Metro A Classic Example By Soumit Ranjan Jena As per Soumit Ranjan Jena, a trend is palpably felt with multi

i plots, multi stories engaging multi characters in Bollywood which most recently began with most recently began with Salaam-e-Ishq. Soumit Ranjan Jena opines that Anurag Basus Metro is a film, which brings out the complexities of differing relationships, which are normally found in a metro city like Mumbai. Extra martial affairs, the need to be young, an unending yearning for love, and the pressing need to get ahead in life. The city has been portrayed as so impersonal that a friendship that happens between Irrfan Khan and Konkana Sen is seen as a refreshment. The music of the film has seen a new pattern with a bunch of musicians (the music director Pritam Chakravarthy included) acting like sutradhaars, singing about six different songs on a guitar along the movie. There are songs about love, life, pain, pathos, despair and hope. This styling of music had been devised to advance the story and portray the emotions of different situations after which the band of musicians appear to philosophise of love and life. Onward to the story now. Shikha ( Shilpa Shetty ), Shrutis elder sister, is married to Ranjeet ( Kay Kay Menon ) and has a daughter. There is no love left between Shikha and Ranjeet. Theirs is more like a marriage of compromise. Ranjeet is the boss in a BPO firm. In the same office works Rahul ( Sharman Joshi ) who lives in his uncles flat, which is often used by his colleagues and seniors as a joint for having sex. Rahul obliges his seniors because he wants to rise up to managerial levels in his office. Rahul has a crush on Neha ( Kangana Ranaut ), his colleague. He doesnt know that Neha is in a sexual relationship with Ranjeet, until the day Ranjeet asks Rahul for the key to his flat to spend time with Neha. On the other hand, there is a series of brief encounters between Shikha and Akash ( Shiney Ahuja ). With Metro, director Anurag Basu proves for the third time (after MURDER and GANGSTER) that he's an incredible storyteller. The film is convincing yet in some portions quite depressing as not many characters are shown to be happy. If Anurag Basu, the director, deserves brownie points as a storyteller, Anurag Basu, the writer, is just not in terrific form this time around. Reason: The culmination of a few stories, besides the unique

concept of using the 'Metro Band' in every song, prevent the film from reaching dizzy heights. Rahul (Sharman Joshi) works as a call center executive in Mumbai. He silently loves his colleague Neha [Kangana Ranaut]. A smart young woman who has climbed the ladder in a very short time. And hard work is not her only secret. Because her boss, Ranjeet (Kay Kay Menon), loves her and is willing to shower her with gifts and opportunities... only if she is willing. Akash is a theatre artist who does his rehearsals next to an Old Age home that Shikha regularly visits to meet her former teacher Shivani (Nafisa Ali). Dharmendra plays Amol, Shivanis lover from the past who comes back into her life to spend his last days with her. Meanwhile, Shikha and Akash develop a mutual attraction. Their relationship reaches just on the cusp of crossing the limit when Shikha backs out. On the other hand, Neha feels used by her boss Ranjeet and tries to commit suicide. Shruti meets Debu again and they become good friends. But there is a problem. Debu is set to marry another girl. In this complex tangle, the movies story seems headed for a stifling stalemate when a timely stimulus is provided by a very small but significant incident that makes the characters realize the importance of following their hearts and not heads. Thereafter, every complexity is resolved in the mere wink of an eye. Suddenly every character in the story begins to see clearly and puts his or her tangled life straight. Metro is a gripping film but it gets heavy in the second half when the stories in it begin to look more and more commonplace. Thankfully, things dont drag for long. The aforementioned stimuli sets in motion a chain of events that leads to the culmination of the stories. Among the performances the most impressive come from Irrfan Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Konkona Sen Sharma and Kay Kay Menon. Irrfan, playing the eccentrically frank and friendly guy, provides many joyful moments to the otherwise serious and sombre film. Shilpa surpasses her previous performances with her sensitive portrayal of a conscientious wife attracted towards another man. Shiney Ahuja is strictly okay. Kangana Ranaut plays her part convincingly. Sharman Joshi is impressive. Dharmendra has a tender charm that comes through in every scene he shares with Nafisa Ali. Visually, Metro has a very sleek look. Anurag Basu s treatment of the story is very realistic and the dialogues sound straight out of life. Most importantly, not once does the emotional turmoil of characters in the film becomes soppy and superficially sentimental. Metro attempts to show the dark shades of desire and love in all its avatars. It definitely needs to be seen once. Rating: ***1/2