Neeraj kabi and Shefali Shah are natural in front of camera. There is one more character in the movie that is city's loneliness which is in sync with two lead actors feelings. I am not going to reveal much of the story but perfect movie for Shefali and Neeraj fans. From Satya to Once again she has performed variety of roles and this will be rated as one of her best. Kudos to The Team.

You dont need big stars to make a great movie . Anyways big stars dont make good movies nowadays . ONCE AGAIN made me smile with simplicity and great acting .

Nowaday movie lack lot of simplicity. This movie offers you exactly the same. These two characters don't speak much but they say so much through their silence.. it's hard to find such talent..I felt butterflies after ages..just fall in love once again..

What worked:

• amazing performances by Neeraj Kabi and Shefali Shan; there is no doubt they were the right cast for their respective roles
• beautiful and balanced screenplay. It's a story that we want to see but we rarely try to make movies about the topic and the circumstances.

What did not work:

• I loved the ending , no doubt. I was thinking of an alternate ending with the scenes that was shown at the end and maybe add some more dialogues which narrates that the reality and the imaginary worlds are yet to be met and accepted by the society and the world around them. It's still a great ending

Final verdict: Recommended for sure

A free flowing subtle Movie. Neeraj Kabi - I have always admired his work in differential character roles. But his lead role in this movie has left me mesmerised. And Shefali ji is one of finest the industry has. Her class and poise is spontaneous.

Intensely romantic, few moments of this movie will leave you speechless.

I enjoyed the movie thoroughly.

The film scores in almost every department Great Direction, writing,music, acting. All in all will definitely help any veiwer to look beyond.

Beautiful portrayal of ageless love. The background scores are top notch. Brilliant performance by both the actors, but Shefali Shah was a treat to the eyes. Loved it.

Devoid of the shrill noise of drama, this movie is so relatable. Such mature performances by both the leads makes it a wonderful watch. One of the kinds that leaves you with a lot of thoughts to ponder on.

Such a beautiful film! Amazingly shot mostly with a hand held camera - kudos to the cameraman! Also... I wish I age as well as Shefali Shah! She is so graceful and stunning in this movie. Besides.. a very well written script!

A subtle story in the hands of two wonderful actors. It's worth taking the time just to absorb the storytelling here. There is strength, weakness, love and forgiveness.

Came across this film by chance. An unforgettable storyline. Perfect acting in the hands of a master craftsman. The music. The choreography. The photography. Perfect.

After a long while, got to see such an aesthetically beautiful romantic drama. Shefali Shah has always been one of my favorites. The subtle ways of showing affection, keeps your romantic heart encaptivated, till the end.

Probably the best hindi movie I've seen in a long long time. Picturization is simply marvellous. Music mashes with the movie so well. Actors are amazing.

Simple and elegant movie where the actors take you on their journey. Really enjoyed seeing Mumbai city shots throughout the story. Both the leads do a fantastic job and make you believe this is actually happening versus a fictional tale. Loved it.

Amazing cinema, you just flow with the scenes, it's soothing to watch Shefali Shah and Neeraj Kabi... I can just watch them all day long... Unspoken words, amazing facial expressions, its all just so wow.

Such a beautiful movie. Very difficult to express with words. Every bit of it touched the heart. Shefali ji is brilliant, her eyes, her body language, her voice, her simplicity. Chehere pe gurur aur ankhon mein naami. Perfect. Just waooww. Watched it several times.

Nice film bollywood me bht romantic filme bani hai but ye kuch hatke hai ..which is nice ..must watch film...

I am now 5 decades ols and have seen a lot of cinema both Indian and foreign. This movie is a class apart. So subtle so intense and yet so real.

Am really proud that Bollywood could come up with something this intense..

Must watch twice !!