WILL HIGHWAY FIND SUCCESS?

Imtiaz Ali is the name that commands respect despite his last two films – Love Aaj Kal and Rockstar – not finding universal acceptance. But he’s loved for the fact that his films are always sensible and at the same time, entertainers at heart. And the tradition continues with Highway, starring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda. The film looks like, what many would call ‘arthouse cinema’, but is not a serious dark film and has it’s dose of humour, romance etc. It’s shot in 6 different states of North India in the most difficult locations. The makers of the film revealed making videos of the film, calling it ‘Highway Diaries’ which were a treat. It explained how the experiences of shooting the film helped shape the contents of the movie.

The film has music by A R Rahman and few of the songs have caught attention. Randeep is not shown much in the promos, perhaps purposely, but it’s Alia who has taken everyone by surprise. She gets to prove her worth and that she’s a talented performer and this is something she didn’t got to do in her first film, Student Of The Year. Sadly, the film has created just moderate buzz. Moreover, the arthouse cinema treatment might hamper its collections, although the film essentially is an entertainer. However, word of mouth can be crucial and if it’s positive, the film can go a long way.

The other release of the week is Darr @ The Mall. It’s a novel horror film that talks about a haunted mall! Jimmy Sheirgill is the lead and the film also stars Nushrat Bharucha (Pyaar Ka Punchnama fame), Arif Zakaria and others. The trailer is quite scary and the movie seems to be a great effort. But again, excitement is low and a good response can salvage the film. But one never knows. In the past, spooky films like 1920, Haunted 3D, 1920: Evil Returns etc released without much of a buzz but they went on to become sleeper hits. This is a phenomenon seen with horror films as many believe that such films can be enjoyed the most only in cinemas. Darr @ The Mall might score due to this aspect.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HIGHWAY OR DARR @ THE MALL AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!