Life in a... Metro

Life in a... Metro (drama)
Cast : Shiny Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon, Shilpa Shetty, Konkona Sen, Kangana Ranaut
Director : Anurag Basu

After Salaam-e-Ishq , Honeymoon Travel Pvt Ltd and Delhii Heights , seems like multiple stories is what's sweeping Bollywood of late. This time it's Anurag Basu's Life In A Metro that sets out to deliver a realistic and unpretentious look at the lives and emotions of a handful of city dwellers in contemporary Mumbai. Indeed a good attempt, though does not sweep you off your feet completely.

Akash (Shiny Ahuja) forms an informal bond with Shikha (Shilpa Shetty) despite knowing that she is married to Ranjit (Kay Kay Menon). Ranjit on the other hand, has an innocent affair with his office subordinate Neha (Kangana Ranaut) sans any emotional bonding. Rahul (Sharman Joshi) who works in the same company is attracted to Neha, but is obvious to the fact that he is lending keys of his flat to his boss.

Then there is Shikha's sister Shruti (Konkana Sen) who is still a virgin at 30 and is hunting for a prospective groom for marriage portals till she meets Monty (Irrfan Khan). In a parallel story, a sexagenarian Amol (Dharmendra) reunites with his college exflame Vaijanti (Nafisa Ali) for a live-in.

Unlike Basu's previous film Gangster , Metro isn't an all-out dark film, but has sufficient dose of witty humour that basically comes out in the Irrfan-Konkana track and the initial reels for Sharman's story. A must mention is Kay Kay for being the epitome of male chavinism of an egoistic husband. Indeed the show stealer, for you hate him, detest his very sight, all thanks to a terrific protrayal. As for the much in controversy Ms Shetty, she does manage to deliver a fine performance a step ahead of Phir Milenge .

So what goes wrong? First, the half-baked Dharmendra-Nafisa Ali story that deserves a better end and then Kangana who one fine day wakes up to be with Sharman. As for Shiney Ahuja he deserved a moore meaty scene.

And if there is anything else the film lacks, Pritam's melodius composition presently topping the charts makes up for all.