Life in a Metro
Life in a Metro
| 11 May 2007 (USA)
Life in a Metro Trailers

A group of Mumbai up-and-comers search for love and struggle for success in this ensemble drama that centers on an eager young call centre executive.

Reviews
ThiefHott Too much of everything
Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.
Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
msvaidya happened to catch LIM on TV recently. reminded me of how this movie was one of the turning points in Indian cinema. Like a train, cinema in India cannot turn at sharp angles - its has to gently change course - Life in a metro was one such subtle but important change in direction. No longer are the principle characters caricatures to be amused by - they could be the person sitting next to you or your own story. actors could blend in the populace. songs could blend in the narrative. audiences were assumed to have some intelligence & most importantly you can feel the presence of a director - Anurag Basu. In looking back this film will be remembered for its contribution to Indian cinema - particularly the parts played by Shilpa Shetty, Konkana Sen Sharma & Irrfan Khan. Hope to see many more such good films from Anurag
minidodo Anurag Basu has mastered the art of copying Hollywood movies. He flicks popular Hollywood or world movies/themes and presents them in an Indian context. So in my opinion he is just a smart businessman and not an auteur as he is made out to be. The mainstream media in India is for sale and it's possible to re-paint a cat and call it a Lion. And hence he has a good reputation going for him. Unfortunately due to this hype, people are comparing Anurag Basu to his namesake - Anurag Kashyap - who plays many leagues above him. Other users who like his movies seem to comment based on the entertainment value (some of which should be credited to Mr.Basu as it takes some smarts to be keep his output entertaining) or are totally unaware of the original.I would to distinguish *copying* from *inspiration*. For example, "Dev D" by Anurag Kashyap is inspired by the Novel/movie "Devdas", but it's a thoroughly original take on it. However "Murder" by Basu is almost a scene by scene copy of "Unfailthful" - till the twist-in-the-end gimmick : pretty much like how so many b-movie makers take a hit movie, add a twist but they are pretty much unoriginal. At least most B-movies don't pretend to be original.Similarly, "Life in a metro" is inspired by the Hollywood trend of parallel, nearly disjoint story lines (Magnolia, Playing by Heart (1998) among many others). Here most characters are one dimensional (but that's just my opinion) and unconvincing in their actions. There is no catharsis that a movie of this nature would aim to inflict on the user. In fact at times it seems to go the Madhur Bhandarkar populist way - where by showing something big (a metropolitan city) in a negative light, he tries to win the masses. Yup, so while writing this comment, I found a peer for Anurag Basu - Madhu Bhandarkar. They represent the so called new breed of Bollywood cinema who claim that they'll re-invent the industry. All the will succeed is in re-inventing some beaten story lines. (Okay, Madhur might be slightly more original than Basu but he is uninspiring and populist).
m_shankar20 Telling parallel stories inter-related to various degrees had been the flavor for some time now in Hindi cinema. Success, however, is almost absent. Anurag Basu had almost pulled it off except for three things - incorrect branding, lack of originality and wannabe rock stars showing up everywhere.The story as such had nothing to do with the city of Mumbai. It could have been set anywhere. Also how the city adds to the plights and joys of the character is not very clear. Rat race, lack of time for family, sexual confusions/frustrations are all a reality today of even mid-range cities, not only metros. This is what I meant by incorrect branding. I think the film should have been promoted as story of the time we live in, irrespective of the city. It would have appealed to a larger audience base.Basu has been liberal in copying the classic 'The Apartment'. You cannot copy a classic just like that. I'm not sure if the makers of 'The Apartment' are at least credited. Originality is the biggest virtue of any art. Then, the rock stars. Pritam and his band were omnipresent throughout the film. The songs are fantastic but they popping up everywhere started to irritate very soon. A more imaginative filming of the songs would have added to the film's value.Inspite of all this, Metro is a very good film to come out in recent times. Though Basu does not go deep into the torments of the characters and just touches them fleetingly, he does manage to capture the essence. Casting is almost precise and all actors do a good job. You get the import of the film that how we are losing ourselves in the maze of the paths laid down for us by everyone except ourselves. It is hard to stand up and reclaim your life. It is difficult to open the car's door and walk out like Kangana does at the end, but probably that's what most of us want to do most of the time.
viking2007 The world is becoming smaller. Cell phones have cut down distances. Low cost airlines have got cities closer. There's less time for breakfast. Even lesser time for dinner. And no time for lunch. The sensex is rising. Malls in every corner. Multiplexes, the only way to watch movies. The seven year itch has come down to 7 months. Or lesser. Depending on how ambitious one is. We are getting bored too soon. Too many choices. Too many dreams. Not enough sleep.Rahul is one such young man with dreams. Working as a call center executive in a BPO in Mumbai. He silently loves his boss, Neha. A smart young woman who has made it up the ranks in a very short time. And hard work is not her only secret. Because her boss, Ranjeet loves her and is willing to shower her with gifts and opportunities... only if she is willing.In his 30s, Ranjeet is married to Shikha with a 6 year old son. Shikha is very well educated and was a better student that Ranjeet. But they decided that she should stay back at home and take care of the house and the kid. So Ranjeet ventured out on his quest for money and success... and forgot his family somewhere on the way. And bitterness and boredom crept into their relationship. Soon he found solace and a fresh lease of life in Neha. An exciting, non-committal relationship based on sex.Neglected by an indifferent husband and bogged down by family chores, Shikha is soon attracted to a maverick in Akash. A loser and a rebel without a cause, Akash is a struggling theater artist whose wife divorces him... because she cannot stand his failures anymore. Akash and Shikhas love blossoms and she almost crosses her limits that she has so fervently guarded all these years.