By Hindustan Times
Direction: Anu Menon
Actors: Ali Zafar, Aditi Rao Hydari
Rating: ** 1/2
Towards the tip of London Paris New York, there's a moment of unvarnished truth. Nikhil Chopra, a fledgling film director played by Ali Zafar, rails against the girl he loves – Lalitha Krishnan played by Aditi Rao Hydari. Among other things, he calls her a tease (preceded by a word that can not be reproduced in a family newspaper). He wipes away tears and spews hurt and hate. It’s a difficult scene but Zafar doesn’t falter. His rage rings true.
I wish the remainder of London Paris Ny were to boot pitched. Written and directed by debutante Anu Menon, the film follows the crisscrossing paths of Nikhil and Lalitha over eight years. They meet, for one night only, in three different cities. What begins as a hesitant friendship evolves into passion and finally a more mature love. The tale echoes One Day, the Lone Scherfig film in accordance with a best-selling novel, by which the person and girl meet on July 15 over twenty years.
Nikhil and Lalitha aren’t very different from Dexter and Emma in that film. Like Dexter, Nikhil is rich and somewhat spoilt and aimless. Like Emma, Lalitha is middle class and focused. But Lalitha, who stridently proclaims that she is a feminist and does work with an NGO, is slightly more annoying.
When a whole film is predicated at the meeting and parting of 2 people who( are thereby in every frame), it puts enormous pressure at the actors and writer. Both wish to sparkle consistently. Even first-rate performers find it a tricky act. One Day, which stars the Oscar-nominated Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, is a huge bore. I LIKE producers Goldie Behl and ShrishtiArya for eschewing the star route and casting fresh faces; the selection of Hydari, who till now was relegated to supporting roles, is especially brave.
But then the leads are made to suit into that over-familiar glam styling and foreign locations. Within the Paris segment, Hydari struts around in mini-skirts, boots and an intriguingly bad wig. The look in fact reflects her frame of mind however it feels false. Hydari has a luminous presence – at the same time as the bua in Delhi-6, she made an impact. But here she appears to be working too hard to get the correct mix of fluttering eyelashes, steeliness and vulnerability. Meanwhile Zafar relies an excessive amount of at the Smolder – that smugly sexy look that the robber Flynn Rider gives Rapunzel within the Disney film Tangled.
The actors also are slowed down by the writing, which ranges from inspired (the climactic outburst mentioned above) to insipid. Too often, Menon resorts to formulaic character traits, so if Nikhil is a pretentious film school student, he will need to have a goatee and discuss with Andrei Tarkovsky. London Paris The big apple has sufficiently seductive visuals of all three cities. In Paris, Lalitha, wearing just a sheet, has breakfast on a balcony with the Eiffel Tower looming large. It’s postcard perfect but additionally slightly plastic. As is the film.
Starting today, Anupama Chopra becomes Hindustan Times’ film critic. Chopra has written at the Hindi film industry since 1993. Her work was published in India Today, The brand new York Times, The la Times, Variety and Sight & Sound. She presented and scripted a weekly film review show, Picture This, on NDTV 24/7. She is the writer of 4 successful books on cinema, including the internationally acclaimed Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema, and Sholay: the Making of a Classic, which won a countrywide Award.
