The movie begins with a beautiful background score by A R Rehman, one of his best works and one of the reasons to watch this movie. The dialogue by Alia Bhatt in the movie,”Tum mujhe jahan se laye ho main wahan wapas nahi jaana chahti,tum jaha mujhe le ja rahe ho main wahaan pahuchna nahi chahti par yeh raasta,yeh raasta acha hai” defines the theme of the movie’s story line. A girl bounded by the shackles of society and her surrounding environment feels liberated from all bondage when she clashes with a goon who has a story similar to hers. The story is believable but the way it is portrayed is somehow not very convincing.
Both Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt have played their parts well along with the other supporting cast. Alia Bhatt has certainly tried to come out of her comfort zone and “babydoll” image as seen in her first release. Randeep Hooda as the brooding and silent abductor talks less but expresses a lot. The locations around Ajmer, Delhi, Haryana, Shimla and Kolkatta have been beautifully captured. Imtiaz Ali’s way of storytelling and his love for road movies genre is apparent by the way he directed this one. The movie successfully depicts how the victim and her abductor connect with each other on an emotional level where both of them had strained and difficult childhood. The movie has some really touching moments which defines that two people do not need to be lovers necessarily or in any other relation to feel connected. Two strangers from different background and circumstances can develop a bond as well.
The music score by A R Rehman is again another feather in his hat, the sound quality is commendable and the efforts by Resul Pookutty is evident and so is the work by the lyricist Irshad Kamil. The movie has honest performances, though some flaws where it makes you surprised by the way the victim reacts towards her abductor initially. But definitely a must watch for the novel treatment of the movie by the director Imitiaz Ali,brilliant cinematography, A R Rehman’s music and Alia Bhatt’s and Randeep Hooda’s candid performance.