8 AM Metro Movie Review:  First the promise. Followed by the projection. And then there's poetry involved with lots of prose brimming with quality lyricism. It's close to watching the popular radio jockey turned writer Neelesh Misra's Long Interviews in a slo-mo; the proverbial thehraav and the tehzeeeb don't leave their dignified position. But somehow the essence of this promising-looking ride derails. That would be an apt summation of director R Rachakonda's film titled 8 AM Metro featuring Gulshan Devaiah and Saiyami Kher in the lead roles. Dahaad: Vijay Varman and Others Call Gulshan Devaiah an 'Encyclopaedia' - Here's Why!

Clearly, this film is meant for a select club with a discernible palate. But even considering the target, this film is crafted for, 8 AM Metro doesn't quite reach the destination it has been set out for and the journey is too exhausting. And that perhaps is the film's biggest strength as indeed a major weakness. The sights, the sounds, and the experiences along the trail are only memorable, but they don't get etched in the mind to give an experience this film could have delivered.

Iravati (Saiyami Kher), a typical Maharashtrian homemaker and a mother of two, meets Bengali poetry aficionado Pritam (Gulshan Devaiah) on a metro ride she is reluctant to take. Pritam is married and has two young daughters. The metro partners are settled in their respective spaces and are not particularly seeking love or romance or support outside of their respective equations. And yet there's room for friendship that borders companionship.

The difficult space has been daringly exploited by the makers. There's no void to fill as indeed there are no bridges to connect the two extremes. There are no coy glances exchanged, neither are there any intimacy issues to be explored-- and yet the man and woman meet to find out their respective alter ego in the most poetic way possible. Now, the premise may sound soul-stirring and poetically beautiful, but honestly put 8 AM Metro could easily have just been a music album with quality lyrics that has been stretched beyond its capacity to craft a movie out of it, one feels.

Watch the Trailer of 8 AM Metro:

The tale can easily come across as an extramarital affair between two wounded souls, trying to complete each other by accepting their flawed personas. But entering that realm of conjectures would be wide off the mark. In fact, 8 AM Metro is exactly the opposite. There are no broad brushstrokes here and the nuances are painstakingly crafted and equally sincerely performed. The mood, the journey, the chaos, and the silence play an important role. The first half of the film is brisk and the makers waste no time to set the poetic tone of the film. Iravati and Pritam don't take too long to find each other quite accidentally, and how their equation grows organically is beautifully portrayed. It's the second half that has major flaws that make the narrative stretched and unusually forced. Saiyami Kher on Sports: I Want to Help Young Female Athletes to Achieve Their Dreams.

The principal characters with their phobias, their perceived limitations and their struggle to accept their own individuality form the crux of the story. The background score, the lyrics, and the backdrop become the characters of sorts of this poignant tale. Unfortunately, somehow poetry takes over the beautiful poise of this unusual chemistry and that's where the film starts getting complicated in order to comprehend in its entirety.

As for the performances, Gulshan Devaiah is his usual brilliant self. He knows the significance of pauses and he exploits the magic of minimalism in the most prolific manner. Saiyami gives him the perfect foil by displaying vulnerability and feminine fluidity to complement what Gulshan's character lacks. She slips in and out in a couple of instances, but mostly stays in the zone to deal with the phobia her character suffers. The film scores hugely on the technical front- the treatment, the texture, the editing, the screenplay, and the costumes are in sync. This effort could possibly have come close to delivering the charm the gem of a film that Irrfan's Lunchbox was. But the delicate mind spaces projected in the second half of 8 A.M.Metro notwithstanding.

Final Thoughts

8 AM Metro is not an easy ride and is certainly not made for those who prefer their pace to be brisk. Watch it for Gulshan Devaiah and Saiyami Kher's sincerity enhanced further by the poetic brilliance of the narrative.

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2023 04:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).