Thursday, December 6, 2018

Broken But Beautiful review: Harleen Sethi and Vikrant Massey's take on love and loss will touch a nerve with anyone who's been through a heartbreak

Not all broken things can be mended, some are better off left damaged. But what happens when two damaged people meet each other? Two souls scarred by their past relationships, haunted by the ghosts of their exes. Do they compete each other? Or do they stay broken?

ALT Balaji's Broken but Beautiful is an odd take on love and longing, one that hasn't been chronicled in this or any format as far as I can remember. Love is such a diverse subject to cover, yet the emotional roller coaster one goes through stays the same.

Broken begins with a narrative introducing us to our broken pair - Sameera (Harleen Sethi) and Veer (Vikrant Massey). We get to meet them when they are at their lowest point in their life. One has been dumped by her ex cause he found someone else while the other lost his better half to the dark clutches of death. There is a deep sense of loss that both are struggling to grapple with and there in lies the common thread that binds all of the 11 episodes. With titles like 'Scared and alone' and 'Closure', the episodes take us through the journey of Sameera and Veer. The ex boyfriend Karthik played by Jitin Gulati is easy to hate for having dumped Sameera for someone else, but the beauty of his character lies in the fact that there are moments where you might empathize with him.

Performances are easy on the eye. Harleen is quite a revelation. Playing Sameera and making her own she gets under your skin. There are times when you root for her and others when you might disagree with her decisions. Whatever you might feel, the reason you react to Sam is because Harleen makes the character believable. Also something tells me she has a knack for comedy and in the lighter situations Harleen shows that humour can be found even where there is no sunshine. Vikrant shines once again. Here s an actor whose versatility is already discussed in reviews and with Broken, he s able to own that niche. His depiction of Veer is apt. The struggle is real and you want him to get over his past and maybe become less cynical and more kind. Like I mentioned, the writing of Broken has a huge role to play in making it watchable. Some of the scenes and the way the narrative evolved reminded me of Grey's Anatomy and those classic Meredith dilemmas.

Broken has some amazing writing by Reshu Nath. The screenplay doesn't feel gimmicky or plastic. The conversations and setting are real and so is the pain and heartbreak. Broken stays true to its genre and goes all out in making you root for its characters. Director Santosh Singh treats the subject and his actors with a deep sense of reality. Instead of going over the top, he often lets the silences and awkward gazes do most of the talking. That's a sign of a genius. The music of Broken takes the story to another place. Especially the title track is immensely hummable and Sohneya is super catchy.

In the midst of this digital burst of concepts and ideas, Broken stands out because of its pure sincerity and honesty. It isn't trying to sell or pitch a romantic saga, instead it attempts to make you feel emotions that you might have shoved under the carpet unknowingly. Broken tells you that it's OK to feel broken and that love can sometimes be found deep within the crevices of a broken heart. Watch this one with all your heart.


by via Bollywood News and Gossip | Bollywood Movie Reviews, Songs and Videos | Bollywood Actress and Actors Updates | Bollywoodlife.com

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