Movie Review: Highway

A young, impulsive girl is kidnapped,and finds love and freedom in captivity. Highway is not really a road movie - it's a journey about discovery, about finding your true calling.

Backed by power packed, endearing performances by Alia and Randeep, an excellent script, and some outstanding sound engineering and camera work in stunning locales, Highway will mesmerize you with the sounds and sights of dusty Haryana, the rolling fields of Punjab, and the sparkling mountain ranges of Himachal. You will laugh, you will be shocked into stunned silence, you will enjoy the breath of fresh air, the cold water on your face, and wake up to the beautiful sounds of the earth.

Alia shows she is no longer just the Student of the Year, she has matured into an actress of very high calibre - all she needs is the right script and a director who sets her free. Fear, desperation, innocence, impulsiveness, anger, sadness, confusion, ecstasy... Alia displays a range of emotions rarely seen in any single Bollywood character in a long, long time, and for most part, excels at their portrayal. Randeep is perfect as the brooding kidnapper with a golden heart. The supporting cast is also spot on.

AR Rahman's music is haunting, while the live sound adds tremendous authenticity, notching up the technical brilliance by several degrees. The sounds of crickets, the sounds of the highway, the roar of the river... for me, the sound was an equal partner in the wonderful Highway experience. The use of light and angles brings the best out of the stunning locales, and you wish you could get out of the damn seat and join them out there - in the lap of nature.

Not your standard Bollywood dish - but if you appreciate good film making, this is one movie you really need to soak into.

And while you are at it, think about your own highway moments in life...