Film Review: Metro… In Dino

Banner: T-Series Films, Anurag Basu Productions

Genre: Relationship Drama / RomanceCensor: UA

Story & Screenplay

Metro… In Dino explores the lives of four contemporary couples, each grappling with issues like mistrust, infidelity, commitment-phobia, financial pressures, and identity struggles. The narratives are interwoven, showing how modern relationships are often fragile and complicated.

Anurag Basu’s story and screenplay are mature and contemporary, capturing the fast-paced lifestyles of today’s urban couples. The four relationship dramas are seamlessly integrated, and the songs, mostly rendered by a music band, are cleverly woven into the narrative, enhancing the storytelling. The Monty–Kajol track provides comedy, Akash–Shruti is emotional, Parth–Chumki is light-hearted, and Shivani–Parimal blends humor with poignancy.

However, the film lacks a strong takeaway message, which may leave some audiences feeling it’s purely observational rather than impactful. The appeal is largely metropolitan, limiting its resonance with audiences outside big cities.

Performances

• Aditya Roy Kapur is likable and endearing as Parth.

• Sara Ali Khan impresses as Chumki, especially in the film’s latter portions.

• Pankaj Tripathi is extraordinary as Monty, elevating every scene he appears in.

• Konkona Sen Sharma is delightful as Kajol, with natural expressions and spontaneity.

• Fatima Sana Shaikh is fine as Shruti, and Ali Fazal is natural as Akash.

• Neena Gupta is good as Shivani, and Anupam Kher is realistic as Parimal.

• Supporting performances by Saswata Chatterjee, Ahana Basu, Vanishka Taparia, Mikhail Gandhi, and the rest of the ensemble are solid and contribute effectively to the narrative.

• The music band members (Pritam, Papon, Raghav Chaitanya) provide an authentic musical presence.

Direction & Technical Aspects

• Anurag Basu’s direction is sensitive and mature, focusing on urban audiences.

• Pritam’s music is lovely, though a few chartbusters could have boosted the film’s reach.

• Lyrics by Sandeep Srivastava, Qaisar Ul Jafri, Anurag Sharma, Neelesh Misra, Momin Khan Momin, Mayur Puri are well-crafted.

• Song picturisations by Vijay A. Ganguly are appropriate and visually appealing.

• Background music is fantastic, enhancing the emotional and comedic beats.

• Cinematography by Anurag Basu and Abhishek Basu is top-notch.

• Art direction by Anjani Gajurel is proper, and editing by Bodhaditya Bandyopadhyay and Satish Gowda is sharp.

Final Verdict

Metro… In Dino is a good entertainer, especially for urban, multiplex audiences. Its exploration of contemporary relationships is sensitive and engaging, but its appeal is limited to city audiences familiar with modern lifestyle issues. Single-screen viewers and audiences outside big cities may find it less relatable. The slow start may dampen initial interest, but the layered storytelling and strong performances make it worthwhile for urban viewers.

Box Office Potential: Moderate; primarily urban/multiplex-oriented collections expected.