You have to be rather brave to release a film along with a Salman Khan starrer. Brave, or practical. Anurag Kashyap is both. He understands his films, he knows his audience, and he doesn't care much about reputations. So it doesn't matter to him that his film releases on blockbuster Fridays, because he knows that his audience will come to watch his movie no matter what! And he is happy with his niche'.
The name of the film "That girl in Yellow Boots", tells you a lot about the makers and nothing much beyond that. Written by Anurag and Kalki, this film was made to have an international appeal. Apart from the fact that the protagonist wears bright yellow boots, the title tells you nothing else. It's like the name of the famous book titled "The girl with the dragon tattoo", simply a defining characteristic.
Anyways, so this is about a young British girl, who has come to Mumbai to find her father. She seeks an extension of her tourist Visa while she continues her search. She works in a Massage parlor to make ends meet and is caught in a web of sleaze throughout. She gives massages and tops it off with a hand-shake or a happy ending for an additional Rs 1000!
She has a drug addict boyfriend, an extortionist policeman, a licentious Visa officer, some perverted customers and a "handful" of other sleazeballs to deal with! And she takes it "handshake to handshake". And everything is a build up to a climax that's supposed to make you shudder!
But the movie is not about the climax, it's about the characters, the journey. Kalki who has been rather lame in other films, comes into her own in this one. And that's mainly because she suits the role of a foreigner. Her accent, her mannerisms make it entirely believable. Though I still think that she is an effort actor and doesn't really have natural flair, like a few of the other cast members. Gulshan Devaiya steals the show with his amazing portrayal of the Kannada gangster. Even Prashant Prakash as her boyfriend plays the drug addict loser with relative ease and Puja Sarup as the receptionist in the massage parlor is awesome.
What really shines through again is Anurag Kashyap's wizardry. He really captures moments beautifully, and builds scenes and characters with perfection. He has this amazing ability to make his films as realistic as possible. Though he remains on the Dark side as usual and doesn't really get out of his comfort zone. Rajeev Ravi's camerawork is excellent, but eventually the story does not have enough meat.
In a few minutes, you are taken into the hell "that girl in Yellow boots" is living in and then the expletives and the sleaze do not shock or surprise you anymore. And that is the main problem with the film. The intended shock towards the end is blunted by you being tuned to that frequency from the very beginning. Also, there is a logical blunder in the story, which I felt undid the whole premise of the movie. Everything seemed pointless.
I would suggest you watch this film only if you are not looking for a happy story with happy endings. Watch it for it is different and rare. Watch it because it is about the real world and gives you a peep inside the plight of an alien in a hostile environment. But don't expect it to be a masterpiece. It's just another well made film which doesn't make a deep enough impact.
For me, it was like the "hand-shake"; it does satisfy you momentarily, but then it is not the real thing afterall!
Rating: 5.5 / 10
The name of the film "That girl in Yellow Boots", tells you a lot about the makers and nothing much beyond that. Written by Anurag and Kalki, this film was made to have an international appeal. Apart from the fact that the protagonist wears bright yellow boots, the title tells you nothing else. It's like the name of the famous book titled "The girl with the dragon tattoo", simply a defining characteristic.
Anyways, so this is about a young British girl, who has come to Mumbai to find her father. She seeks an extension of her tourist Visa while she continues her search. She works in a Massage parlor to make ends meet and is caught in a web of sleaze throughout. She gives massages and tops it off with a hand-shake or a happy ending for an additional Rs 1000!
She has a drug addict boyfriend, an extortionist policeman, a licentious Visa officer, some perverted customers and a "handful" of other sleazeballs to deal with! And she takes it "handshake to handshake". And everything is a build up to a climax that's supposed to make you shudder!
But the movie is not about the climax, it's about the characters, the journey. Kalki who has been rather lame in other films, comes into her own in this one. And that's mainly because she suits the role of a foreigner. Her accent, her mannerisms make it entirely believable. Though I still think that she is an effort actor and doesn't really have natural flair, like a few of the other cast members. Gulshan Devaiya steals the show with his amazing portrayal of the Kannada gangster. Even Prashant Prakash as her boyfriend plays the drug addict loser with relative ease and Puja Sarup as the receptionist in the massage parlor is awesome.
What really shines through again is Anurag Kashyap's wizardry. He really captures moments beautifully, and builds scenes and characters with perfection. He has this amazing ability to make his films as realistic as possible. Though he remains on the Dark side as usual and doesn't really get out of his comfort zone. Rajeev Ravi's camerawork is excellent, but eventually the story does not have enough meat.
In a few minutes, you are taken into the hell "that girl in Yellow boots" is living in and then the expletives and the sleaze do not shock or surprise you anymore. And that is the main problem with the film. The intended shock towards the end is blunted by you being tuned to that frequency from the very beginning. Also, there is a logical blunder in the story, which I felt undid the whole premise of the movie. Everything seemed pointless.
I would suggest you watch this film only if you are not looking for a happy story with happy endings. Watch it for it is different and rare. Watch it because it is about the real world and gives you a peep inside the plight of an alien in a hostile environment. But don't expect it to be a masterpiece. It's just another well made film which doesn't make a deep enough impact.
For me, it was like the "hand-shake"; it does satisfy you momentarily, but then it is not the real thing afterall!
Rating: 5.5 / 10
RSS Feed
