Laila Majnu

In Kashmir, Laila is the daughter of a wealthy family; quick with an answer, playful, amusing herself with the men around her. Qais is from the same valley, the son of a family that runs a hotel. They meet and the game turns into something else. Laila's father engages her to somebody else, and there is an old feud between her family and Qais's. Laila obeys her family's decision. Qais does not. The separation turns him step by step into something else; a man wandering the city, talking to himself, out of his mind. Sajid Ali directs. Triptii Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Parmeet Sethi and Benjamin Gilani are in the cast. It is an Indian production. The film moves the classical story of Laila and Majnun to present day Kashmir. Few saw it when it opened; years later it spread online, found a wide audience and was shown in cinemas again. Avinash Tiwary's performance in the second half is the most discussed thing about it. The matter it treats is obsession; the film does not exalt love and does not hide what becomes of the character. The Kashmir landscape holds a heavy place inside the narrative. The first half moves like a light romantic comedy and the second half changes entirely. The music settles inside the story and the songs carry it. The ending gives no coming together. Its limit is balance; the difference between the halves is abrupt, the pace slow, and the ending heavy. Who it is for: viewers who like classical love stories retold. Who it is not for: it is slow, it darkens, and the ending is bitter.