Waiting (2016 film)

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Waiting (2016 film)
File:Waiting (2015-16).jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anu Menon
Produced by Priti Gupta
Manish Mundra
Written by Atika Chohan
(Dialogues)
Screenplay by Anu Menon
James Ruzicka
Atika Chohan
Starring Naseeruddin Shah
Kalki Koechlin
Rajat Kapoor
Music by Mikey McCleary
Cinematography Neha Parti Matiyani
Edited by Nitin Baid
Apurva Asrani
Production
company
Ishka Films
Drishyam Films
Release dates
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  • 11 December 2015 (2015-12-11) (Dubai International Film Festival)
  • 27 May 2016 (2016-05-27) (India)
Running time
 98 minutes[1]
Country India
Language Hindi
Box office ₹1.58 crore (US$230,000)[2] (opening weekend)

Waiting is a 2016 Indian comedy drama film directed by Anu Menon, and produced by Priti Gupta and Manish Mundra under the banner of Ishka Films and Drishyam Films. The film is about the special relationship between two people from different walks of life, who befriend each other in a hospital, while nursing their respective comatose spouses. The film stars Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin in lead roles, with Rajat Kapoor, Suhasini Maniratnam, Arjun Mathur, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee and Rajeev Ravindranathan playing supporting roles.

Development began in November 2014, when Menon signed Koechlin and Shah for an upcoming untitled project. Principal photography began in December 2014 in the coastal town of Kochi. The film's score was given by Mickey McCleary, and the soundtrack was released in May 2016, under the label of Zee Music Company. The lyrics were written by Manoj Muntashir and Ankur Tewari. The film had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival on 11 December 2015, to positive reviews from critics.

Waiting was also screened at the closing gala of the London Asian Film Festival, where Menon won the Best Director Award, and at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and had its theatrical release on 27 May 2016. Upon release in India, the film was well received by critics with the performances of both Koechlin and Shah garnering much acclaim. The film however had a poor opening at the box office.

Plot

The film revolves around an unlikely friendship between two individuals who meet at a hospital while nursing their spouses in a comatose state.

Cast

Production

Casting

File:Suhasini Maniratnam - TeachAIDS Interview (13567030785) (cropped).jpg
South Indian actress Suhasini Maniratnam made her Bollywood debut in the film

Entertainment website Bollywood Hungama reported that Koechlin was set to star opposite her That Girl in Yellow Boots co-star Naseeruddin Shah in Anu Menon's upcoming film. It was reported by the website that she would be playing the role of a young and brash social media-savvy Tara Deshpande.[3] Shah in an interview said that the script for the film is, "one of the most wonderful he has ever heard." [4] He plays the role of a philosophy professor Shiv Kumar with a never say die attitude.[5] Koechlin in an interview with Gulf News said she loved the film's vibe and added, “I knew that Waiting came from a personal space … she would keep giving the reference of Lost In Translation”[6]

With the film National Award winning South Indian Cinema actress and director Suhasini Maniratnam made her debut in Hindi cinema, as she plays the role of Shah’s character's wife in the film. Menon talked about her experience of working with Manirathnam saying, "With her experience, she also helped me with a few difficult scenes behind the camera."[7]

Development & Filming

The film was the production of Ishka Films and Drishyam Films.[8] It was Menon's second feature film after London, Paris, New York, and Menon started writing for the film since her other project O Womaniya didn’t start.[4] The director of photography for the film was the cinematographer Neha Parti Martyani, who had been previously associated with films including My Name is Khan and Yamla Pagla Deewana among others. The team of editors for the project included National Award winning film maker, film editor and screenwriter Apurva Asrani.[9] Shah reported that the shooting for the film will commence in December in the coastal town of Kochi.[4]

Menon talked about the film prior to its release to The National saying that the story of the film was close to her heart as it was inspired by one of her own personal experience. On working with Koechlin and Shah she said, "He (Shah) was punctual and always prepared, he gave his best performance in the first take. Kalki allows herself to be vulnerable. She is more porous and chilled out. In a way, there was a nice energy between them. Both of them were organised, committed and non demanding." She added that, "It’s a very gentle and poignant film with no melodrama. It would make the audiences want to reach out to the leading characters and help them find their answers."[7]

Soundtrack and reception

Waiting (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Mikey McCleary
Released 16 May 2016 (2016-05-16)
Recorded 2016
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 14:19
Label Zee Music Company
Producer Mikey McCleary

The film's music was composed by Mikey McCleary, with Kavita Seth, Nikhil D'Souza, Anushka Mnachanda, Vishal Dadlani and McCleary serving as vocalists for the album.[10] The lyrics for the album were written by McCleary, Koechlin Manoj Muntashir, and Ankur Tewari. The first song of the album Tu Hai Toh Main Hoon was released on YouTube on 4 May 2016.[11] The music was launched under the label of Zee Music Company.[11]

Tracklist
No. Title Lyrics Singer(s) Length
1. "Tu Hai Toh Main Hoon"   Manoj Muntashir Nikhil D'Souza, Anushka Manchanda 4:18
2. "Got My Eyes On You"   Mikey McCleary Mikey McCleary 2:49
3. "Waiting on You"   Kalki Koechlin, Mikey McCleary Mikey McCleary, Anushka Manchanda 3.25
4. "Zara Zara"   Ankur Tewari Kavita Seth, Vishal Dadlani 4:27
Total length:
 14:19

The soundtrack of the film was well received by critics. The first song video song Tu Hai Toh Main Hoon was released to positive response from critics and audiences.[11] The second song Zara Zara was released on 12 May, and RadioMusic.com deemed it "worth falling in love all over again".[12] Manavi Kapoor of Business Standard in her review wrote, ""Zara zara" and "Tu hai toh main hun" are haunting and perfectly capture the poignant tone of the film."[13] Koimoi wrote, "Music finds its place in the situations and is quite aptly presented".[14] In their music review Bollywood Life gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Waiting may lack the quintessential massy numbers, but this is one music album that has a soul. This is something most of the soundtracks lack these days."[10]

Release

Marketing and Release

File:Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah at the premiere of 'Waiting'.jpg
Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah at the premiere of 'Waiting'

The film was released on 11 December 2015 at the 12th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival.[5][15] At the release of the film executive producer Priti Gupta founder of Ishka Films said, "It is an endearing and beautiful movie for not just Indian, but the world audience, as it is essentially about the universal human circumstances, which are deftly portrayed in a tender yet humorous way."[16] Manish Mundra, founder of Drishyam Films added, "Dubai is one of the biggest overseas markets for Hindi cinema [...] We are honoured to have Waiting screen there." The film was also screened at the closing gala of the London Asian Film Festival, and at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.[17][18]

The official trailer was released on 21 April 2016, one day after the release of a motion poster for the film, revealing the first look. The poster featured Koechlin and Shah with a smile. The trailer was well received by critics and audiences.[19][20][21] The film had its theatrical release on 27 May 2016 in India.[21][22]

Box office

The film had a poor opening at the box ofice as the morning vacancy varied between 2-3% in multiplexes.[23] The filmed managed to collect only a meagre 25 lakhs on its opening day.[2] The film was released alongside other indie films including Veerappan and Phobia, both of which too had a relatively poor opening. However, ‘'Waiting’' showed good growth over the day with the best occupancy among the aforementioned films.[24]

Reception

India

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As a viewing experience, Waiting is refreshingly restrained when compared to most other Hindi films. It struck me as a cross between Lost In Translation (2003) and The Descendants (2011).

—Suprateek Chatterjee, The Huffington Post[25]

The film opened to largely positive reviews in India.[26] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film the highest praise and deemed it "a well-chiselled marvel" saying: "Waiting is at once heart-wrenching and uplifting [...] marked by deep philosophical undertones, but it is never unduly ponderous.".[27] A reviewer writing for The New Indian Express too spoke highly of the film saying, "Not since Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox have I seen an indie film addressing itself to the ageless issue of human desolation and individual grief with such warmth, dignity, grace, honesty and humour."[28] Namrata Joshi writing for The Hindu called the script "dignified" and "without any false notes" and added, "Waiting manages to stand on its own emotional ground [...] The people, situations, relationships, feelings are layered, warm and humourous, ringing true in their complexities."[29] Mohar Basu of The Times of India called the film "thought-provoking" writing, "Menon has whipped up a warm tale about love, loss and surviving life's catastrophic blows, with such simplicity".[30]

File:Kalki Koechlin at the launch of the new range of Metro Shoes.jpg
Kalki Koechlin (pictured) and Naseeruddin Shah were chiefly praised for their performances

Kunal Guha of the Mumbai Mirror lauded the film's direction and cinematography saying, "Menon has the tenacity of a Sofia Coppola to produce frames where not much happens but one is unable to look away", and concluded by saying that, "The film deserves a watch for being one that doesn't try too hard and for its approach to an extreme situation."[31] Rohit Bhatnagar of Deccan Chronicle while also praising the technical expertise saying, "Neha Parti Matiyani beautifully captures the beautiful city of Kochi." called the film "unmissable" saying, "'Waiting' is a refreshing subject that is engaging enough right up till its open ended climax."[32] Shubhra Gupta writing for The Indian Express thought that the film was "too explanatory, too talky", and that "the most effective moments in the film occur when the two leads are allowed to fall silent, to just be in that moment, to loosen up". While lauding the film's treatment of the subject matter Gupta described Waiting as, "a film about life, lasting love and impending loss which explores a zone Bollywood doesn’t bother with".[33]

The performances of the leading pair of Koechlin and Shah were chiefly praised by several critics. Guha in his review remarked "this film belongs to Kalki, who impresses by managing to wordlessly convey her character's state of mind in every scene",[31] and Chatterjee offering a similar observation wrote that Koechlin, "provides the ideal foil, adding immensely to the emotional depth of the tale and heightening the conflict between two unlike poles". The latter also remarked, "Waiting is elevated several notches by the two central performances."[27] In her review for Rediff.com Sukanya Verma called the film "absolutely riveting", and also lauded Koechlin saying, "There’s something stunningly unhindered about Kalki and her aura. She uses this quality in the most mesmeric fashion to create a woman we sympathise with and wish well for".[34]

Surabhi Redkar in her review for Koimoi highlighting the "stellar performances" from the pair said, "Koechlin wins you over with her highly expressive performance." and added, "Shah does a great job as the otherwise calm Shiv".[35] In his review for Firstpost Anna Vetticad said that leading pair "shine in a lovely film" noting that chemistry between them was "unmistakable". He concluded by saying, "[Waiting] is both sad and amusing, believable, well acted and very well told".[36] Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times summed up his review by writing, "Packaged with Naseeruddin as the adorable old man struggling to understand a younger generation and Kalki as the charming young, energetic woman, Waiting is a delight."[37]

Overseas

The film received positive reviews from critics at the Dubai International Film Festival who praised the narrative of the story, Menon's direction, and the performances of the lead pairing of Koechlin and Shah. Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times called the film a "is a tragic, witty affair" and praised the humour with which the contrast between Shiv and Tara was presented.[5] Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International praised the cinematography and praised Neha Parti Mtiyani’s "dignified lenswork" and in her review wrote, "Waiting simmers in its locales without being brash or boastful; the colours of India are there, glowing at the sidelines" She also lauded Koechlin's and Shah's performances saying that the film "benefits greatly from Koechlin’s appeal [...], she has an expressive face to match her talent" and added that Shah's presence "lends the film its grace-notes".[38] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter also gave a positive review calling the film "A tender, often humorous tale with sparkling performances". She further praised the lead duo saying, "Koechlin does an exceptional job navigating the shoals of this as a kooky drama queen" and added that, "Shah, brings great feeling and complexity to the role of the wise, tolerant Shiv."[39]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
2016 London Asian Film Festival Best Director Anu Menon Won [40]

References

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  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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