Movie Name: Strangers
Year of Release: 2007
Release Date: 14 December 2007
Producer: Uday Tiwari
Director: Anand Rai
Music Director: Vinay Tiwari
Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
Cinematographer: Manoj Gupta
Star Cast:
Actors: Kay Kay Menon, Jimmy Shergill
Actresses: Nandana Sen, Sonali Kulkarni
Special Appearance: Kitu Gidwani
The movie directed by Anand Rai Strangers that has been released today is one of those avant-garde movies that succeeds in breaking away from the typical Bollywood masala movie plot and be actually thrilling, for a change. The film has an unusual plot, though a bit predictable, but not totally. With this movie, the audience is taken to an unchartered territory altogether. In fact, the script is apt for a Hollywood thriller that will easily become a hit overseas.
What Went Wrong
That, precisely is the problem with the movie. The movie aims at a very small section of the society; the ones who know where exactly are London and Southampton! The standard of the movie is very good, but then how many people are interested in seeing a movie on a relaxed Saturday night that has a serious murder plot gone wrong. The story is fascinating and grips you. There are no out-of-the-blue dance sequences with some 200 extras grooving away in glaring red costumes. Though the script has flaws, the execution overshadows it.
Brilliant Execution and PerformancesA thriller movie has to have two very important elements - cinematography and background score. Both these elements are simply superb in the movie and that is what makes it all the more interesting to watch, if you have a penchant for thriller movies. The performances are simply brilliant. Kay Kay Menon is very much believable as a management giant Mr. Rai while Jimmy Shergill gives his best performance till date as Rahul, a writer whose career seems to have come to a standstill.
The frustration that these two men go through in life is portrayed very realistically on screen. The role of Rahul’s wife is played by Nandana Sen who also impresses with her acting. Sonali Kulkarni again proves her mettle with her flawless acting. The movie is well made, the music is gripping and the cinematography is at par with international standards. But the low key promotion and non-awareness among the audience about this movie is not going to help it score at the box office. Of course, the section of the audience that likes to see a sophisticated movie, shot at good locales and realistic acting, go for it!
Strangers Pre release Review
‘Strangers’, the latest movie on the horizon, has been directed by Anand Rai and produced by Uday Tiwari, under the banner ‘Rise 2 Shine Productions’. The movie sees performances by well-known actors like Kay Kay Menon, Jimmy Shergill, Nandana Sen and Sonali Kulkarni. There is also a special appearance by one of the popular actresses of the yester years, Kitu Gidwani. The music has been given by Vinay Tiwari, while the memorable lyrics of the songs are those of Javed Akhtar.
The movie begins with a train scene in which two of the film’s lead actors, Kay Kay Menon and Jimmy Shergill meet each other, while going on an overnight journey from Southampton to London. Being total strangers, they decide to discuss their troubled lives with each other, thus letting off some steam. Little do they know that this meeting will form a bond that will eventually turn out to be the worst risk they could have ever taken. They decide to kill each other’s wives to simplify their lives, though this would be a permanent burden on their conscience. An established management giant Mr. Rai and a haughty writer Rahul whose career seems to be headed downward, meet each other a train in an overnight journey. While conversing with each other, they tend to discuss their personal lives and come to a conclusion that not everything is as good as it looks to people. Their lives are even clearer due to the flashbacks provided in between their conversations. Mr. Rai has a claustrophobic personal life due to the untimely death of his son which leads his wife to insanity. Rahul had a loving wife Preity who subsequently turned cold due to endless ranting of Rahul about his downtrodden career. They become so cold and withdrawn that they live like complete strangers in the same house.
The latter half of the film shows a thrilling game of deception and dangerous secrets. It so happens that Preity and Rai end up having an affair and they decide to kill Rahul and Rai’s wife in order to ensure that they are able to live peacefully. All this while, they think that Rahul does not know of their affair or plans. But the plan backfires on them when they find out that all this while, Rahul has been keeping an eye on them and knows what they are upto. Does he confront them or does everyone have to pay heavily due to dangerous plans gone wrong? Watch this thriller for more answers!
