A lowyield investment
NOOR Direction: Sunhil Sippy Actors: Sonakshi Sinha, Purab Kohli, Kanan Gill Rating:
Noor is the story of a young journalist stuck doing meaningless stories but dreaming of giant scoops.
Based on Saba Kazmi’s critically acclaimed book, Karachi, You’re Killing Me!, it fails exactly where the book excelled. Karachi… was an honest portrayal of a young woman striving to take on bad guys and write award-worthy stories.
Sunhil Sippy’s film, meanwhile, starts off very Sex and the City, with a voiceover by Sonakshi’s character Noor telling us about her ambitions and her life with her beloved father and cat.
It’s light and breezy, and Sonakshi carries it off with an endearing dorkiness. Unlike Saba’s protagonist, though, Noor is lazy.
She complains a lot and does very little. Soon, you’re more annoyed than rooting for her. She yawns while interviewing Sunny Leone, interrupts a meeting with her editor to meet a friend, and when she stumbles onto what she believes is her big break, she records one statement and rushes to her editor insisting it be aired ASAP.
Come on, guys; that’s not how a newsroom works.
Then, suddenly, the movie stops being a rom-com (the one thing it was getting right) and turns into some kind of good girl-conman drama. You’re given no time to invest in this angle, no villains to loathe. It begins to feel pointless and dull.
The one thing the movie did get right is the casting. Sonakshi carries off the second half well too; she’s impressive as a grim, wronged woman.
Kanan Gill (who plays her friend, Saad) is fun to watch; Purab Kohli (in a small but significant role) is impressive too.
The two stars are really for these three.
Had it not been for them, Noor would have been unwatchable.