For his anthology film Metro…In Dino, Anurag Basu revisits his similarly structured Life in a Metro and Ludo while throwing in a musical element from Jagga Jasoos. Metro in Dino has four principal couples in different locations, sundry supporting characters and frequent cutaways to tracks by composer Pritam to allow the characters’ thoughts to be expressed in the manner of a musical.
The result is something of a cacophony, with far too many melodic lines for any single one to stand out. Written by Basu with dialogue by Sandeep Srivastava and Samrat Chakraborty, Metro in Dino has its share of charming moments and good-natured asides about contemporary relationships. But the Hindi film is also a hot mess of mostly cold sentiment.
Three of the four plot strands revolve around Shivani (Neena Gupta) and her daughters Kajal (Konkona Sensharma) and Chumki (Sara Ali Khan). The most promising and memorable story examines the disgust that consumes Kajal when her husband Monty (Pankaj Tripathi) decides to stray from their marriage.
Kajal’s plan for revenge resembles a classical Italian farce, the kind that starred Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. While Kajol’s rage is very real, Monty’s goofy attempts to win her back – and Pankaj Tripathi’s superb comic timing – get the laughs.
The marital union between Shruti (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and struggling singer Akash (Ali Fazal) is similarly on shaky ground. Akash is too self-absorbed to understand Shruti’s choices, leading to arguments and tears. Fatima Sana Shaikh ably conveys Shruti’s anguish and forbearance.
Marriage is clearly a recipe for trouble, if not disaster. Shivani and Sameer (Saswata Chatterjee) are stuck in a rut. Shivani grabs the opportunity to meet her long-lost love Parimal (Anupam Kher), but has to contend with his devoted daughter (Darshana Banik).
Parimal’s solution for this situation is as cruel as it is implausible. It’s clearly incorrect to assume that a widower and his daughter have enough of a bond to be able to communicate with each other like adults, rather than resorting to a childish ruse.
The fourth strand is the flimsiest. Although Chumki is in a committed relationship, she begins to waver after meeting the commitment-phobic Parth (Aditya Roy Kapur). Parth’s infectious sangfroid prompts Chumki to have second thoughts.
In terms of its plotting, Metro…In Dino is a lot like Basu’s Mumbai-set Life in a Metro (2007). Both films also share the band of troubadours led by Pritam who turn up regularly to emote on behalf of the characters.
Life in a Metro was not only geographically tethered but also had light humour, sweeping romance and gentle observations on urban relationships. The spiritual sequel is all over the place.
Metro…In Dino is notionally set in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Delhi, but only Mumbai and Kolkata get prominence. In any case, neither city lends any real flavour to the stories.
Pritam’s music was one of the highlights of Life in a Metro, and is the mainstay in Metro…In Dino – even though it has to compete with poor lip syncing, Pritam’s own background score and dialogue laid over the songs. The movie is attention-deficit in other ways too, wandering off just when the stories begin to achieve emotional truthfulness.
The 162-minute hodgepodge is held together by a few sharp performances, Pritam’s soaring music and scattered moments of acuity. Basu doesn’t judge his characters. They are flawed in relatable ways.
However, a paternalistic cloud hangs over many of the incidents. A recurring visual motif is of women passed out senseless on the shoulders of their partners.
Whether awake or asleep, the women of Metro in Dino are in more peril than the film cares to admit. The light-hearted tone has hints of darkness and the stench of compromise. At least in this regard, Metro in Dino leavens its insistent banality.
