Highway * * *

Okay so, you know that story right, where a rich girl has that sudden urge to run away one day before the her lavish wedding into the lap of the nature and to explore the real meaning of our lives which one can only find beyond the four walls of comforts. Imtiaz Ali uses the same frame but as they say, do not judge a book by its cover. The movie has so much more to offer than the regular sized rom-com with the pretty lady falling in love with a troubled man from the ghetto. And surely he produces yet another masterpiece of the league of "Jab We Met" and "Rockstar". A more spiritual and philosophical one though!

So Veera (Alia Bhatt) apparently is having this life crisis courtesy her born-with-a-silver-spoon past, the prospect of getting married to the likes of her parents and the invisible cage that she is always into.She feels suffocated in this zone of comfort as if the air of freedom has been viciously sucked out of it in the disguise of protection and purity. She wants to break free. She wants to be in the open. She wants to run away. She has been warned of the dangers which are waiting outside. No body tells her of the enemy who is inside.She had been violated at times but was too afraid to come out.

And hence she comes out on a little tour outside the city with her fiancee when everybody is asleep. And that is exactly when she gets all that she desired although in a little scary way. She gets kidnapped by a bunch of contract criminals led by the audacious Randeep Hooda who brilliantly portrays a stoic man who was once deeply hurt by the evils of the society which choked her mother completely. Witnessing that horror, he had perhaps lost all of his emotions and the ability to feel. An old point well depicted - no one chooses to be a part of the bad neighborhood, they are rather coerced into it.

On the other hand, this girl Veera, is a little confused over not feeling scared or sad on being taken away from her mega palace. She seems puzzled and surprisingly a little happy. She smells freedom in spite of being a hostage. When she was kidnapped, she was actually being freed from the people who had held her like a hostage all her life. The gang has to keep on moving, so she is always on the road, on the run to neverland perhaps. But she does not want to sit in the dark rear of the truck. She wants to experience the journey, the changing weathers and the unique lives of people where ever they go. She starts enjoying it slowly, she starts living life slowly.

Alia Bhatt has given an outstanding outstanding (repetition intentional) performance. She carries the role so effortlessly and one just cannot believe that she is just one of the pretty ladies having recently entered the film fraternity. She looks and performs like a seasoned actress already. Certainly one of the best females performances of this 21st century. This journey is not just about freedom. It is also about coming across genuine people who are not just pretending to be free. Those who are actually alive. She finds one in her abductor Mahavir (Randeep). She opens up to him and shares everything even about how she was violated as a child and her screams were brutally suppressed by her own mother. And when the dark shell of the abductor cracks, even he tells her finds comfort in her.

We all at times feel puzzled seeking the purpose of our lives. We at times feel lonely in a crowd and feel complete roaming alone. Why is that? This question is the soul of this movie. And the feeling of Veera is a beautiful answer one must witness. It is perhaps the journey that one enjoys, not the destination. Perhaps we never want to reach the destination. Apart from that, the chemistry between this rich lass and the rowdy abductor is nicely shown and it feels so natural and real. You feel for both characters. But it becomes slow and directionless towards the very end and it should have answered the questions raised in a better way perhaps. Nevertheless, watch it for a breathtaking performance from Alia, good support from Randeep and a beautiful roadtrip courtesy Imtiaz to tingle your spiritual and philosophical cravings! 

Queen * * * *

Indian women are beautiful, cute and sturdy reserves of our cultural heritage. And this year's International Women's Day is made even more special by this marvelous masterpiece of Vikas Bahl making the above point out loud who earlier came up with a beautiful work for children in "Chillar Party". And the icing on the cake is the outstanding blue-moon performance by Kangana Ranaut. And here the icing is gigantic in proportion to the cake.

This feel-good tale is about a conservative middle-class Indian girl who lives in Rajouri, Delhi and falls for this son-of-a-family-friend. Now this guy is no ordinary prick but represents the average middle-class Indian Bachelor who falls for the prettiest possibility around and shamelessly forgets his commitment for the next better opportunity he gets. Why would he care about the feelings of the girl who in her heart has already committed everything to this hollow man? It is still a damn patriarchal society which would make him right. Poor ancestral legacies at play!

So after 10 long years of goofing around, this guy returns from London all jazzed up and thinks this chick is old school for me now. She would not understand my intellectual crap and would be an embarrassment for me in my so called hi-profile circles. And ergo he decides to dump her right before the wedding and at the time when the girl's family is drowned in the festivities of marriage with all pompous and fanfare. It breaks the girl's heart. Actually herself as well. And what to say of the lowered head of the daughter's dad for whom it was to be the biggest event of his life perhaps.

An air of sorrow and disgust prevails all thanks to the apparently modern spine-less asshole. But because of this pretentious douchbag why should the girl suffer the guilt? Why should the girl's family bring their flags down? And right here starts the whole point of the movie. Our Protagonist, Rani, the girl, who likes the name "Queen" rather, realizes the same and decides to go on the Honeymoon all alone. It has been her dream all her life. Why to let go? Go Girl!

Over in Paris and Amsterdam, she meets people from across the globe and learns the elements of freedom, pain and joy with sharing her life with theirs. The glimpses of her controlled and rigid relationship come flashing back to her and make her realize that was not love. That was mere possession. She was rather owned. There was no freedom. And no love for sure. No meaning crying for something that was so wrong. For instance, when she is dancing in the bar in one scene she remembers how her fiancee had thrashed her for dancing in public once. She had apologized then, she feels guilty of that now. She spread her arms wider, opens her hair. She dances with more energy now, full throttle. She is more vibrant. She is free after all. And all these things are depicted in kangana's eyes and gestures. Superb expressions!

And the story goes on on these lines. It is about a woman who realizes how in every way she was being restrained. The remnants of patriarchy are still at play and she needs to break free. She is no puppet in the hands of power-hungry male fraternity. Queen represents the women of today who are determined to be free, to prove herself and to be independent. Queen represents a hope for the elimination of gender bias. And Kangana's portrayal is far beyond a character. It is a phenomenon who's time has come. The director deserves special mention.

Apart from this, the movie is tremendously hilarious as well. Be it the nuances of Indian shy culture or the simplicity of the Indian girl which brightens up your face. For creating masterpieces about children and women, his corporate social responsibility must be rewarded. Go watch, learn and contribute!