~~~~Highway reviews ~~~~~ - Page 36

What I absolutely adore about Ali is the montages he uses..specially the last one with Veera and Mahabir's pasts and a single dandelion😳

It's like she is reborn again, and regains her innocence and reclaims her life.

Us Brahmins, we have this ritual, "Upanayan", where a young boy goes through a coming-of-age ceremony, and though that he gains the status of a "Dwij" - One who is born twice. He was born once, and through this ceremony, he is born again into innocence, into wisdom, and into life. This incident in the film reminds me of that ceremony. I love how firelight is used when Veera confesses to Mahabir. Because fire is the ancient companion of ritualistic confession and growth. She confesses to him, and she is almost purged, freed.

Aliaa has improved immensely from her last..and she has done a fantastic job..Randeep was equally super..but then every one knows how much of a brilliant actor he is..

The end saddened me a lot..After Rockstar this is Imtiaz's second movie with a sad ending..But then..I guess the impact of the story on me became this strong because the ending ..A Must watch..👍🏼

Mahabir got freed from the shackles of living a guilt ridden and barren life - like he got salvation of sorts - and even reunite with his amma (assuming she is dead) and even if amma was alive - he got to see her in Veera before dying

Veera progressed to a pure, serene life...almost other worldly...

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twitterati buzz (apologies if already posted)-

Shekhar Kapur: 2 very memorable performances take you down a wonderful journey of their internal lives n anguish #Highway Thank u Imtiaz Ali for d journey..@RandeepHooda is absolutely brilliant. @aliaa08 the most refreshing entry into Hindi Cinema in recent times #Highway Go see it.

Karan Johar: #Highway is Imtiaz Ali unplugged!! Out of his comfort and totally in command...Randeep is superb and Anil Mehta's finest work to date!!! I felt like a proud Parent when I saw #Highway...Alia Bhatt is exceptional!!!

Shabana Azmi: Alia Bhatt is such a mix of vulnerability n insouciance she tears at your heart in Highway. Randeep not a false note.Imtiaz Ali take a bow

Javed Akhtar: Milestones -Nargis in Mother India Meena kumari in saheb bibi.. Nutan in BANDANI Shabana in Arth and now Alia Bhatt in Highway.

Sidharth Malhotra: Must watch my Radha on the #highway Tom,best of luck @aliaa08 hearing great things,very excited,love n kiss ;)

Mini Mathur: Just saw #Highway ..loved it from first frame till the last one. Mz @aliaa08 & Randeep Hooda have swept the floor clean with their parts

Rajkummar Rao: #Highway Take a bow Imtiaz Ali. Wat an experience it was.Superb casting @CastingChhabra .I woke up thinking about d film. Magic of Highway.

Raghu Dixit: Take a bow Alia Bhatt - you have earned a fan in me. Impeccable #Highway by Imtiaz Ali Saab. Felt so good to hear @jonitamusic on the score! Dia Mirza: #highway this film is like a good book that you wish never ended :) Go watch it! You'll want to kidnap @aliaa08 love love love!

She said that the film propagates kidnap as being therapeutic and gives the message that if one is kidnapped, they should use it as an opportunity to heal themselves as they travel through the countryside, which is what disturbed her...

That has to be one of the stupidest things ive read in a review...if the character finds solace in what is an inherently traumatic situation, then the story is clearly using irony to get its point across ...it does not mean the film is recommending people to go get kidnapped to get a deep introspection of their life... It just so happens that this character came across such an ironic situation...tht dosent mean the director suggests or recommends this for everyone...wht kind of mucked up logic is that?

Thats like saying films which show the hero and heroine hating each other and then falling in love give out the message that girls and guys should hang out with people they hate in order to find true love...😕😆...it obviously cannot be the fact that those films were using irony to point out that love can be found in unexpected places...similar to highway which says peace/comfort can be found in unexpected places...Like in JWM, Geet misses her train, gets stranded on a creepy station, finds aditya who eventually becomes the love of her life...does that mean JWM was giving out the message to young adults to get stranded on creepy stations to find ur true love? the films are not asking u to actively look for unexpected places to find love/peace..its saying that u CAN find love/peace ieven if u are in an unexpected place coz life is unpredictable...geez...the amount of over analysis of components in isolation without looking at the bigger picture is so baffling...

1) Mahabir and Veera are yin and yang..the perfect foil to each other..it is not Stockholm Syndrome because their relationship is more reciprocal

2)Tu Kaja when Veera runs away is a cry for help..I loved the camerawork and the expanding nightskies

3)Awaz dedo and Bin phere hum tere written on the back are obviously symbolic

4) There is a lot of symmetry-A gun shot in the beginning when Veera is kidnapped..A gun shot in the end when Mahabir is killed

Veera running away from Mahabir and then Mahabir running away from Veera

5) have spoken about the other songs..just my 2 cents about sooha saaha and heera..the former was a progression from his mum to Veera, the latter about new beginnings and endings

6) All of us are programmed in a certain way..it's only when we are free from a role to play do we experience realism..I don't want to define their relationship..that they've found comfort in each other is but obvious

I think Rangan expressed it very well in his review...Mahabir becomes the catalyst of change for Veera...she is able to come out of her past trauma because she has been thrown into a traumatic situation in her present...through him. And this does work as therapy...because she is able to finally speak about what happened to her and she breaks free of her inhibitions...that dance on the highway on Mash Up was so symbolic (much as it was hilarious...not because one of the kidnappers joined her...more because of Mahabir's dumbstruck expression on seeing her dance with a complete lack of inhibition!) of her state of mind.

Like Mallu said...this kind of film needs a particular state of mind to understand...its okay, if some don't get it...but for those who did get it, the film will become something very special and cherished.

I think I need to watch a very bad film to get over fantasizing on this one...😆

its not saying "yay...put urselves in bondage to find freedom..."

thts stupid...