CITY LIGHTS

Citylights is based on Metro Manila which is a 2013 British-Filipino independently produced crime drama movie directed by Sean Ellis. Metro Manila was selected as the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards but was not nominated. What I loved is the fact that makers of Citylights gave due credit to Metro Manila which a lot of filmmakers, who adapt other movies, fail to do intentionally and/or unintentionally.

 

Directed by Hansal Mehta who is well-known for directing Shahid that got him a National Award for Best Direction, Citylights delivers on the promise that the award has bestowed on him. No wonder Mehta went with his decision to cast Rao yet again after Shahid, after all Rao was also honoured with the National Award for Best Actor. Rao is best complimented with a phenomenal co-actor in the form of Patralekha who plays Rao's wife in the film. And wow, what a splendid show by Manav Kaul as Vishnu.

 

Citylights is the tale of Deepak Singh (Rajkumar Rao) and his wife, Rakhi (Patralekha) whose lives have turned upside down after Deepak's cloth shop in a village in Rajasthan is shut down courtesy non-payment of a loan taken by him. With no other possible source of income and with high hopes of a better life in Mumbai, Deepak travels miles with his wife and their daughter to come to the city of hope. Mumbai of course had different plans for them and life gets from bad to worse in just hours of them reaching the city. They are duped and life's almost over for them. As fate would have it, Rakhi ends up working as a bar dancer and Deepak finds employment with a security agency which is introduced to him by Vishnu (Manav Kaul). Deepak and Vishnu work as partners and they are required to collect boxes and deliver it to clients. They never have the keys to the boxes and are required to risk their lives for safe delivery of these boxes. With the turn of events, Deepak lands in a dreadful situation which could either uplift Deepak and his family's life or could completely doom them. You have to see the movie to figure out what happens next!

 

Hansal Mehta, known for coming up with serious subjects for his movies, has done a wonderful job with CityLights. The story is clean, the setting is decent and the actors are surprisingly surprising.

 

Rajkumar Rao is one brilliant actor. His role in the movie is quite unusual and much serious from all the other movies he has done. He is an actor with much potential.

 

Coming to the leading lady Patralekha, well, we have to admit it that she has done remarkably well for a debut performance. Her simplicity shows all through the movie.

 

Music is simply soulful and sumptuously rich. The song 'Muskurane' is so beautiful that you won't stop singing it over and over again. The background music connects to the tale and the respective scene like a dream come true.

 

CityLights gives you an insight into the viciousness that metros have to offer. The movie will leave you with a heavy heart and a depressed view on the other side of the coin.

 

Overall, it is praiseworthy to watch once for impeccable performances and brilliant direction.