Noor Movie Review: Noor's Self Discovery Journey Triumphs Over Her Journalist Self!

By Madhuri

Rating:
2.5/5
Star Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Kanan Gill, Purab Kohli, Shibani Dandekar
Director: Sunhil Sippy

Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishnan Kumar, Vikram Malhotra

Writers: Althea Delmas-Kaushal, Shikhaa Sharma, Sunhil Sippy

What's Yay: Sonakshi Sinha, Concept

What's Nay: Slow narrative, Dragged second half

Popcorn Refill: Interval

Iconic Moment: The scene where Sonakshi Sinha indulges in some heart-to-heart talk with her City Of Dreams and delivers a monologue- 'Mumbai You're Killing Me'.

Plot

Plot

'The trouble is you think you have all the time' says Noor Roy Choudhary (Sonakshi Sinha) in the beginning of the film and what follows next immediately gives you an insight of her outlook towards life and her career which has nothing in common with this Buddha proverb.

Our desi Bridget Jones is a bumbling journalist for a broadcast news agency called Buzz which specializes in entertainment and freak show stories. She wants to do some serious issue-based reporting but instead finds herself braving the Mumbai rains on her birthday to interview Sunny Leone or doing a story on a man who walks on his hands. 'Dunia ki sabse pointless journalist', she calls herself at a point. Her rejection application of her dream job at CNN lying in her mailbox further seems to taunt her for her failures.

Noor is relatable as a girl who swears by rum, cribs about her weight and believes good guys are an urban legend. The Choudhary household further consists of her understanding dad and their cutely grumpy ginger cat. And yes, Noor with her two besties, Zaara (Shibani Dandekar) and Saad (Kanan Gill) are the 'Three Musketeers' who share ups and downs of life with each other.

Our heroine's regular story turns upside down when she meets a dishy photojournalist Ayaan Banerjee (Purab Kohli) at an art exhibition and bags an opportunity of a video interview of her maid Malti (Smita Tambe) which exposes a life-threatening scam.

Will this city help Noor in discovering her true self or will her voice get drowned amidst the noise?

Direction

Direction

Sunhil Sippy tries to make a valid point in Noor as his protagonist while looking out for the 'big story of her career' ends up neglecting the basics of journalism for her selfish ambitions. This holds true in the times where the media often ends up deconstructing a human's life to mere breaking news or ticker at a prime time just for the sake of TRPs or personal gains without thinking about its repercussions on the lives of the people concerned.

Noor is based on Pakistani author Saba Imtiaz's novel, ' Karachi, You're Killing Me'. The intention of the film is noble but it's when Sippy tries to pack in too many ingredients that Noor's coming-of-the-age journey loses its purpose and ends up being superficially effective. Thankfully, the makers don't indulge in melodrama to reduce it to a sob-fest and that works fine for Noor.

While the film talks about the importance of research and background work in journalism, very little thought seems to have gone into painting an accurate depiction of a journalist.

Performances

Performances

Sonakshi Sinha as the self-obsessed Noor keeps you hooked as she brings in certain sense of vulnerabilty to her character and you connect with her quarterly life-crisis at every level.

Manish Choudhary plays Shekhar, her editor boss who was once apparently an inspirational figure but has now opted to run his wife's company. He too rises up at a couple of ocassions.

Kanan Gill (for all you, Pretentious Review fans!) is likeable but what's with that permanent grin plastered on your face throughout the film? Shibani Dandekar has nothing crucial to offer to the plot.

There is a scene in the movie where Sonakshi's Noor tells her newly-acquired beau Ayaan (Purab Kohli), 'You are hot' and there my friend, you instantly find yourself nodding your head in agreement. The unexpected twist given to his character is an icing to the cake.

Technical Aspects

Technical Aspects

Noor takes its own time to establish the plot and that can be quite patience-testing for some. The London sub-plot adds no meat to the film and the narrative looses steam in the second half.

Keiko Nakahara's cinematography is top-notch and gives you plenty of moments to cherish. Aarif Sheikh's editing scissors could have been a bit more sharper to make it a crisp watch. Some of the dialogues strike a chord. Sample this- 'Kuch toh trolls kehenge, trolls ka kaam hai kehna'.

Music

Music

The revamped 'Gulabi Aankhein' track has some catchy EDM beats and turns out to be a nice party song to groove on post gulping down a few drinks. Uff Yeh Noor is a breezy listen while Jise Kehte Hai Pyaar and Hai Zaroori fail to make a mark.

Verdict

Verdict

Sonakshi Sinha's latest offering isn't a picture-perfect world when it comes to viewing as it has its own set of flaws. But it does make up for a fluffy watch with your pals who stick by your side no matter what life tosses at you. In a nutshell, Noor's self-discovery journey triumphs over her journalist self and she at least deserves a chance!

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