Titli, titled interestingly, is an off-beat movie that really does not justify the delay for the release. I've been watching the previews for over a year and a half, and was quite disappointed at the movie, which was just about okay-okay.
The performances are top-notch and Shashank Arora deserves special mention. So does Ranvir Shorey. Amit Sial's character Pradeep could have been given more scope and space. Shashank does not miss one expression and is picture perfect. He was so good that one may hope that he doesn't get stereotyped into intense, serious roles only. Directors of North Indian movies (meaning films short in Northern India involving local characters, life and story) seem to be getting more and more realistic about the story, depicting the seriousness and tragedies of poverty in day-to-day life. One may also be amazed at the quality of acting that one gets to see from the newcomers in today's serious cinema, thanks to the workshops directors have before the movie is shot.
Lalit Behl as the dad is a veteran.
Writers Sharat Katariya and Kanu Behl could have made some ends meet with more clarity.
A man's attempts to run away from the violence and the ways of the car-jacking family, in search of a better life and how he deals with circumstances is what the movie is all about. The brothers and the father know no other way, than the present that they are in... Knowing of Titli's attempts to break away, they plan to get him married, hoping that his bride will be a good addition to their car-jacking traps, while also hoping that he'd stay back that way.
Shivani Raghuvanshi as Neelu is a natural, too. It's a dog eats dog world out there. How she uses her husband for her own gains in returning back to her lover makes for some interesting viewing.
The director Kanu Behl gives you a lot of room to interpret things on your own, but it gets too much in the end, with some loose ends tied. Maybe that is intended. It is commendable how he exposes the insecurities of each of the characters, each in their own dilemma.
And yes, the music is top notch. Absolutely!
It's still a great movie and I go with 3.5 out of 5, for a good family study. No Masaan this, but this one's no dead meat, either.
The performances are top-notch and Shashank Arora deserves special mention. So does Ranvir Shorey. Amit Sial's character Pradeep could have been given more scope and space. Shashank does not miss one expression and is picture perfect. He was so good that one may hope that he doesn't get stereotyped into intense, serious roles only. Directors of North Indian movies (meaning films short in Northern India involving local characters, life and story) seem to be getting more and more realistic about the story, depicting the seriousness and tragedies of poverty in day-to-day life. One may also be amazed at the quality of acting that one gets to see from the newcomers in today's serious cinema, thanks to the workshops directors have before the movie is shot.
Lalit Behl as the dad is a veteran.
Writers Sharat Katariya and Kanu Behl could have made some ends meet with more clarity.
A man's attempts to run away from the violence and the ways of the car-jacking family, in search of a better life and how he deals with circumstances is what the movie is all about. The brothers and the father know no other way, than the present that they are in... Knowing of Titli's attempts to break away, they plan to get him married, hoping that his bride will be a good addition to their car-jacking traps, while also hoping that he'd stay back that way.
Shivani Raghuvanshi as Neelu is a natural, too. It's a dog eats dog world out there. How she uses her husband for her own gains in returning back to her lover makes for some interesting viewing.
The director Kanu Behl gives you a lot of room to interpret things on your own, but it gets too much in the end, with some loose ends tied. Maybe that is intended. It is commendable how he exposes the insecurities of each of the characters, each in their own dilemma.
And yes, the music is top notch. Absolutely!
It's still a great movie and I go with 3.5 out of 5, for a good family study. No Masaan this, but this one's no dead meat, either.
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