Metro... In Dino

A modern take that tries to recapture the charm of Life in a... Metro, but falls just short.

Anurag Basu, known for his heartfelt, layered storytelling in films like Life in a... Metro, Gangster, Barfi!, and Ludo, returns with Metro... In Dino - a film that attempts to revisit the emotional and interconnected lives of people in a bustling city like Mumbai. While it brings some strong moments and thoughtful themes, it doesn't quite achieve the narrative tightness or emotional resonance of its 2007 predecessor.

Plot Summary (No Major Spoilers): The film follows four parallel stories, each centered around love, loss, and rediscovery:

Akash & Shruti - A married couple on the brink of parenthood, struggling with financial issues and career setbacks. The stress convinces them to consider abortion, raising deep moral and emotional questions.

Parth & Chumki - Chumki, a corporate employee engaged to someone she's unsure about, meets Parth. Their relationship blooms amidst complications, offering a glimpse into modern love and hesitation.

Kajol & Monty - A married couple with a teenage daughter, facing emotional decay as Monty turns to dating apps in search of excitement. Kajol's quiet hurt is among the more affecting aspects of the film.

Shibani & Parimal - Shibani, the mother of Chumki and Kajol, is an older woman who finds companionship in Parimal after years of dealing with her husband's betrayal. Their story offers the most gentle and emotionally honest moments in the film.

Each story unfolds in its own arc but eventually intersects, mirroring the structure of Life in a... Metro, though without the same emotional impact.

What Works: Performances: The cast delivers solid, believable performances, especially the more experienced actors like Neena Gupta (as Shibani) and Anupam Kher (as Parimal). Sara Ali Khan somehow made a very decent comeback as Chumki, and Ali Fazal & Fatima Sana deliver a very nuanced performance.

Pankaj Tripathi performs immaculately, but Konkona & Aditya were very flat in their performance and didn't create much impact in the story.

Music: Pritam manages to maintain the live band sequence this time with Papon & Raghav Chaitanya, similar to Life in a Metro, and delivers a few emotionally resonant tracks that complement the tone. Zamaana Lage and Dil Ka Kya were the main highlights. But too many songs and the balance between scenes & music ratio was off compared to Life in a Metro.

Themes: The film captures relevant emotional and relational issues - urban isolation, generational gaps, infidelity, and the search for meaningful connection, but the 2nd half becomes extremely far-fetched and loses momentum later on, making the end very less tight and out of context.

Overall, this is a one-time watch. While it starts off with a good narrative, the second half becomes too stretched with too many songs, and the editing is less crisp. Maybe a tighter ending, this would've been my two cents of advice to Anurag Basu.

Metro In Dino opens with one of the best musical beginnings, where characters break the fourth wall and instantly pull you in. You do not even realise when twenty minutes have flown by. Everyone in the cast does well, though Ali and Fatima come across as slightly stiff in emotionally charged scenes. Adi is effortless and charismatic, and Sara pairs well with him. Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher remind you of their experience with ease. Pankaj and Konkona are the real standouts, with Pankaj bringing sharp comic timing through his subtle expressions and improvised bits. Pritam's music is wonderfully woven into the narrative. The songs do not just support the story, they carry its soul.

The first half is tight and keeps you thoroughly engaged.

It is the second half where the film loses some grip. The storylines begin to feel stretched, and the endings are not clearly defined. A few subplots could have been skipped to bring in more clarity and depth. That said, the camerawork and visual setups in some scenes are beautiful and worth appreciating. The film explores themes of infidelity and emotional detachment, and it leaves you with a feeling that this is the generalisation the film wants you to settle with. The resolution feels rushed and a bit too convenient. In the end, Metro In Dino remains a musically rich experience with a gripping first half, but the latter part misses the same emotional weight and leaves you wishing for a more satisfying conclusion.

OVERALL 7.5/10.

Its really touches the heart. Diverse character portrayed with blend of frankness, perplexed minds which truly represents the real life dramas. Watching it was like enjoying vacation that really refreshes your mind and give a new fresh energy to life that help us to connect with characters of the movies one way or another.

It's all about urban relationships- the facade we have to maintain at times in order to keep our relationships going. Social media posts often are most colourful when relationships are at their worst. The younger lot comprising Chumki( Sara Ali Khan is good) , Shruti ( Fatima has improved her acting skills a lot) are at times fickle in their relationships and seem to be sitting on a fence whereas the elderly- Shivani ( Neena Gupta is brilliant)and Sanjeev Ghosh ( Saswata Chatterjee looks the part) who have tolerated each other longer, have got used to living with each other. There so-called more permanent coexistence is not because they love each other madly. It's a facade again because they don't want to roil the fabric of their families and they have to live upto social expectations. Their daughter Kajol ( Kankana the natural) and her hubby Monty ( the master Pankaj Tripaathi) are going through a midlife crisis in their relationship. Monty crosses the line and his family life is on the verge of ruins.

After a long long hiatus, Shivani and her once flame Parimal ( Anupam Kher is convincing in whichever part he does) get together at a college reunion. Fond memories are rekindled. Old age companionship fills their lives with joys however temporary.

How these complex issues are brought on the rails, is the story in the second half. The movie is little too long. It could have done with tighter editing. Characters singing songs to narrate their stories directly to viewers is an interesting experiment but at times it's a tad tedious.

Acting wise the film leaves nothing to be desired. All principal characters have acquitted themselves with elan. Pritam's musical score is good but too loud and interfering at times.

Pretty watchable Metro... is.

Amit Brahmo Kolkata.

Watched it in a theatre somedays ago knowing the fact it's not gonna be close to the previous part but still storyline could be much better dialogues could be effective and if they cut the Pritam papon and others singing at every single moment of the movie it could be nice the concert they were holding every single second of the movie was cringe.