CityLights

CityLights is a 2014 Indian Hindi drama film directed by Hansal Mehta starring Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha in the lead roles. The film is a remake of the BAFTA nominated British film Metro Manila (2013). The film presented by Fox Star Studios in association with Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt.

 The story of the film is about a poor farmer from Rajasthan coming to Mumbai in search of livelihood.The film released on 30 May 2014, and despite mixed reviews from critics, it became a box office flop.

Soul-destroying poverty can drive people into deep cesspits, and the struggle to stay alive can be heart-rending. ‘Citylights’ sets out to tell us the story of a young couple and their little daughter forced into migrating from their village to the big, bad city.

Deepak Singh (Rajkummar Rao) and his wife Rakhi (Patralekha) soon discover that Mumbai,’ jisme koi bhookha nahin sota’ (no one sleeps hungry), isn’t exactly paved with gold. They are pushed to the brink, and find themselves trying to find a spot to sleep, to work, to eke a living. The going is hard, the city unforgiving and unrelenting.

In a short span of four years, Rajkummar Rao has gone from being one of the many actors in Love Sex aur Dhokha to a National Award-winning leading man. Watch his performance in Citylights to understand why.

In the film, he plays Deepak Singh, a Rajasthani immigrant who brings his family from their village to Mumbai in search of a better life. He alters not just his posture and accent but his inner being. He becomes the naïve, bewildered and ultimately, a desperate family man whose generous spirit is slowly crushed by the grinding wheels of an indifferent city. It’s a wonderful performance in a strong film.

Citylights is the official remake of the award-winning Filipino-language film Metro Manila. The moving story about the horrors an immigrant family endures in the big city, translates perfectly to India and director Hansal Mehta stays faithful to the original. He bolsters the powerful narrative with fine performers Manav Kaul as Vishnu, Deepak’s charming but slippery partner in a private security firm, and debutant Patralekhaa as his wife. But the disjointed and blaring background music doesn’t work.

The lovemaking scenes are equally gratuitous. Also, the city of Mumbai remains generic and never becomes a character in itself. Still, Citylights is persuasive. And it will hit you harder if you haven’t seen the original.