Movie Title – London Paris New York
Film Critic: Goher Iqbal Punn
Star Cast – Ali Zafar, Aditi Rao Hydari
Written by – Anu Menon
Screenplay by – Anu Menon
Story by – Anu Menon
Music by – Ali Zafar
Cinematography – Sameer Arya
Editing by – Sally Salgaonkar
Release Date: 2nd March 2012
London Paris New York, a film especially targeted at the youth, has been creating magic among the masses in particular the younger generation since quite some time. During the promotional activities of the movie, the craze for the film and the leading stars was handsomely vivid. The film has now been screened. A coming of age love story, the film has been directed by the first-timer Anu Menon. Bollywood witnesses a number of rom coms each year and majority of them go average or sometime below average but few rises above the expectations and work big time. They are those which carry the soul and their subject gets implemented aptly with powerful script and well-delivered performances. Anu’s London Paris New York too goes on the lines of those fewer rom coms chewed up on Bollywood front.
Filmed in three of the world’s most famous urban cities, the film is utterly urban and modern. The treatment to the movie is sophisticated. Anu Menon tries to hone the taste of the viewers with more polished look and subject. The flick is different from the routine rom coms being churned out in Bollywood scene these days. London Paris New York turns to be unique from the routine lot of the similar cinema with the plot that unzips in eights year in three various chic cities of the world.
The film talks about the suffering, anguish and the ordeals which emerge in one’s twenties – this is the time when one is on way to structure his/her life, comes across the romantic relationship and the likes. Menon executes the film pretty well on celluloid that the viewer gets glued to the screen till the climax. The script has power to grab the audience.
Nikhil (Ali Zafar) is an affluent guy from Bandra (Mumbai) studying filmmaking in London. Lalitha (Aditi Rao Hydari) is a middle class south Indian girl from Chembur (Mumbai) studying politics in New York. Both hand out in London and then figure out that they are attracted to each other. The flick then pours light on their love saga as they bump into each other in three stylish cities of the globe – London, Paris and New York in eight years time. Anu subdivides the flick in three chapters and each one has been filmed in a style that reflects the psychological state of the leading characters.
Anu Menon makes the flick a true genuine and natural voyage to have journey with utmost pleasures. The first timer does not show any signs of being new in this art of filmmaking. And that’s her dexterity which is appluadable. She aptly and very skillfully shows the adolescents’ sentiments, which they develop by the time they lose their hearts to someone. And she adeptly shows off the anguish and pain that ooze out when heartbreak happens with the youngsters. She is a brilliant storyteller and executes the flick supremely classily on the celluloid that the viewer does not take even a single yawn while the movie goes on.
The script, though is luminous, has its own share of flaws such as when the movie starts appearing a bit of lethargic since it does not develop anymore after Nikhil and Lalitha are introduced to the viewers. Otherwise the scripting is fine. Script has been penned by Anu Menon. The dialogues (credit goes to Ritu Bhatia and Anu Menon) are catchy and go well with the subject of the film.
Sameer Arya’s cinematography is eye-appealing and breath-arresting. The locales of London, Paris and New York have been captured with finesse. Shyam Salgoankar’ editing is fine. Music arranged by Ali Zafar is below average. It is not ear-pleasing. Well, the title track has oomph factor and is foot-tapping. The lyrics penned by Ali Zafar are too passable. He is a good singer but on music and song-writing front, he still needs to work.
As a performer, Ali Zafar impresses with his adroit piece of acting. In each film, he has done so far in Bollywood whether Tere Bin Laden, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan or this one London Paris New York, he proved his mettle as a good actor. Aditi Rao Hydari is gorgeous and acts superbly. Other cast of the film too does decent job.
Final Verdict by the Critic:
London Paris New York is a fresh piece of breeze and deserves to be watched. For youngsters and the ones who are young at heart, it is a lavish gift.
