Laila Majnu

*ing: Avinash Tiwari, Tripti Dimri

Rated: 5/10

The name of the films is a giveaway as to what the conclusion is going to be. The suspense in the lasted film presented by Imtiaz Ali and directed by Sajid Ali is therefore not about what the end is but how it will end.

We all love watching a love story and if it has a — and they lived happily ever after — we rejoice and clap our hands. If it has great songs that one can dance to or hum even a few weeks after watching the film, it is a sure shot hit as far as the masses are concerned. But what does one say to a movie which we all know ends in a tragedy and doesn’t have that hip music that our ears have got used to? The only words that come are — stay away from this one if you love happy endings.

But if you are the kind of person who likes to watch morose films with a bit of soulful music, Laila Majnu fits the bill. However, if one truly wants to enjoy something here, go for the beautiful locales. Kashmir is definitely paradise on Earth despite the rampant felling of trees that has ruined the Valley. The Ali brothers have chosen a great time to shoot the film — Srinagar during the Fall when the Chinar leaves turn burnt red. To see love blossom in times of stone pelting and that not being the main focus of the film is another high point albeit strange and totally out of context with what is happening at ground zero in reality even if the director aimed to tell the story of Kashmiri youth.

Another feather in the cap for the director is to get some great work out Avinash Tiwary. While he may have been OTT, he does manage to play it out convincingly.

— Shalini Saksena