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Aug 17, 2017

Why am I quick to equate flakiness and self obsession with millennials?  The first few character building scenes of Noor showcase the text book enactment of these traits that I have come to associate with the people of this particular age group. Maybe my lack of understanding stems from me falling prey to the oft-quoted affliction of older people - the generation gap disease. I had a similar reaction recently to the whiny, flighty, empty shell of a movie that was headlined by Alia Bhatt and propped up by Shah Rukh Khan - Dear Zindagi.

Noor is much better off when you come to its story's core, in the sense it tries to have some pith - a journalist trying to catch her big break, in search of 'the' big story that will set her apart from the pack. Adapted from Pakistani writer Saba Imtiaz's debut novel, 'Karachi You Are Killing Me' the content holds pace with the current social media and reporting trends. It correctly identifies, to post or not to post as the existential question which will make or break the day for the millennials.

Sonakshi Sinha playing Noor almost makes it to the big leagues with a lead on a socially relevant breaking news story, but let's stay clear of spoilers, shall we? Kanan Gill - a Bangalore-based standup comedian and YouTuber gets his Bollywood break in this film directed by Sunhil Sippy which is a nod to internet influencers and emergence of non-traditional news reporting.

One of the biggest advantages Sonakshi has going for her as an actor is that she can be your relate-able girl next door, the non-size zero type. The movie is built around Noor's soliloquies, self-reflective news presentations and blog posts - and she does do a lot of soul searching of every kind, enough to provide material for a film. But most of the time the enlightenment from these ruminations dawn too late upon Noor, after she had already screwed up the situation. Enter, the ever-present social media, the savior of our times with its all righting corrective-fluid facility of making things viral, equal and ultimately just. Noor is saved, movie gets to end with a happy face and I get to make a positive blog post.

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