Highway is a two-way journey- outer and inner. It’s not flawless but it’s deep.

REVIEW:

The very essence of Imtiaz Ali’s ” Highway ” is in the words of its protagonist Veera.

“Jahan se tum mujhe laaye ho, main wahan wapas nahi jaana chahti ,
Jahan mujhe le me jaa rahe ho , wahan pahunchna nahi chahti.
Magar ye jo rasta hai , yeh bahut achha hai. Main chahti hun yen rasta kabhi khatam na ho.”

And we have heard similar lines earlier…
“Pata hai…
yahan se bahut door
Galat at aur sahi ke paar,
Ek maiden hai
Main wahan milunga tujhe.

Imtiaz Ali has always taken us to the beautiful journeys, to the places unseen and untouched.He has given us very wacky, weird yet wonderful characters be it Geet, Jordon or Jai. The people in his stories are always made of same substance, just trapped in different situations. They have always strived to break the shackles of society, discover themselves and just wander, travel and travel.

This time Ali has taken us on a journey to six states of India along with a rich young girl Veera Tripathi and her abductors lead by Mahabir Bathi ( Randeep Hooda). Veera is introduced amidst the preparations for her wedding picturized as raw footage on screen. She begs her fiance to save her from the drama of wedding for an hour and drive her to the highway so that she can breathe some fresh air. There comes the twist when she is abducted by a group of bandits who take her as their hostage, later on realizing that she is from a rich influential family.

When the leader of the gang panics on knowing that her father has links with the ministry, Mahabeer proceeds on his own with his men to the journey unplanned, unanticipated. This starts the journey of a lifetime for Veera. She yells, sobs, panics and tries to escape. The scene where she runs for her freedom to the endless stretch of Sambar salt pan shot in moonlight is dreadful, comic and beautiful all in the same time. When Veera realizes that she has nowhere to escape, she surrenders to this beautiful journey and starts living it.

Veera develops a special bond with the rough , rustic Mahabeer who has his own sinful yet tragic past. She shares with him her most tragic and dreadful incidences of her life of which has been always asked to keep mum about. Two people very unlike to each other, with their own sufferings, find solace in each other. They know that this journey will take them nowhere but still, they take en route highway.

Highway is an assembled piece of cinema of beautiful moments. Though the package may now work well, the moments strike the chord within you. If you feel how can a victim fall in love with his kidnapper, where this journey will end, why’s, how’s, sensibility and practicality, then this film is surely not for you.

Alia Bhatt will leave one awestruck with her powerful performance. She fits the role so perfectly that one can’t imagine any other actress in that role. Her transformation during the journey from the victim sobbing and yelling, to the confused young woman to the chirpy happy girl continuing the journey in her own terms is mesmerizing. Imtiaz Ali has left her untamed and we get an honest performance from a promising actress. The ever-dependable Randeep Hooda has gained a lead role in the mainstream cinema and done full justice to the character. He has perfected the Haryanvi accent. His transformation from a rough, cruel bandit to the vulnerable man who wants to break free of his tragic past is lovely too. Their chemistry is scintillating, magical yet unbelievable.

Highway, in fact, belongs to Alia, Randeep and every supporting actor, Anil Mehta, A.R. Rehmaan( trademark music) and Resul Pookutty (minimalist background score). Direction and screenplay are classic examples of a beautiful story not executed well.

Highway is journey two ways the outer and the inner one. It’s not flawless but its deep. It’s beautiful not only in spite of the faults but somewhere because of them. Take this journey, its worth.