Highway Explores Shadow Zones, But Fails To Impress At Box Office

After a spate of Bollywood masala movies which were mindlessly ‘filmy’ in spite of the potential, writer-director Imtiaz Ali’s romance-drama strikes a different chord and once again, takes us on a unique journey. But that is expected from the director of Jab We Met – he seems to revel in the idea of a journey, especially the kind that makes you stand face to face with your inner self. The Randeep Hooda-Alia Bhatt starrer shows the courage to explore the shadow zones that often rule our life, but still weaves a gossamer core that doesn’t lack beauty – within or without. Yet, it does feel somewhat contrived – as if the pieces of an intricate jigsaw puzzle are falling in place all too soon, even before the protagonists could undergo their destined metamorphosis in a convincing manner.

When Veera Tripathi (Alia Bhatt), an affluent Delhiite with a well-connected business tycoon for a father, feels a bit tired of the ‘big fat Indian wedding’ she is about to undergo, sneaks out with her fiancé and gets conveniently kidnapped by Mahabir Bhatti, a rough Gujjar criminal played by Randeep Hooda, the writing is already on the wall – Stockholm Syndrome or no. That’s Hollywood masala anyway, the victim falling in love with the abuser, but it’s not too rare a theme even here in India.

What we sorely miss is the touch of freshness, the dramatic twists and turns, which could have made Highway more of a turbulent journey, unwillingly undertaken by two troubled souls. Instead, the lead characters find solace in each other, seek each other out for some candid confession and finally, true to the Bollywood tradition, the ‘baddie’ has to atone for his misdeeds while Alia rises from the ashes to craft a new existence for herself. Incidentally, it is Alia’s second outing after her dazzling debut in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year. But in both movies, she has lived the characters she played.

But before we get to the finer points, a look at the box office may tell us more about the mass response. Bollywood is infamous for rejecting hatke movies and Highway is definitely one of them. It was released on February 21, exactly a week after the Valentine’s Day, and hit around 800 screens in India. But business faltered on Day 1 and collections amounted to just Rs 3.42 crore in the domestic market, with 20–25% occupancy at theatres. The flick later gained some momentum and earned around Rs 13.97 crore in India after the opening weekend (Feb 21-23). Interestingly, Parineeti Chopra-starrer Hasee Toh Phasee collected around Rs 18 crore in the first weekend while Priyanka Chopra’s Gunday amassed Rs 43.93 crore after the first three days. Highway’s Day 4 collection at home stood at a little over Rs 3 crore, according to industry estimates – again a dismal performance.

Although Highway has initially failed to blaze the box office, the lead duo has certainly done a commendable job. Alia is quite a transformation – no longer a moody, fashion crazy, campus hottie, but a quiet yet strong character grappling with her destiny. Randeep, too, is a realistic presentation of Mahabir – a man who has endured brutality and consequently turned brutal. And the underlying chemistry between the two – a queer concoction of fear, hatred and camaraderie – puts life into the entire show. Other pluses include Anil Mehta’s unforgettable cinematography across a vast and colourful rural India (the movie was shot across six states) and AR Rahman’s divine music that never fails to win one’s heart.

Overall, Highway is a unique creation, which could have gone miles ahead but suffered due to clichés and predictability. Still, we agree with what Sify critic Sonia Chopra says, “Maybe there’s no need to intellectualise this beautiful bond and just savour it as it is. Just like the film.” Let’s go by that advice… let’s take the road.

Image: Indiatimes