By: Hamza Shafique
Sunhil Sippy's Noor is a very down to earth coming-of-age drama in fact down to earth element is a lot more than subject requirement. Noor is adaptation of Saba Imtiaz 's book “Karachi, You Are Killing Me”, I haven’t read the book so can’t say how much creative liberty makers have taken here but Noor’ screenplay dwindles badly in second half. Noor is about a 28-year-old ambitious journalist who is struggling at every front in her life whether it be work, love life or any other daily routine stuff like a water heater. In her ambitious approach to find a story that can give her a big break, she messes up big time. Story then shifts focus from her millennial issues to her realization of mistakes and amending what has been done.
First half of the film is very entertaining and goes smooth with some very relatable moments. Screenplay is very fresh and almost perfect in first half but after interval I couldn’t believe if I am still watching the same film. In second half “Noor” loses grip and feels hasty. Writers should have spent more time putting the events together in second half. As for most times, we cannot understand what’s happening and why it’s happening.
Sunhil Sippy’s direction follows the same pattern of screenplay where first half is done with the excellence and matches the level we have witnessed in movies like Queen but second half simply fails to continue the momentum. Sunhil Sippy has kept first half very realistic and humble with very light-less dramatic elements which makes it great and refreshing. But the problem is, he continued with the same approach in second half as well, which destroyed whatever was left after the destruction caused by the rushed screenplay.
There are certain scenes
which required intense human emotions display but due to humble approach they
never surface and this works against the film. What it does is , it disconnects
the audience from the plot and I was like if the characters in the film don’t
care than why should I.
Sonakshi Sinha is in her prime. She has amazing screen presence and proves once again that she can carry a film alone on her shoulder. She is literally in every frame of the film and is the only reason that makes second half bearable even with bad direction and hurried screenplay. Purab Kohli is good in his brief appearance and Shibani Dandekar is also ok in whatever she gets in the film, which I must say is not much but Kanan Gill is a major let down. First, he doesn’t fit the description of Saad, a London based womanizer, secondly he destroyed dialogues which had the potential to impact with his flat delivery, especially in the second half. I understand you can’t take a regular Bollywood hero here, as the role is about an ordinary man with comic personality but don’t take an ordinary man with comic personality who can’t deliver on screen.
Apart from Sonakshi’s effort, music is also one of the winning point for Noor. It comes so naturally in the film that you won’t even notice. The placement of songs is perfect and composition is harmonious.
I feel bad for Noor as it had all the potential to be next Queen but failed to achieve that level only because of poor treatment of second half. Over all, thanks to Sonakshi’s sincere performance, pleasant appropriate music and an amazing first half, Noor still manages to emerge as a success for me and deserves to be seen in cinema. I go with 3 stars.
Sunhil Sippy's Noor is a very down to earth coming-of-age drama in fact down to earth element is a lot more than subject requirement. Noor is adaptation of Saba Imtiaz 's book “Karachi, You Are Killing Me”, I haven’t read the book so can’t say how much creative liberty makers have taken here but Noor’ screenplay dwindles badly in second half. Noor is about a 28-year-old ambitious journalist who is struggling at every front in her life whether it be work, love life or any other daily routine stuff like a water heater. In her ambitious approach to find a story that can give her a big break, she messes up big time. Story then shifts focus from her millennial issues to her realization of mistakes and amending what has been done.
First half of the film is very entertaining and goes smooth with some very relatable moments. Screenplay is very fresh and almost perfect in first half but after interval I couldn’t believe if I am still watching the same film. In second half “Noor” loses grip and feels hasty. Writers should have spent more time putting the events together in second half. As for most times, we cannot understand what’s happening and why it’s happening.
Sunhil Sippy’s direction follows the same pattern of screenplay where first half is done with the excellence and matches the level we have witnessed in movies like Queen but second half simply fails to continue the momentum. Sunhil Sippy has kept first half very realistic and humble with very light-less dramatic elements which makes it great and refreshing. But the problem is, he continued with the same approach in second half as well, which destroyed whatever was left after the destruction caused by the rushed screenplay.
There are certain scenes
which required intense human emotions display but due to humble approach they
never surface and this works against the film. What it does is , it disconnects
the audience from the plot and I was like if the characters in the film don’t
care than why should I.Sonakshi Sinha is in her prime. She has amazing screen presence and proves once again that she can carry a film alone on her shoulder. She is literally in every frame of the film and is the only reason that makes second half bearable even with bad direction and hurried screenplay. Purab Kohli is good in his brief appearance and Shibani Dandekar is also ok in whatever she gets in the film, which I must say is not much but Kanan Gill is a major let down. First, he doesn’t fit the description of Saad, a London based womanizer, secondly he destroyed dialogues which had the potential to impact with his flat delivery, especially in the second half. I understand you can’t take a regular Bollywood hero here, as the role is about an ordinary man with comic personality but don’t take an ordinary man with comic personality who can’t deliver on screen.
Apart from Sonakshi’s effort, music is also one of the winning point for Noor. It comes so naturally in the film that you won’t even notice. The placement of songs is perfect and composition is harmonious.
I feel bad for Noor as it had all the potential to be next Queen but failed to achieve that level only because of poor treatment of second half. Over all, thanks to Sonakshi’s sincere performance, pleasant appropriate music and an amazing first half, Noor still manages to emerge as a success for me and deserves to be seen in cinema. I go with 3 stars.
Loved and watched this drama. Thanks for your review
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