When you are at crossroads in life, take the Highway

Spoilers ahead!

I just returned from a surreal 2.5 hours watch of Highway, a phenomenal film that is bound to make you shed a tear (for me, truckloads..good i took tissues!) . Highway is a very emotional film at its depths. Imtiaz Ali has delivered his career best in this one.

It's a detour from a typical bollywood film , its a special experience that has to be felt to be understood . This movie is not for the mass audience who seek the entertainment quotient . It's for people who like feeling invested and emotionally drained at the end of a movie. 

Destroying all cliches surrounding stereotypical roles ,its an unconventional film which is very minimalistic in its delivery . It imparts a powerful feeling , yet its very subtle in its screenplay. The unhurried simplicity , the comfortable silence between the lead pair, the caresses between gunshots , the laughter amidst snowcapped mountains…it transports you to another world,one where you can find a renewed sense of freedom, just like Veera , the lead female character in the movie does.

A story which begins like a wedding documentary, rapidly changes pace when the hero appears in the kidnap scene. Most of the story is told from the perspective of the lead pair, we don't know how worried the girl's parents are , that their daughter is kidnapped (although a brief scene after intermission attempts to justify that). But most of the story is of the strange relationship Veera has with Mahabhir, she approaches him,he resists,she hugs him, he yields. We think of love that might ensue between them,but time and again , the story surprises us. No it’s not a love story,nor is it just a story of Stockholm Syndrome, where the abducted tries to kindle friendship with the kidnapper. Its a story of two people who find companionship in the memory of their traumatised pasts. There's a deep understanding that goes beyond a label on their relationships. In life, some bonds are inexplicable, like that between a mother and her son or a father and his daughter.

She asks him about his mother whom he seems to miss, he snaps back at her saying its none of her business. But slowly, he starts finding a mother in her. When they get a house in the mountains,she cleans the house and prepares food for him. He experiences a deep pain when entering that house as it reminds him of his “amma” , he bursts down in a very emotional scene ,in Veera’s arms. She hugs him and sleeps on him like daddy's little girl, she finds in him a protective dad she never had. They both know that their 'rasta' comes with an expiry date, but they just wish that it lasts a bit longer, a little more freedom is all the rich wounded girl asks for.

Veera asks Mahabhir if she could hold the gun. True to his character,he tries to snatch it back from her. He confesses of having killed 3 people and he says that when he killed the first person, he also died. What can be more romantic than a principled bad guy? The guy who knows what he is doing is wrong, but has fallen to the perils of fate ? The facade of a tough guy with the heart of pure gold.

The movie delivered more than i expected.In the first few scenes,I was a tad disappointed with the slow pace of dialogues,with the story beginning in a lull. You often tend to expect Indian movies to start with a bang, with action or moving trains or music.But the audience is left to enjoy the silence of the breezy wind at night. Its a story true to its agenda from start to end. It will leave you with questions you know the answers for. It will leave you surreal, with thoughts about Veera and Mahabhir and their blissful life in the snow-capped mountains.

I would recommend this film a watch for everyone for its unique screenplay, divine music, stunning acting and above all,the postcard ending with two children hopping away in the glory of innocent unwounded childhoods, just like that of Heidi in the Alps. 

I don’t want to stop writing, just like Veera says that she doesn’t want to go back to the place where she came from , nor to her destination . Its the journey that she wants. Its the journey which makes life so beautiful,not the end pinnacles of success or failure. There’s so much in this movie that mere words can fail to convey .I bid a salute to Imtiaz Ali.He just blew me away from a mile, and raised his bar for my expectation of his future movies.As for Alia Bhatt , a girl my age to deliver such a beautiful role is a feat by no means . I look forward to 2 states,her next movie for another stunning performance!

When you are at crossroads at life, go watch Highway.You won't regret it. Sometimes, you need to hear a beautiful story to get your perspective of life in place.