It was almost 18 years ago that Life in a…Metro released and the concept of modern, urban love stories really got its due! In 2025, the movie has found its spiritual sequel where love is still at the epicenter yet masked by emotions that are somewhat unsaid and unfelt. A movie about individual identities, infidelity, societal expectations, career and ambitions, and most importantly, falling in love again and again! Here’s why I think you too should watch this movie!
Metro In Dino: 5 Reasons To Watch This Anurag Basu Film
A Capable Cast Pulling It Off
With an ensemble cast, a movie almost always walks on a tightrope, after all, too many cooks spoil the broth! However, the movie effortlessly manages to interweave the stories with a cast that delivers their best. From veterans like Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher to seasoned actors like Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sen Sharma as well as fairly new Bollywood actors like Sara Ali Khan and Aditya Roy Kapoor, the movie boasts of an ensemble cast that pulls it off, in almost all the scenes.
Along with the main cast of Bollywood A-listers, the supporting actors also play their parts well. Kudos to the director for bringing out the best out of all these actors, playing on their strengths and pushing them to break out of their mould.
Love In Its Truest Form
Movies often sugarcoat the concept of love stories, presenting them as some kind of a larger-than-life, utopian phenomenon where everything ends with a happy ending. However, Metro In Dino presents the concept of love in its truest, most authentic, and rather imperfect form. The movie tells you gently that falling in love is easy, but being in love is where things start getting a little difficult. It also normalizes how it is okay to fall out of love with someone, but the key lies in falling in love with that one person – again and again.
Metro In Dino is a story that holds your hand and takes you through the different stages of a relationship. You have a couple that falls prey to the institution of marriage and loses their spark, a couple scheduling their intimate sessions only to fall into the temporary high of infidelity, as well as individuals that are hovering in the peripheries of falling in love. A movie that shows love in its most unfiltered, raw manner.
A Story Driven By Women (Spoilers Ahead)
Anurag Basu is known for utilizing his women characters in the story beyond just the usual stereotypes, and it’s safe to say that even his latest directorial has women driving the plot. The movie doesn’t just place women in its plot, it utilizes their agency, their choices, and their decisions to drive the plot forward. Be it Konkona’s decision to live separately from her husband during their Goa trip or Neena Gupta’s decision to ‘run away’ from her house for a reunion, these stories feature women taking the lead.
They’re not perfect, in fact they are far from perfect. They are rude, bitter, and cold at times, but equally endearing, vulnerable, and true to their identity. They’re not just merely plot devices, their stories and their voices are heard equally throughout the movie and I think it’s brilliant! After all, it is not often that we get to see women in their most authentic, imperfect selves on big screen.
Well-Written Queer Representation
How often is it that you get to see a mainstream Bollywood movie doing justice to queer representation? Metro In Dino features a queer subplot that, I feel, is one of the best on-screen queer representations in a mainstream Hindi movie. Worry not, I’ll not spoil it for you though!
The queer subplot explores the nitty gritties of exploring one’s identity in a digital age. You have a character asking an AI chatbot to confirm her sexual identity at an age where you’re just at the cusp of it all. The subplot, written from a young girl’s perspective, is a rare, heartwarming take on finding one’s identity. You see her frustration, her angst, and her sheer disappointment of struggling to find a ‘clear’ answer to her questions. However, the movie doesn’t conveniently end with the girl finding her ‘identity’ — she’s still questioning and I think that’s a brilliant touch. It shows how being queer isn’t a one-size-fits-all phenomenon – it’s a spectrum that’s all about experimenting, figuring out, and then landing on concrete answers.
Soul-Stirring Music And Screenplay
Most of you will agree with me on the fact that this Anurag Basu film nails its music to the T! Bollywood veteran Pritam has composed the original soundtrack and score of this film, so it’s safe to assume even before watching it that the movie is about to be a melodious affair. The movie does an exceptional job at integrating the plot with its soulful music.
Characters burst randomly into musical melodies and Pritam’s musical crew make an appearance during important montages. Voices like Arijit Singh, Raghav Chaitanya, Vishal Mishra, and Papon grace the music album with their soul-stirring vocals. Plus, the lyrics perfectly match the settings and the plotline of the movie, making it feel as if you’re into the minds of these characters. It will be interesting to see how the music survives years after its release – will it be an evergreen album or a forgotten yet soulful one?
Final Thoughts
Metro In Dino is a movie that I think is a definite watch if you’re craving a good Bollywood romantic movie in this cozy rainy weather. While the film falters a bit in its hurried screenplay towards the end, the movie has a solid cast, well-woven plotlines, and banger music! In an age where feelings are often hidden behind device screens and stuck in long traffic jams, Metro In Dino offers a fresh (and a much-needed) take on modern love stories. The Anurag Basu directorial doesn’t just gloss over the idea of love, it makes you fall in love with the idea of falling in love, and I think that’s beautiful.
Cast: Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh.
Direction and Screenplay: Anurag Basu
Music: Pritam
