The first thing that hits you about the movie is its intense realism. Early in the movie the audience gets to witness Vikram Jaisingh’s a.k.a Farhan Akhtar’s intense drive and hard work. Vikram shifted to Mumbai with the grand Bollywod dream: making it big in the scintillating film industry. Jobless in the meantime, he lives with his old school friend Abhimanyu.  It is there that he meets and grows close to Abhimanyu’s neighbour , Sona Mishra (Konkona Sen Sharma) .  Sona symbolizes all the struggling actresses who are exploited and then left on the sidelines. The unconventional twist in the tale is that though she perpetually fails to fulfill her dreams of becoming a star she does not become a source of tragedy. Vikram on the other hand makes it big because he gets signed for Romy Rolly’s( Rishi Kapoor’s) next movie which Zaffar Khan(Hrithik Roshan) had previously refused. Nikki Walia (Isha Sherwani), the daughter veteran actress Neena Walia (Dimple Kapadia) stars opposite Vikram. The two have an onset affair news of which gets leaked to the media. Unfortunately for Vikram, the reporter covering the article just happens to be a close friend of Sona. The article kick starts stormy media gossip, causing both Sona and Nikki to cut ties with Vikram. However the end resolves itself in its own way, delivering a powerful message as it does.

The movie provides an interesting insight into the hypocritical glam world of Bollywood, and describes the pathos of people with big dreams who get lost in an even bigger city. The movie is replete with comments on relationships, ambition, success and finally failure. King Khan also makes an appearance as himself, and delivers a profound observation along the lines of ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’. This eventually serves as a major eye opener for Vikram. While some of the ideas utilized in the movie may seem clichéd, the incredible performances and subtle yet crisp narrative technique make the movie a delight to watch. Konkona Sen Sharma’s performance is especially commendable. With an unconventional ending and a previously unfound stress on woman’s lib, the ending of the movie not only pleases the staunchest feminists but also speaks volumes of the changing nature of mainstream Bollywood movies

                                                                                     My rating- 3.5/5

 

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