8 A.M. Metro - (Non-Spoiler) Review
When I saw the trailer of this
movie, it was clear that this movie belonged to niche category of films which
tread on delicate lines of liberty & moral enigmas, but a sincere watch
made it evident that this movie was way more than that. A slight maneuver in
wrong directions makes the movie blast on your face and instantly deprecates
even the good parts of the film. But since it was based on the novel ‘Andamaina
Jeevitam’ by Malladi Venkata Krishnamurthy, we can presume the
creators didn’t had much relay on the basic storyline.
Saiyami as a Marathi housewife
(Iravati) is a delight no one asked for. Her character embedded in her home
maker chores who seeks solace in brewing coffee and writing captivating poetry is
at once required to face her deep-seated fears and travel alone. Enters the magic of Gulshan Devaiah (Preetam)
which manifests itself as her endearing help who also comes with his intrinsic
past. The beginning of their connection is uptight organic where no one looks
to prove, impress, or enforce oneself on the other. Even though this is the
basic storyline, the story takes couple of unanticipated twists, completely
taking the audience aghast. The darkness this movie dives in is deep, but also shows a way to get back alive. This movie turns out to be an epitome for how
mutual love for art between two art lovers can be refreshing, enriching,
healing and one which brings a resplendent change in one’s outlook about life. Perhaps
an unintended yet worthy effect of this movie is in re-instilling confidence in destitute
people like us who somewhat find themselves disconnected from the current
augmenting chaos that there are people of our tribe who take pride in
prioritizing similar values and who share same adoration for art which emanates
from curiosity.
The lively feeling that you and
your likings are for the first time recognized, listened and reciprocated is
aptly portrayed in the film. The strength of the movie is staying in the
confronting reality and not running wild into a paradisaical fiction.
Cinematography is flawless in capturing their chemistry and the beautiful city
of Hyderabad (Bhagyanagar). Editing in certain scenes is especially commendable
for the ability of translating the tension in the scene onto the screen. Use of
Gulzar poetry has a healing effect on characters as well as the audience. The
song ‘Ghoomey’ has had a lasting effect on my memory for the way it was
indistinguishably placed at the exploration phase of the characters. A lot of
commenting around this film was about it being underrated. It was destined to
because only a minority of the people would truly relate to this film while the
masses continue to echo the emblazing hollow depictions of reality.
It's a 'must watch' for people who really care about poetry-liking-people without the façade of niceness .