Film Review Laila Majnu and Mobile- Reconstructed, Deconstructed

The film celebrates a legendary unrequited love in an opera, Broadway-style, against the backdrop of beautiful Kashmir. 

Read more to know if it ends up as the beautiful symphony or has a phony errand to its beautiful premise. 

Hi,

So, after much contemplation—actually, not contemplation, neither influence, but sheer lack of choice—I watched Laila Majnu on Netflix yesterday. I shouldn't have watched it, though. No, the film is not bad at all, but the kind of involvement and intensity it leads you through, even after it ends, is crazy, and for that reason, I felt I shouldn't have watched it. 

I am having a major hangover from this movie as I write this. Yes, it is a good film. The reason, I have not watched this film despite loving Tripti Dimri in Bulbul is that I hate watching stories of star-crossed lovers, and Laila Majnu tops that list all around the world. 

Then, what sets this film apart? Well, I would say it is the modern-day setting that draws relevance, relativity, and engagement without heavy-weight starry actors. If you ask me, this film is Imtiaz Ali's finest film along with Jab We Met and Rockstar. I never liked Tamasha, or Harry Sejal at all, judge me but I feel the failed projects felt less like Imtiaz Ali and more like some sort of project pressure, stars to be cast or so. 

This Laila Majnu is different, they are from the new-age, mobile-using lovers yet they develop a horrid and useless misunderstanding due to "deewaro ke selective kaan" [selective ears of walls] and spoil their life. You can not blame unemployment but may be overflowing riches that made not one but two spoilt brats. Qais's dad played by Benjamin Gill, was an influential man and despite loving his son, gets nothing but heartache, a heart attack, and a heartless daughter out of nowhere. I felt sorry for him, the business he left. 

To summarize, in this film, Tripti Dimri's character takes a false oath on her father's head to deny her lover, but in the end, or in the progression of the movie, everyone dies except Laila's father, the main villain standing. Well, that's not the only tragedy of this film.

Being a hardcore emotional person, I spent the entire second half of the film crying badly. The end of the film made me yearn to hear its song again and again on the loop mode, turning me into half Majnu, smitten off totally by Qais, great performance by Avinash Tewary, and that intense, love-filled baritone. I almost had a severe crush on him so I watched a couple of interviews on YouTube to bring that crush down and really hope, that after watching this film, people esp youth should not glorify Majnu.  It's not worth it if you know.  What is more worthy to know is...

What's your mobile number?

The film rings in a time-traveled, tragic love story indeed and has some interesting numbers that you will like more in audio than visual. It is the only film where the post-credit song is a delight to watch and hear. The song is going to be on my current favorite playlist. 

There are a few things amiss in this film, especially the one that no one leaves without, ever since its inception. I am talking about their mobile phones that suddenly went into dormancy. Even Safe custody can be opened within 24 hours. 

What is more, tragic about this love story is that the makers made it a modern-day tale, wherein the girl and boy exchanged SMS and calls, four years ago during their initial courtship. I wonder how the mobile phones suddenly disappear post-interval in this movie, especially at the time when the lovers reunite, reignite, and rit of their present sufferings to recuperate. RRRRR... Their love story began and was processed via cellular, no? Then how come the cellular was suddenly wired up in a box to be seen nowhere? Qais could have spoken to Laila over the phone while waiting for her while you kept debating her mourning an abusive marriage despite being a firework, carefree woman in love and longing. 

Nevertheless, there are so many beautiful things about this film that you may let go of this logic to make the story flow. For example- the beautiful backdrop of Kashmir, the political or religious Neutrality approach, and the beautifully written and executed scenes. 

In one scene, Qais accidentally irks a group performing Namaz by passing by from there. He apologizes and confronts them for losing focus while remembering their beloved [Allah] when he didn't while remembering his beloved [Laila] and that dialog hits so hard. I could not stop clapping. Thankfully there was no one to judge me. 

The film has many hard-hitting scenes and beautiful moments that I feel like watching on the big screen. In another scene, Qais is about to meet Laila after 4 years, and he is careworn over his appearance, that nervousness and the vulnerability with which he meets her is so beautiful that you cry, at his helplessness. You could see the pain so intrinsically that you want to be present there to help him heal, help him stabilize, and meet his Laila. Surprisingly, you do not see Laila in those scenes and wonder what happens to that carefree, rebellious love which despite going through hardship, is busy enough to not care about his whereabouts. 

It is a legend so you can't blame filmmakers. But if you are a hardcore romantic, you must avoid watching this film as it builds and breaks your heart at the same time. PS: I almost re-watched this film again, today till the father-daughter confrontation scene. I do not have much appetite for emotional outbursts and tears, Pushpa, so I left the film there. You must watch it as a whole and can tell about your own views.

Keep reading Numerounity.

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