Gulshan Devaiah and Saiyami Kher star in this drama film directed by Raj R. You can travel in this metro for once and won’t be disappointed. This metro doesn’t give you an extreme level of satisfaction but can be watched once. This films is a poetic take on life and friendship. Don’t get confused by thinking this to be a romantic drama, it’s a friendship drama instead. There’s been a saying that a boy and girl cannot be good friends. 8 A.M. Metro tells about a special relationship shared between a man and a woman. Normal audiences won’t understand the depth of this film and might misinterpret this as a romantic drama, love triangle or extramarital affair. This film is purely meant for an intellectual audience who wish to see something different. 8 A.M. Metro gives a superb poetic touch to the subject. The film is high on its performances and dialogues.
The film follows the story of a Marathi married woman Iravati (Saiyami Kher) whose mundane life in Nanded is turned upside down when she has to rush to Hyderabad to tend to her pregnant sister who is confined to the bed. Iravati has a phobia of traveling alone in the train because of her past incident. She has no other choice but to travel to the hospital by metro everyday. She bumps into a stranger, Preetam (Gulshan Devaiah), and develops a special bond of friendship with him. Iravati is having panic attacks but after spending time with Preetam she feels very good. Both of them spend some memorable moments of life and their lives are changed forever after those encounters. Their company helps each other to find solace. Does friendship turn into love? What more do Preetam and Iravati have in store? How far will they go despite being already married? To know more about all these watch 8 A.M. Metro.
8 A.M. Metro could have been a sensational film and would have ended up as a Classic if the climax would have been more intellectual. The film fails in the 2nd half where it follows the wrong route and makes a silly mistake. The film was unnecessarily dragged a little bit in the 2nd half and waited on the signal for a long time testing the patience of the viewers or it can be said the other way round that the train becomes slow and halts on each and every stop which results in reaching the destination late. Apart from that the film barely goes wrong. The characters seemed to be intellectual till a given point and at the end the film tries to follow the regular dramatic route. The mic-drop burn in the climax or a painful and shocking climax would have created a better impact. The last 20 minutes just don’t work fine as the film changes the intellectual path and follows the mainstream path.
The film mainly revolves around the 2 characters. Gulshan Devaiah as Preetam is fabulous and doesn’t disappoint you. The way he acts, he delivers, he performs everything is top notch. Gulshan Devaiah just gets better and better with each passing film. Saiyami Kher looks beautiful and delivers a superb performance. The bonding shared between Gulshan and Saiyami is eye-pleasing. The supporting cast is just fine in their roles.
The direction of Raj R is praiseworthy. He has beautifully shot many scenes which stay with you. Just a little bit of awareness in the 2nd half and Raj R would have ended up in the list of directors who have given a Classic. The writing needs to be bashed here. If you’re showing an intellectual film why don’t you keep it intellectual till the very end part? Why to add some unnecessary drama and drag the narrative? Poems of Gulzar Sahab are fabulous and have a subtle meaning. The thoughts shared by the characters are really deep. The film had a poetic touch throughout the narrative and should have ended up on a poetic note itself. The music is good and works well in situations. Even the visuals are well shot and have a meaning lying in it. The film is made on a low budget and is shot really well. Everything looks fine including editing. The camera work and framework looks good. The cinematography also deserves a mention.
There are many Classic from all over the World Cinema like In Casablanca (1942), Brief Encounter (1945), The Mood For Love (2000), Raincoat (2004), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), The Lunchbox (2013), Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019) which had an intellectual narrative and ended up on an intellectual note.The above mentioned films are romantic dramas and based on friendship. These films had an intellectual narrative and characters were very well written and had moral values to it. Recent Indian films 96 (2018) which had faults in the characters and Photograph (2019) had that intellectual touch missing in the climax. 8 A.M. Metro understood the assignment very well and started on a high note but rushed in the end just to complete it. In The Mood For Love, Raincoat and The Lunchbox were those films which had an intellectual narrative, intelligent behaving characters and memorable climax. 8 A.M. Metro could have ended up in the elite list but unfortunately misses the mark. A golden opportunity to make something memorable is missed.
The flaws cannot be overlooked as the content which it had promised is not very fulfilling. Anyways you can buy a ticket to this metro which will give you a satisfying experience. Watch this film for it’s honest performances, poems, direction and music. Some parts won’t work for you but some will stay with you even after the film is finished. The trailer reminded of Irrfan’s classic The Lunchbox, and every film can’t be The Lunchbox, films like these are made once in a while. We can be happy with 8 A.M. Metro for the time being as it’s something different from regular cinema and is unique and refreshing. This metro train shouldn’t be missed. Travel in this metro for once and you won’t be disappointed.
Rating – 3/5*
Watch the trailer below:
