Metro… In Dino, Anurag Basu’s new film, a follow-up to his Life in a… Metro (2007), explores the complexities of modern relationships. Like its predecessor, it weaves multiple stories through the bustling life of the city, showing us how love, heartbreak, and human connections play out today.
The film unfolds through four interlinked stories set in four major Indian cities. In Mumbai, Monty (Pankaj Tripathi) and Kajol (Konkona Sen Sharma), a married couple with a young daughter, feel the spark has faded from their relationship. In Delhi, Akash (Ali Fazal) and Shruti (Fatima Sana Shaikh) are expecting their first child but find themselves struggling with the pressures of impending parenthood. Their close friend, Parth (Aditya Roy Kapur), is a frequent visitor to the city for his dates. On one such trip, Parth crosses paths with Chumki (Sara Ali Khan), Kajol’s sister, who often travels to Delhi for work. Chumki is based in Bengaluru as a corporate working woman, where she is engaged to her colleague Anand (Kush Jotwani). Meanwhile, in Kolkata, Parimal (Anupam Kher) shares his home with his widowed daughter-in-law, Jhunuk (Darshana Banik). A college reunion gives Parimal a chance to reconnect with his old flame, Shivani (Neena Gupta), who now lives in Pune with her husband, Sanjeev (Saswata Chatterjee), and happens to be the mother of Kajol and Chumki. How these lives intersect and influence each other forms the emotional heart of the story.
Employing the same mosaic structure of interlaced stories as its predecessor, Basu once again bets on the intricacies of bonds between men and women. Strangers crossing paths, relationships quietly slipping through the cracks, and old wounds reopening in unexpected company. But the characters here are distinctly tuned to a more restless age. As we journey with them, we become keenly aware of the contemporary complications of relationships, and how they splinter, knot, and sometimes bloom under the harsh ambience of cities forever in motion. The film wears its modernity lightly, never shying away from the messy realities of our time. In an age where infidelity feels like a curse and commitment phobia is almost commonplace, it captures the fragile tenderness between longing and responsibility with a precision that’s both empathetic and unsparing. It reminds us that love today is often less about grand gestures and more about navigating difficult choices daily. Though at times, the many storylines can seem meandering, as they slowly merge, the film finds its heart.
Thankfully, each of the women here is given their agency. Yet, this doesn’t mean the men in this urban universe are weak. They often embrace their partners’ choices and, at times, are pushed into meaningful introspection. All these elements, paired with sharp, humorous dialogues by Sandeep Shrivastava and Samrat Chakravarthy, prove that a romantic drama can arise from genuine moments rather than cheap innuendo. When Monty and Kajol end up flirting with each other on a dating app, it delivers some of the freshest laughs we’ve seen in recent Hindi films.
Basu has already shown through his earlier work that if he doesn’t hold back, he can easily tip into excess, and here too, that tendency reappears. The film opens with characters introducing themselves through songs, a device that quickly feels overextended, especially when placed right at the beginning. It sets a tone of indulgence that the film struggles to shake off. After the interval, Akash and Shruti’s story almost slips entirely from our minds. Monty and Kajol’s Goa trip, which should have been the emotional crux of their arc, instead drags on, missing the urgency and revelation it was meant to provide. Some subplots strain credibility while Parth and Chumki’s track echoes one of the stories from Life in a… Metro and lacks the novelty needed to stand on its own. All this means the film tends to wander, often overstaying its welcome.
Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Pankaj Tripathi shine as mature adults who embody their characters with understated depth. Aditya Roy Kapur and Sara Ali Khan bring a lively spark to their roles without ever tipping into exaggeration. Fatima Sana Shaikh and Ali Fazal strike a relatable chord, though their storyline feels somewhat underpowered compared to the more strongly written arcs of the others. The young girls and boys playing the teenage characters handle their roles with a natural ease.
Abhishek and Anurag Basu’s cinematography brings a vibrant, lived-in quality to the film. Bodhaditya Banerjee and Satish Gowda’s editing gives the film a lively rhythm and pace as it glides from one story to the next swiftly. Still, a shorter runtime could have made it tighter and more impactful. The music by Pritam is truly the soul of the film and almost becomes a principal character in its own right. Here, too, Pritam appears with his band of singers at regular intervals, weaving in songs that not only drive the narrative forward but also heighten the emotional undercurrents of the moments. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that without his score, the film would lose much of its charm and warmth.
Metro… In Dino manages to weave together its many stories with genuine heart, offering laughter, tenderness, and sharp observations, making for a film that, for all its flaws, stays with us and invites us to reflect on the messy, beautiful complexities of life and love.
Hindi, Drama, Color