Movie Review: CityLights is truth in your face

Movie: CityLights

Cast: Rajkumar Rao, Patralekha
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating:

City Lights is a very important film, it gives us a reality check

To begin with, CityLights brings together a talented bunch- the director who gave us Shahid, Hansal Mehta yet again works with the very talented Rajkumar Rao who earned a National award for the same film and also, on board is Mahesh Bhatt who strongly backs the project to ensure it makes the right noise. And with such a talented lot, there is no doubt that the expectations will be sky high. Though this film essentially is the remake of the BAFTA nominated British film Metro Manila.

CityLights is the story of Deepak Singh (Rajkumar Rao) who lives in a small village in Rajasthan with his wife and daughter. Since he finds it difficult to make the ends meet, he plans to move to Mumbai. His wife initially hesitant about aimlessly shifting to a big city without any proper plan eventually agrees and both along with their daughter head to Mumbai. Soon after reaching they are cheated by some people who pretended to help them get a small house. They lose their monumental support when they lose ten thousand rupees which they were carrying and now the family doesn't have a penny to survive, they end up staying in an under construction building.

Deepak finds a job in a security agency and with absolutely no choice left, his wife lands up at a bar seeking a job as a dancer. The scene where she is inside a bar, in front of the manager asking for a job is heartbreaking. It does give you an idea on how ruthless the city can be to the poor. The manager is checking her out from top to bottom and back to front, he turns on some music on his mobile and asks her to dance right there.

Deepak eventually finds out that he is trapped in a big conspiracy by his own manager who pretended to be his friend all this while. He keeps promising his wife that life will be back to normal and she wouldn't have to work at the bar but happy times are nowhere in sight for this family.

The fact that Deepak gets a job in a security agency without any background check is hard to believe. They are fascinated with his attire and language but I doubt one can pull off a job like that.

Rajkumar delivers a good performance once again. Each time he is suffering, you feel for him. Patralekha too puts in her heart and it shows.

Music by Bhatt's favorite Jeet Ganguly is average this time and there are way too many songs that don't help the plot.

CityLights is a very important film, it gives us a reality check. Mumbai is known to be the city of dreams but it does have a big share of shattered dreams too.

It's a good one but from the team of Shahid and with Mahesh Bhatt backing the project, we expected more.