In bondage, she found freedom.

Veera (Alia Bhatt) belongs to an affluent and powerful family, residing in Delhi. She gets kidnapped by Mahabir, ( Randeep Hooda) who has no idea of her identity. When the gang members realise which family she belongs to, they warn him of the repercussions and ask him to set her free. Mahabir denies because he wants to teach the rich a lesson. He believes they have a life devoid of problems, worries and misery. Soon he and Veera embark upon a journey that allows them to be who they really are, their true selves.

The movie mocks the idea of ‘Freedom’ that is preached and followed by the society. A world, where people are evaluated and respected by the amount of wealth or power they have, instead of their character or their traits. It is said that when you truly don’t give a tiny rat’s ass for what the world thinks and makes of you, you have achieved dangerously awesome levels of freedom. That is exactly what the writer is trying to convey.

Since when has the definition of brave been to accept the mental or physical abuse and not be vocal about it? Well forever I guess. It’s what is accepted as “normal” in the society. You are a woman, and this is your fate. The problem is you are taught this for as long as you can remember, and made to believe by your own family, that life is such.

Very few have the courage to challenge this “normal” and live by what you truly believe in even if your family and friends don’t stand by you.

That is the only definition of brave there is, and always will be.

Imtiaz ali has taken a delicate subject and woven a story around it, never compromising its authenticity. He has not camouflaged, hidden or attempted to sugar-coat it so that the audience gets a true sense of reality at every point. It’s as raw, crass and hard hitting as realty is. So why should you see the film? Because it’s a genuine attempt by the director/writer to find out if you feel anything for the characters. Do you connect? Are you able to distinguish between the good and the bad? If yes, there is hope.

Randeep Hooda has lived his role. He has done a fabulous job and I cannot think of anybody else who could portray the role better than him. He is rough and rugged, raw, filled with hatred for the world and its ways, but there is something about his character that will not tag him as bad. Alia Bhatt has shown tremendous growth and improvement in her second film which by far, no actress has been able to pull off such a report card as brilliantly as she has. The student of the year fame star is here to stay and should not be taken lightly by her competitors. Veera comes through so beautifully on screen that it’s hard for the audience to have a dry eye and be devoid of empathy when she shares her darkest secrets. It’s impossible to say who did a better job, Randeep or Alia, but because the story is being told to us from Veera’s point of view, she is what you will remember and feel deeply for as you walk out.

Special mention to Durgesh Kumar who plays Adoo. He is the ‘gunda’ with a heart of gold and personally my favourite character in the film !

Imtiaz Ali has pulled out another stunner from his bag of stories. And what is it that makes the film stand apart? Why is Highway different from other films? It’s a real film, with real characters that go through real emotions that the audience connects with, that it’s familiar with. The director and his team have put in painful amount of efforts to show you and make you feel a part of the journey instead of just watching it.

The movie mainly deals with emotions and desires of its lead pair. To portray these and to make sure that the audience feels the way the characters do, Imtiaz Ali has taken his own sweet time and not hurried each scene. There are several places in the film where a shot would have conveyed the situation, but it is made into a scene for you to take the time to see and feel what the actors are going through. So even though it’s a 2 hours 13 minutes film, you feel you have spent a much longer time in the hall. Now is that good or bad, I don’t know, it’s subjective.

The initial dialogues delivered by Mahabir are difficult to comprehend because the dialect is local. But you get a hang of it as the movie progresses. The music album is quite good and has some decent tracks. The songs have been used only when required so that saves you from awkward and illogical moments. The cinematography is beautiful and Anil Mehta has done a wonderful job.

All in all, a GOOD film. I love the title of the movie as its apt literally and also philosophically. Only when you take the journey, live and experience it with your heart and soul do you understand your true meaning and your expectations from life.

Learn to enjoy the journey, and your destination will be worth living for.