Highway

'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 saw this first day first show with my family in a suburban theatre.

The movie is thought provoking and it deals with a social message.

Lovely cinematography with a power to heal, to nurture and free your soul.

It made me want to almost pack my bags and take off into the unknown, the joy of lying down beneath the stars, beside a river or even just driving through the snow-capped mountains is enticing to say the least.

Randeep Hooda is very underrated.

He gave a solid performance.

The direction n cinematography is top notch n the best part is the screenplay.

The ending is very shocking and so is the background story of the male lead character.

Well the movie is simple,realistic,beautifully shot,has nice music and is diligently acted.If you are looking for an out of the box movie,this movie is not for you. It is for those soul, who believe more in spiritual form of love rather than physical.It touches you at various level, though revolving around a linear storyline.The movie also touches upon various important social issues without being redundant and preachy such as child abuse,class difference etc.It also never appears to be overacted, though the scene in the second half where Alia confronts ghost of her past seems quite elongated.All in all a good clean family movie with a soulful core and a genuine message you can take back home.One of the best works of Imtiaz after Jab we Met ..one of the most soulful indeed.Though we all know practically in real life a lot of things are not possible ,but these movies sometimes gives us a hope to believe in good ...and in spiritual love.After all some movies are meant to make you oblivious about reality...for sometime.

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' 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!