Have you heard the title track of Noor? “Uff yeh Noor,” the song goes. Those three words also work as a concise review of the movie. Except, you cry out “uff yeh Noor” with a sad face! The film is excruciatingly boring and is just a whole lot of blah.
Noor seems longer than its 116-minute runtime, as it drags its feet and introduces us to one of the most lacklustre characters that Bollywood has thrown our way in the recent past.
Noor Roy Chaudhary struggles with mornings, is condescending towards Sunny Leone, and is awkward and clumsy in turns. She has big dreams about her career and love life. She spends her time talking to herself and her two close friends – Saad and Zaara – whom she takes for granted. But the film’s biggest problem is the eponymous character that we feel nothing for. She has zero knowledge of journalism and she comes across as a chronic cribber.
Noor is based on Saba Imtiaz’s book – Karachi !You’re Killing Me. The makers have replaced Karachi with Mumbai, but both the city and the main lead are just like a cola without fizz.
Not that Sonakshi Sinha is bad; In fact, she shines in the second-half when the tone gets a little serious. But Sonakshi is a misfit as the bubbly and jumpy Noor. Purab Kohli and Kanan Gill both have far more ‘Noor’ than her. Smita Tambe, as the sincere Malti bai, is the only one who brings in a degree of credibility to the proceedings.
Sonu Nigam recently complained about how he couldn’t sleep because of the noise from the loudspeakers. For him, and for all those who are longing for a nap, head to a cinema hall near you to catch Noor.
I give it 1.5 Quints out of 5!
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