If a pretty face was all that was needed to ensure an outstanding movie, this one would earn high marks. Because a pretty face is what you get from the very first frame, and not just pretty at that but a pretty decent performance by the pretty face as well. But both of those good qualities do not guarantee a remarkable movie. Vidya Balan has proven her chops in recent films and is the rising star on the horizon, but there’s only so far that a good face and a good performance can go. What’s just as important, if not even more so is the kahaani or story itself.
This kahaani starts out with great promise but soon gets too convoluted and unrealistic even as we sympathize with the pregnant young woman looking for her missing husband in the big city. Speaking of which, it might very well be the city itself that is the real star of this movie. Bustling with humanity, it is both the epitome of a sleepy city just as much as it is the city that never sleeps.
But back to the kahaani: the kahaani is a little too farfetched. Since when do police officers become partners-in-crime with private citizens in order to solve missing persons cases? And how it is that a pregnant young woman has no family or friends with her in her quest to find her missing husband? Come on, movie makers, let’s get the moviegoers to identify with the characters and the plot. If you can’t do that, well, then the kahaani is what is called a ‘bundal’! (That’s Hindi for baloney).
So, nice try everyone, but this ain’t remarkable by any stretch of the imagination. Oh, and Ms. Balan, I’m sure we’ll see more of you in the days to come. Here’s hoping you’ll get great scripts and stories to choose from.
