Laila Majnu (2018)

Avinash Tiwari: As Qais Butt, when his love turns to insanity, he packs intensity into his performance.

Tripti Dimri: She plays Laila, a winsome girl who looks both suitably smitten & suitably struck down by circumstances, and hers is a performance laudably free of overwrought histrionics.

Story: Laila is a free-spirited girl from a conservative family who firmly believes in living for the present. Qais, a spoilt brat, falls head over heels in love with her. Their families, however, are warring over property, which leads to self-destruction, pain and bleeding hearts.

Cinematography: Exotic

Screenplay: Capturing

Direction: In the age of romcoms, debutant director Sajid Ali has ensured there are plenty of reasons, even for the new generation to watch this tale.

Laila Majnu (2018): The new-age Laila Majnu’s courtship has a ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ kind of touch and innocence to it. There are several MPK references also thrown into the film. The tracks are weaved in seamlessly into the screenplay. Towards the end, the film dips considerably, as it tries to wrap up the loose ends. It is a thoughtfully written film, where the escalation of feelings appears as natural as it can. The characters stay credible.

Review by Shreya Ghosh