Highway

"There is so much to appreciate in Highway and if it can goad other commercial filmmakers to take notice and also dare to try something new, we'll all be richer for it."

"Highway is a must watch as much for what it is as for what it isn't. It is not a typical romantic drama, nor an average love story. It is a road movie with a difference."

"Ponderous enough to encourage a snooze but also with its rewarding side-effects. Needless to emphasise, Veera lingers on in the memory. And Alia Bhatt's performance is nothing short of extraordinary, especially her solo stanzas of dialogue, executed in long takes."

"Imtiaz skillfully creates moments that are at once, tender, funny and fragile. But my problem was that I simply didn't buy into the story."

"The film - a brave experiment on Ali's part, who uses long stretches of silence, improv dialogues, and characters over plot to drive the narrative - doesn't necessarily work. It's meandering and indulgent in many parts, tiring you out well before it's over. A beautiful mess, but a mess nonetheless."

"I wanted more because it comes from a director who knows, or at least has known how to transfuse exuberance in love, and joy in sheer movement. 'Highway' is pretty but stagey."

"A daring attempt by Imtiaz, a glorious showcase of India (better than any Incredible India campaign) and a superlative performance by Alia Bhatt makes Highway a must-watch."

"The film's powerful, yet deliciously subtle script (Imtiaz Ali) attempts to break down the mental walls surrounding our perception and preconceived urban notions of safety, happiness and love. Yes, this film is not about pandering to what you think should happen next, or how one should react under certain circumstances. The script takes its own course: sometimes rough, sometimes uncomfortable, but always exciting. And therein lies the beauty of the film. The most beautiful journeys are almost always the unplanned and unanticipated ones."

"Highway is a kind of film which might polarize the views again (hopefully this time to a lesser degree than Rockstar). Some might feel the minimalist treatment and a bit of unbelievability of this film quite uninteresting. But this approach stands on the other side of the cinematic range that a filmmaker like Imtiaz Ali employs in his film. We don't get to see these kinda of films, usually, in the plethora of blockbuster films that are made of at present (which are fun too in its own way!) The director has taken this story and has stamped his own signature style over it, but with the difference."

"Highway makes for the kind of cinema we need, perhaps not something we entirely deserve. Even if you aren't moved by its unhurried simplicity, or do not agree with this review, I challenge you to resist an overwhelming urge to rush out after dark hoping to get kidnapped (or simpler, just take off) to the foothills of the Himalayas. In that itself, is the battle won by a film that strives for little more."

"It breaks your heart when you hear the sound of the gun pierce the tranquil and peace of the surrounding. You almost hear a silent tear roll down as we watch with bated breath. This Imtiaz Ali film deserves not just loud applause but a standing ovation."

"...a deeply dissatisfying film whose very incompleteness lends a sense of beauty to the narrative. Highway is a sprawling stretch of splendour, created by a director who shoots every frame in a painter's vein. Layered, luminous and evocative this is a world that M.F Hussain would have created if he were a filmmaker."

"To sum it up, Highway is tantalizingly delicious and a journey you would want to embark on. Must watch."

"Highway is not an easy ride. But it offers fresh breezes and new sights. At times, Highway feels like an unending Bharat darshan, a long look at suffering souls through several deserts and eucalyptus trees. But some meandering is its only flaw. Watch it for its cathartic creativity, for colours akin to Iranian palettes, for sound design where melting qawwalis, chirruping crickets and a screeching train make layers of noise - for that shot where Veera rests her head on a pillow of water."

"Even though not free of shortcomings, Highway is Imtiaz Ali's most honest, personal film and, hopefully, the beginning of a chapter in his career that will be dictated more by craft and intention and less by commerce and entertainment. Long silences punctuate conversations, shots of staggeringly beautiful locations linger, the pace remains unhurried, and actors surrender to their characters – these are elements you yearn to experience in a mainstream movie, and the film takes you there."

"It is not new, it is not profound, but it held me glued - that freeing your spirit can show you how you are in charge and yet, to free your spirit, you need to take charge."

"Highway isn't merely concerned with cataloguing the virginal, versatile landscapes of Northern India. Often it's the only ray of cheer to offset the grimness concealed within two wounded souls. Comfort not chemistry is what outlines the attraction between Alia and Randeep as they amble along higher altitudes of make believe. Yes, they could be heroes. But just for one day."

"Director Imtiaz Ali steps out of his comfort zone to make a film that attempts to stray away from the weekly Bollywood fare. The result is mixed, while you appreciate the attempt, the script doesn't have enough fire-power to push it in to the big league. Nevertheless, here is a film that either you might love or 'not like it so much'. There will be a few reservations but chances of detesting it are slim and not many films fall in that bracket these days."

"Highway whips up all the ingredients required for an intriguing film but goes wrong as a whole. It is bold subject handled flimsily and doesn't come close to believable. There is excessive heavy handedness in the screenplay and somehow the effortless ease that signifies the beauty of Imtiaz's films is absolutely missing from it. There is far too much of incoherence in the screenplay to bear and though it tried its hand at adding varied hues to multiple layers of the story, one cannot disagree to the fact that it is only Rahman's divine music and the pristine cinematography that works here. It left me baffled and numb especially because I expect better from Ali. It is heartbreakingly mediocre and I am settling for ratings which translate the same."

"Watch Highway for Alia and Randeep if you must. For a two-film-old, Alia's screen presence is incredible. She gets every nuance, every energetic burst and trauma about Veera just perfect. If there is an element of the fragile about her beauty, Ali has tapped it well."

"It is rare that a Hindi language film delivers so much promise in the first half. And so it is extremely disappointing when the director and his script lead us on a journey that eventually fizzles out, collapses and dies in front of our eyes"

"Highway doesn't have a story that can engage you till the end. Post-interval, the film meanders aimlessly, not knowing how to resolve the conflict it has got into and at one point the director decides, okay it's time to end the chase. If armchair tourism is what you are looking for then Highway may be worth your while otherwise it makes sense to wait for this one till it airs on TV. Beyond scenic locations captured superbly by cinematographer Anil Mehta, there is little it offers."

"HIGHWAY is a triumph for Alia Bhatt, who delivers a marvelous performance. Also, what you carry home, besides Alia's winning performance, are the stunning visuals, especially towards the second hour. But the treatment of the written material restricts its appeal largely. The connoisseurs of cinema and a tiny segment of the movie-going audience may go ga-ga over the film, but there's precious little for the large base of mass audience that's looking at the entertainment quotient from the maker of hugely admired entertainers like JAB WE MET and LOVE AAJ KAL."

"Alia Bhatt fits perfectly in this role but doesn't have much scope to perform. Even Randeep Hooda is not bad either but has little to do. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra is bang on, it's unusual and works very well here! Rahman's music does set the mood of the film and cinematographer Anil Mehta captures beautiful locations but even all this can't save this film! Avoid this Highway, it will lead you nowhere!"

"Maybe there's no need to intellectualize this beautiful bond and just savour it as it is. Just like the film. Do Not Miss!"