Highway
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Casts: Randeep Hooda, Alia Bhatt.
Banner: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, Utv Motion Pictures, Window Seat Films
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Producer: Imtiaz Ali, Sajid Nadiadwala
Writers: Imtiaz Ali
Music: A R Rahman
Release Date: 21st Feb 2014
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Story line: A young city girl, full of life, is on the highway at night with her fiancé. They are about to get married in four days. Suddenly, her life is swung away from the brocade and jewelery of marriage to the harsh brutality of abduction. She is taken away by this group of rustic criminals, where her life will never be the same again.
The same night, the gang is in panic. The girl is a big industrialist’s daughter. His links in the corridors of power make ransom out of the question. They are doomed. But the leader (Randeep Hooda) of this group is adamant. For him sending her back is not an option, and thus he will do whatever it takes to see this through.
Days are passed, and these are the days of unbelievable horror for her. But, as the truck runs and miles turn, as the scenery changes, the light adlso changes, as the sun sets and rises, the air as well changes, and she feels that she has changed as well.
Gradually, a strange bond begins to develop between the victim and the oppressor. It is in this captivity that she, for the first time in her life, feels free. But they are not made for each other. She does not want to return to where she came from. She does not want to reach where he is taking her. She only wishes this journey to never end. Maybe the Highway will not really change her, but she will go on with her life like everyone else. Maybe this feeling is just a passing phase, or maybe not.
In an interview with The Telegraph, director Imtiaz Ali stated, “Highway has been a story that has stayed with me for 15 years. There was something in it that did’n’t die. Usually you lose interest in a story beyond a certain point. But with Highway, there was something very subtle, yet something very influential”. On the story he added, “Some years ago, I made a half-hour episode for a TV series (1999 for Zee TV’s Rishtey starring Aditya Srivastava and Kartika Rane) and that’s where I first got a hint for this story. And over time, it changed form and genres until I just gave up. And then it all settled down to this journey of two characters. As for the central female lead, I thought I would cast someone with some experience of life, someone who had probably been through some relationships.While penning the script he stated he had to change many scenes of the film because he felt they were becoming too similar to his previous film, Jab We Met. He claimed the film to be his first digital film.In the April 2013 interview with the same, he said the film is primarily the story of two characters from very different backgrounds— played by Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt—who take the road trip across six states in a truck. Further, Ali told that he had thought of making Highway in various ways. At an instant he thought of making it a very big action film later he thought of scripting it in a very romantic way; some 12 years back, he drew romantic instances from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. He added, “The film is about the discovery of yourself while traveling. It’s a coming-of-age movie.” Prior to shooting he didn’t complete scripting for the film and the script got ready after the shooting of the scenes because the dialogues were decided on the spot.
Know more about the captain of the Ship, the director: Imtiaz Ali (born 16 June 1971) is an Indian film director, actor and writer.
In an interview with the Times of India he talks about his his childhood days in Jamshedpur and his early influences.
My parents were still in Patna but I, along with my brother Arif, joined mid-term and stayed with my aunt at Karim Mansion (an old well-known building in Jamshedpur, where they had three cinema theatres, two of which were attached to the house). Even when I went to sleep, I had the sound of cinema in the background and since we lived there, I could go there whenever I wanted even though I was not allowed to. I had made friends with the projectionist and would see him changing reels and call him from his bidi break if the reel stopped in between. I was not studying and I failed. I was so self-conscious after that and for the first three days, I could just not go back to school. This whole embarrassment of failing and craning my neck down and avoiding my friends who had become my seniors, was difficult. Even though I had failed, my father never made me feel worse and was only there to always encourage me. It’s after that, that I started applying myself and excelled in studies and sports and started doing theatre. Imtiaz began his career directing TV programs including kurukshetra for Zee TV and Imtehaan for Star Plus.He later moved on to Bollywood films. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with the film Socha Na Tha starring Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia. Despite its box office failure, the film won critical acclaim. His second film, Jab We Met, starred then real-life couple Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, and became his first box office success. His movie Love Aaj Kal starred Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, and emerged as his biggest commercial success to date. Ali’s latest film Rockstar has also done well at the box office despite mixed reviews.
My Gut Feel and comments:
Movie budget is Rs 40 crore and running time is 2 hours 13 minutes. Promos reveals the plot in way and looks like to be a conventional story similar to which we have seen in the past as well however it’s the story telling art of Imtiaz Ali which would make the difference. I watched student of the year and never though that Ali bhatt would be presented so effectively in her second movie itself. As a captain of a ship a director plays an important role and is the most influential person on board who can sail the ship to success which seems to be a case with Highway. On top of it tunes of A.R. Rehman doing the wonders which has been choreographed well on Indian highways. Imitaz is a sensitive story teller and present his movies very well.
I am getting a positive vibes from this movie although star cast is unconventional so I would not able to comment on box office success however I am sure highway is a good movie and will appeal to both masses and classes.
I am giving this movie 3.5 stars out of 5 stars, four days before the release.