Reviews

This is a wonderful movie. It's not a 'masala' type Hindi movie. It's a lovely character study, mainly a two way dialog. I first saw that Kareena Kapoor had talent as an actor the initial time I viewed this, many years ago. I had always assumed she was a one act wonder, candy to look at and a reasonable to good dancer. But there was nuance to her acting in this, and she played well against Rahul Bose, who has the goods as an actor. I believe it is one of this director's best, but it doesn't end on the harsh note that some of his things do. Though there is some ambiguity in the end, we are not left holding our own mangled hearts and feeling despair, which this director has shown himself quite capable of doing. This is, for the most part, a quiet movie, and it pays close attention to the development of, not only the characters, but our investment in them. I went away invested in all of these characters, and now own a copy to watch at will. Pay attention to Makarand Deshpande, who is fantastic as the cab driver (he also plays the wanderer who directs Shah Rukh's character in Swades, again with an unforgettable flair.. I wish he had larger roles in more things, as he is a delight to watch).

If I hadn't read "a dreamy ride," I would never have watched this movie, and I would have missed what turned out to be a heart-warming treat. This movie is well-done, but it isn't normal Hindi movie fair. I read the review and decided to give it a try, though I was concerned that 'dreamy ride' meant Saawariya fair.. I was wrong. It isn't overly theatrical in the least. The characters interact in a very real way. It's just that our protagonist, heroine if you will, resorts to her daydreams to escape an untenable life, thus, Woody Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo comes to mind. This is not, however, a ripoff of that movie at all. It is pure Mumbai daily life. The actors are all excellent, believable, as is the setting. There is one thing that I questioned, that she could be in a mentally and physically abusive relationship for so long (she mentions eight years, but her daughter seems older than that) and still find her way out by her own strength of will. However, I was more than willing to buy into it, because after ten minutes I was hooked. I will mention as well that I really enjoyed seeing Suhasini Mulay as the comforting neighbor. She lent a credible tone to the cast and movie. One more thing, it was really nice to see a Hindi movie where, in the end, a bad character doesn't do that very unrealistic 'turn for the better' that is so completely unbelievable.. he stays true to form and we are not pushed to believe that he overnight becomes a better person. Overall a very watchable and uplifting movie, especially if you want to be given a push to believe in yourself.