Metro In Dino Movie Review: Classic Bollywood IS BACK??

Have you ever received such a powerful slap that, the moment you feel it, all the forgotten memories come rushing back? This Friday, Bollywood got exactly such a slap, one that made it forget the true meaning of the word ‘original’. And the one delivering this slap is a person whose music albums are more popular than his films. Ah yes, music, that word seems to have been deleted from the Hindi film industry’s dictionary. What is made now is either a remake or simply not worth a song. All these problems have one solution, Metro In Dino, the Part Two of the 2007 film, returning after 18 years with the same director and a fresh cast. To be honest, some films don’t need the audience as much as the audience needs them the most, and this is where Anurag Basu and his musical cinema step in.

What kind of film is this? Different people may have different answers. But if you listen to the music in the theatre, I bet you’ll leave a little piece of yourself there. Before telling you what this film is about, let me make it clear that this new film has no connection with the old one. Even if you haven’t seen the original, you can watch this one. The title itself suggests ‘Metro’, so it’s about stories of some urban people living in metro cities. Each story is unique, but the twist is that they are somehow connected. A wife suspects her husband of looking for another wife online, so she also dives into the ocean of dating and bumps into a crocodile. On the other hand, a girl’s boss touches her in the office without permission, while the boy who has promised to protect her for seven lifetimes also works quietly in the same office.

The third story is about a YouTuber, these clueless YouTubers have become quite popular these days. For them, love and fever are the same thing: it happens four or five times a year and ends in bed as if it is a dream. The fourth story is about senior citizens whose hearts are still young. The college love has returned to the aunty’s life after 40 years. But the question remains, who is the hero and who is the villain in the past and present? The fifth story is about high school sweethearts. You know the saying, two is company, one is none. But a third person has come between them, commonly called ‘good news’. Their life’s band is about to play, though. The sixth story will not be shown, but it is surely running inside you. Your own life as you will definitely connect it with this film.

We all have problems, but whether the film offers solutions or not will determine if you find it a masterpiece or a complete waste of time. The film is a bit long and not for every type of audience. It is very different from the cinema made these days. You may wonder, who makes such films nowadays? Who would watch them? But let me tell you, the first scene, which introduces all these stories, begins in a musical style, and from there, you’ll believe that old Bollywood has returned. The amazing thing about this film is that almost 50 to 60 percent of it is music, and the lyrics of every song move the story forward.

The film takes you closer to the characters. Anurag Basu’s best quality, I feel, is that no matter how many actors are in his films, he uses each one very well and gives them equal screen time. Just like Ludo wasn’t a one-man show, Metro In Dino is everyone’s story, and in the end, you can learn something different from each story. By the way, the stories are so strong that this film transformed Director Imtiaz Ali into a good actor, there’s a small cameo that will surprise you, Anurag Basu himself also appears in the film. Personally, if you ask me, the best story is ‘In Dono Chehron Ki’. But performance-wise, I couldn’t take my eyes off Pankaj Tripathi, he was sheer entertainment on the move.

Also, seeing Aditya Roy Kapoor felt very fresh to me; he should do more movies. But these two will remain close to the heart. The real emotions are here. I’d give it three out of five stars. First, the film’s music album. Second, the song lyrics, which are more powerful than many film dialogues these days. Third, the clever way every story is connected to confuse the audience about how the ending will unfold. And an extra, the special appearance by Pritam Papon, which reminds us of the old Metro. On the downside, some stories may feel a bit cinematic, and their resolution might seem rushed. Also, the film is a bit long, if you remove the music, sitting for two and a half hours might be tough. So, what are you waiting for? If you are a human, book your Metro ticket now. After a long time, a film has come that offers therapy not just to the mind but to the heart as well.