Highway: A journey not so smooth

Imtiaz Ali might have attempted something really “different” as it is understood in the Bollywood parlance, but the hatke endeavour gives in as the plot unfurls a romantic journey, much too sanitized, much too idealistic, much too ‘feel good’, as we have witnessed it innumerable times in the past. It’s true that it has not become another Jab We Met for it adopts the road movie genre with a certain degree of seriousness, redirecting the spotlight from intricately decked up interiors, designer clothes and costume jewellery and pricey cars to the geographical diversity of the country, ordinary wearable clothes bought from roadside shops, and a shabby truck. But how different is it anyway? O yes, the ending! But, wasn’t the ending already expected, given that mainstream Bombay Cinema, after the economic liberalization, barely ever had marriages across different classes? 

But, from another perspective, Highway does introduce a scathing critique of bourgeois morality, its aspirations for a ‘good life’, and family values. While all these appear refreshing, a ‘criminal’ truck driver with a golden heart is not a new invention! Rather it’s a reiteration of a stereotype. The film seems to revel in self-glory for having been able to confront the bourgeois audience’s assumption that a truck driver cannot be ‘good’. This is very similar to the notion that a prostitute is bound to be 'immoral', indisputably 'evil'. That’s why Bombay Cinema has time and again indulged in self-eulogy every time they had a ‘good’, ‘loving’, ‘sacrificing’, ‘motherly’ prostitute, as if a prostitute cannot be any of these. In this sense, Highway becomes the victim of the very ideas it sought to disrupt. 

And, the innocent daughter of a stinking rich family, disgusted with wealth and the hypocrisies associated with the demand for social politeness is an even older stereotype! The runaway princess who falls in love with a tramp is so deeply etched in our psyche, that Alia Bhatt’s super candy-floss Veera does not surprise. It’s a different issue altogether that she has given a marvellous performance, unexpected after the rather glitzy breezy role in her debut film. 

The final showdown scene could have been more subtle and nuanced, and Veera need not have explicated the obvious. It’s indeed interesting how Veera returns to the hills, gets involved with an industry, and abandons the comfort of a plush home and a ‘secure’ marriage. But, in no way, does the film leave a lasting impression. 

Barring Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt’s dazzling performances, the cinematography deserves two thumbs up. A. R. Rahman’s music adds to the entertainment quotient, which is quite high though. However, this isn’t Imtiaz Ali’s best as was the buzz surrounding the film. Highway is already much too overrated: for stereotypes are intelligently reinforced but the trick is often missed. Perhaps that is the success of Imtiaz Ali that he could convincingly hoodwink his viewers.

Hasee toh Phasee: Redefining Romance

Parineeti Chopra’s livewire Meeta doesn’t become the victim of what initially looks like a ‘taming of the shrew’ story, while Sidharth Malhorta’s charming Nikhil doesn’t make of her the demand to conform. Hasee toh Phasee is enchanting in the sense that it gives Bollywood romance that lovable twist which was indeed long overdue. Set against a big fat Indian wedding and a herd of annoying relatives that cannot be done away with, Hasee toh Phasee pleases by critiquing what it seems to exalt. It’s indeed one of the very first commercial Hindi films to foreground the hegemony of the family and the pressure it unnecessarily exerts on those who are different. I am absolutely delighted that Karan Johar, the devoted perpetrator of lachrymose family dramas in Bollywood, has broken out of that bubble world to debunk what he had been promoting so far. It’s indeed praiseworthy that Johar is trying to break out of his kind of cinema, as already attested by his endorsement of Lunch Box, last year. Two other names, Anurag Kashyap (who has also penned the dialogues) and Vikramaditya Motwane, who have joined hands with Vivek Agarwal and Johar to produce this film, might give you an idea that Hasee toh Phasee is no run of the mill Bollywood rom-com. Director Vinil Mathew’s choice of title, however, seems a tad misleading. Hasee toh Phasee sounds frivolous; but, the film has a profundity which the title doesn’t give the slightest inkling of. 

Nikhil’s appeal lies not in his looks (as was expected from the devastatingly debonair Sidharth Malhotra), but in his integrity of character. Malhotra subtly downplays his Greek God charm to get into the skin, heart and soul of the character which is truly modern, progressive, yet deeply rooted. No! Not in traditions. Nikhil’s strength as well as vulnerability comes from his mature take on relationships and his deep humaneness. And that makes him the most desirable Valentine this year! Meeta’s queerness, which strikes you at the very outset, is sustained throughout the film, though she does change into flashy ghaghra-cholis once or twice and dances to typical Punjabi wedding songs. Her difference from other Bollywood rom-com heroines is that her tomboyishness does not come in her way of wooing a man and make him fall in love with her. Meeta, in a way, marks a remarkable transition of the conception of the desirable woman Bollywood has so far projected: she is no Anjali of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), who learns to muster feminine grace and seductively dance with an unruly anchal flying in the breeze, to win the man of her dreams. The most important twist comes in the end. Watch out for the little epilogue at the airport. 

While in the entire ensemble cast manages to keep you at raptures all through, it is Parineeti who takes the cake with her comic timing. Sidharth’s suavity is in perfect rhythm with Mr. Goodness act he has to put up, and he performs with rare panache. Adah Sharma, the dolled-up heroine of the small screen, brings into her performance the right degree of peevishness in order to appear irritable. The music is a slight letdown, but that does not really matter since this film, unlike other romantic comedies, does not depend on good music to carry forward the plot. 

One of the best Valentine gifts that have ever come from the Bollywood stable, Hasee toh Phasee is truly a ‘come fall in love’ experience, that also marks Hindi cinema’s coming of age.