Turning 30 has always been a landmark date in most young people’s lives. Somehow it seems to be the equivalent of turning a corner and moving beyond the carefree and easygoing existence of youth. It was inevitable that someone would make a film about milestone, and on January 14, 2011, Prakash Jha Productions are releasing their film titled (what else?) Turning 30.
Starring the very lovely and elegant Gul Panang as the main heroine, the film reflects the apprehension and disquiet which can engulf the life of 29 – going on 30 year old advertising executive. She is bright and successful, her life is moving along familiar lines and she is enjoying every moment of it.
- Turning 30
But then life is never predictable, is it?
Suddenly at 30 her love life becomes slightly complicated with Purab Kohli not being the marrying kind and Sid Makkar being the dependable but fairly boring type. Her career goes through a crisis, her friends Tillotama Shome and Jeena Talwar who are her support systems have their own underlying problems, and nothing seems to be moving the way it should!
The film is all about a young girl seeking and finding herself, and in the process growing up and becoming a woman of independent means and thoughts.
Alankrita Srivasatava, a long time assistant of Prakash Jha is the debuatant director, and after many years we are going to see a non-political film from the fold of Jha’s production house.
The music directors of the movie are Siddarth and Suhas and the lyricists include Raam Gautam and Prashant Pandey. The music was released sometime ago and songs such as “Will you marry me?” have achieved a certain modicum of success.
The director has pinned her hopes on the honesty of the film and on the fact that young people all over will empathise with the heroine and will see the woman’s point of view. She feels that young girls will connect with the movie and guys will view it as a guide to what is going on in a woman’s mind.
What remains to be seen is whether this movie can present an unapologetic rendition of a woman’s feeling a la Sex and the City movie (and TV series). Indian movies continue to harp either on the sati savitri or the item song as the two personas of the young Indian female. She seems to have no other dimension, she seems to have no ambitions (and if she does have ambitions they get a serious beating once she dumps her goody two shoes image … Fashion is a case) and honestly she seems to have no life her own except for what concerns her hero. I hope this movie is more mature than many other such attempts that have been made in the past… I hope the female is not reduced to a caricature yet again.