The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Good only in parts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Good only in parts

Ek Chalis Ki Last Local (Hindi)

Cast: Abhay Deol,

Neha Dhupia

Director: Sanjay Khanduri

A little sweet, a little sour. A little heady, a little flat. That is how one would describe debutant director Sanjay Khanduri's film Ek Chalis Ki Last Local. For a few sunshine moments, he holds cheerful promise.

His frames are well chalked out. His camera zooms in but never invades; it lingers but never ever stagnates.

Then there are dialogues, which are healthy and appetising. Neither monosyllabic nor a monologue, the words between the lead pair fall naturally.

The silences, the pauses are well occasioned too. Every moment of silence lies in eager anticipation of the spoken word. There is an easy chemistry between Abhay Deol and Neha Dhupia.

They are suitably dressed too: he is a call centre worker who must get into regular trousers and a bright shirt, she is returning from an engagement, hence gives the director a little leeway to show a bit of skin. The youngsters miss their last train and find themselves stranded at the station with only guards and dogs for company.

They do the next best thing: walk. Soon there is heavy rain. That is when Khanduri controls his urges: no, there is not that mandatory rain drenched song. Just a little kiss, a little miss.

All that is fine until then. It is when he decides to bring in the underworld element, corrupt police, and a bit of the gutter language that the film resembles any jaded Bollywood flick. What was set to be a nice romance slips into an ugly saga with the lead pair facing death in the notorious encounter.

It is here that Khanduri loses a lot of points, and reinforces the notion that he knows the technicalities of the medium, and can sustain interest for a few minutes. But two hours is another matter.Saving graces? Well, beyond the technical polish, the film is dark but that does not for a second mean that it is a sad or gloomy.

Indeed, there is that thread of humour that runs all along: the laughs are good and mostly clean. Understated, and for a large part sophisticated humour. Watch Ek Chalis Ki Last Local only if you want a film where the sum of parts is not greater than the whole.

Ziya Us Salam

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