That Girl in Yellow Boots Hindi Movie
It's a very common perception that a film that wins a lot of critical acclaim or film festival awards doesn't usually receive box-office rewards. One such film that has been doing the rounds of many film festivals and has been earning rave reviews is Anurag Kashyap's That Girl In Yellow Boots. But it remains to be seen whether this too would turn out to be like other revered Anurag Kashyap films or will end up being a damn squib at the Box office especially because it releases at the same week as that of Bodyguard.
That Girl in Yellow Boots is a thriller tracing Ruth's (Kalki Koechlin) search for her father - a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage parlour. How she sustains in the bustling city of Mumbai and whether she finds her father or not follows through the rest of the plot.
It definitely isn't the story that makes TGYIB a film to be raved about as the plot thrives on a wafer-thin storyline. What may have worked for the film festival juries across the world is its craft. The way Anurag captures the unsettling and disturbing realities of life is commendable. Moreover, he showcases the underlying grittiness of the superficially glittering city of Mumbai with great finesse. It's the crudeness of it all itself that you see Ruth surrounded by social and moral deviants. The setting of her dilapidated house, the shady massage parlour and the messy government offices is very realistic.
Where Anurag fails miserably is in the story of TGYIB. He tries to infuse sub-plots after sub-plots to make the film more interesting however what he ends up doing is making the audience wonder at the worthlessness of it all. Not one sub-plot has any relevance with the film or is integral to the plot. Even some of the most impressive characters are wasted in this half-baked pea-sized storyline. For example, Naseeruddin Shah as an elderly, decent customer of Kalki has no relation to her quest for finding her father, Makarand Deshpande is shown as a postman for just one scene, and even the likes of Ronit Roy, Rajat Kapoor are wasted by being given a scene each. Maybe Anurag wanted his friends to do a cameo but it's a pity to watch some really great actors making appearances without contributing to the film. Even the angle of Kalki's coke-snorting boyfriend Prashant and the goon behind him Chitiapa is not integral to the main plot.
Some of the hard-hitting elements seemed needlessly infused only to increase the shock value of the film usually revered in all film festivals. A lot of scenes in the first half appear repetitive and it wouldn't be wrong to say that the entire first half could easily be reduced to a three to four minute montage without affecting the story. Instead it would've built the character more strongly with the shocking grittiness coming across with quick succession. The trudging pace of it instead makes it quite boring.
But talk of acting and Kalki Koechlin deserves to be lauded. Yet again she delivers a crackling performance. Even newcomers Prashant Prakash and Gulshan Devaiya give a praiseworthy performance.
If you haven't had enough of films showing the underbelly of Mumbai or are big fans of Kalki Koechlin this is the film for you. Else, all you may like in That Girl In Yellow Boots will be the Yellow Boots alone.
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