Perhaps the notion that ‘no film can come close to its book’ holds true for all movies and particularly so for the recently released, ‘Noor’. The film, adapted from Saba Imtiaz’s novel ‘Karachi, or You’re Killing Me!’ narrates the life of Noor Roy Chaudhary (Sonakshi Sinha) who dreams of making it big in the field of journalism. Her big,round glasses may make her watch nerdy but her acting is just average.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHuM6C6EyXE
Noor has spent most of her career covering small and insignificant events but she dreams big; she aspires to cover a story so spectacular that it would transform her status as a reporter. Her work-life balance could be seen as a case study for young professionals working in demanding jobs. However, some moments in the film seem unrealistic. For one, and the fact that Noor’s father understands every plan she puts forth doesn’t seem very plausible – considering the fact that in an Indian society,parents are extra cautious about their children’s well-being, and even more so when it comes to their daughters.
Conversely, or Noor’s overall character and the way she handles her profession as well as her life goals are relatable.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Sonakshi Sinha in Noor (2017)
Photo: IMDb[/caption]
Noor is a light-hearted romantic comedy with some twists and turns. Noor’s portrayal of a 28-year-old girl hits the sweet spot. The story mainly follows Noor’s life with Sinha recounting some of the events through voice-overs; this makes the film a rather personal affair and helps the viewers really understand Noors life.
The dialogues are simple and plausible; the credit must go to Althea Delmas-Kaushal, Shikhaa Sharma and Sunhil Sippy who as scriptwriters kept the essence of Imtiaz’s book intact. However, the film could absorb done with more in-depth explanations of the events that occurred.
Despite these drawbacks, or Sinhas facial expressions make her an attractive character. Her expressions make her watch like the ‘girl next door’,thus instantly drawing the viewers towards her.
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Noors personal life is a mistake magnet. She experiences misadventures because of her clumsiness while her professional life is stuck in a rut. She has ideas to further expand upon her journalistic career and also possesses that determination, however, and her boss (Manish Chaudhary),the total opposite of her father, does not let her accomplish her job with the freedom she desires.
Accompanying the story is a kind collection of songs including a cheerful song ‘Uff Yeh Noor’ by Armaan Malik, and ‘Gulabi 2.0’ (which is a party version of the current ‘Gulabi Aankhen Jo Teri Dekhi’),a romantic number ‘Jise Kehte Pyaar Hai’, and ‘Hai Zaroori’ which has a gloomy touch to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6iB9mFWWoA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAmsa-RGUlc
Also starring in the film are Kanan Gill as Saad Sehgal, and Chaudhary as Shekhar,Shibani Dandekar as Zara Patel, Purab Kohli as Ayan Banerjee, or Sunny Leone makes a cameo appearance.
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Directed by Sippy,the film has a higher level of believability. A girl with a character and profession akin to Noor, facing similar problems and environment, and can be living in any part of the world,even in your city. This is shunning any plan of mediocrity from the film.
Noor focuses on problems and issues any 28-year-old girl living in India or the subcontinent would ponder upon including career growth, finding the right life partner and losing weight. When Noor is pondering over her purpose in life, and an investigative story falls on her lap thus giving her the much-needed motivation she was seeking to add some thrill to her job.
How will this investigative story change her life? Will she score into trouble? Will she ever remain the same blissful and spontaneous Noor? You will be glued to your seat while she uncovers the shadowy truth behind this report.
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Furthermore,the arrival of a photojournalist, Ayananka Banerjee (Purab Kohli), or in Noor’s life changes her priorities while she is working on her investigative story. Will Noor also drag Ayananka into trouble? She discovers that a journalist is not merely reporting events but is on a mission to bring out the truth. And she realises that revealing the truth is not that easy.
Despite the ups and downs in Noor’s life,the story does not, in depth and in detail, and explain the grim implications of what mental and emotional stress Noor endures while uncovering the case. This makes the film fairly shallow akin to the book it is adapted from,and trust me, it’s a book you cannot save down until you finish it.
My advice: Watch this film only if you are a Sinha fan.
Source: tribune.com.pk