WTF! I mean, WHAT THE FALTUGIRI!
There are many things that are not right in this movie but the two things that I want to underline are:
- Bad Direction, and
- Parineeti Chopra
Though the bad direction is first in the queue, let’s talk about the second kamzor kadi, Parineeti Chopra first. Her emotionless performance and expressionless face took away all the fun. If there would have been a better actor in place of Parineeti Chopra, this dull drama could have become bearable. There would have been some chances of saving it but since even the direction was weak, the film is something I would not recommend you to watch.
I haven’t watched the original film but if you have then there is absolutely no point watching its Hindi version as even ‘I want to know the story’ cannot be a good enough excuse to waste your time on The Girl On The Train. And even if it is, the story is another disappointment. Again, there is no point watching it twice. The way the characters are linked in the end with an intention to blow the audience’s mind makes the story lose its charm. You actually sit back and wonder if this is what you watched the entire film for. Did you create the suspense for two long hours so that you narrate this story to me? And then your frustration level reaches a new height. You want to pull your hair, lock yourself in a room, and cry your heart out and then come out of the room looking like Parineti Chopra. I mean, what’s with the makeup? That’s entirely another topic, coming back to her performance, Parineeti was not at all Mira Kapoor, the character she played. Either she did not understand the character or she just chose the easy way out – ‘copy the original.’ Hence, there was no emotion or conviction in her portrayal of Mira Kapoor. In a few scenes, it looked like she is simply reading the script and doing what she has been asked to without understanding what is needed at that point in time. For example, in the scene where a car follows her on the street, she is seen walking back home with some shopping bags in her hand. The way she is walking with a straight face, can’t even call it a straight face honestly, but from that walk alone you can make out that she is just not into that character. She looks absolutely lost. That scene alone made me realise how difficult acting is and how easy good actors make it look. Even a simple walk can make or break the character.
Another big disappointment was Kirti Kulhari as Inspector Dalbir Kaur Bagga. Both, Parineeti and her performances were similar. How? Both were expressionless, emotionless, and disconnected from the characters they were playing.
Coming to the Direction, the above pointers are mainly the Director’s fault. It was his job to make the movie and performances watch-worthy. This has nothing to do with how weak or meaningless the story was. Good directors can make both, bad actors and bad stories work. But what about bad directors? They make good actors look amateur and make a great mess out of beautiful stories.
In short, for Girl in the Train, nothing works in its favour. The movie is definitely not worth your time.
Verdict? Better skip it.
Streaming On: Netflix