Journey Review

On the face of it, Journey is old wine in a new bottle.  There are two love stories that run parallel; two journeys that culminate in an unexpected ending, an ending which is philosophized by a song in the background.  If the story is very simple, the way it is told comes with its share of heart-felt moments and a cathartic climax.  Given this, the film should not be judged from the standpoint of how fresh or commercial it is; instead, films like these may be experienced according to ones own sensitivities.

The story revolves around two couples - Sharvanand and Ananya; and Jai and Anjali.  They say beautiful things in life happen by accident.  To these characters, the beautiful accidents happen in a road journey.  Sadly enough, the film culminates in a mind-numbing road accident, which shatters many a lives rather unpredictably.

Ananya is travelling back from Hyderabad to Vijayawada after waiting for Sharva in vain in the bus stand.  Meanwhile, Sharva, Jai and Anjali are in another bus, travelling to their respective places.  After these characters are introduced, the film takes us back to tell their stories - how they happened to meet inadvertently and how they fell in love.

Way back four months ago, Ananya, a small town girl, was to Hyderabad for a job interview.  On her way to finding the place of interview, she takes the help of Sharva as she finds herself helpless and lost in the chaotic metropolitan.  The cigarette-smoking, stubble-faced boy and the self-inhibited, stranger-fearing girl build bond on their way to the interview venue.  Before they part ways, they have fallen in love.

On the other side, Jai, a factory worker, falls in love with Anjali, a nurse.  After waving hands at her from his pent house for six months, the bachelor is finally lucky to get Anjali into his fold.  The romance between the straightforward, practical-minded girl and the timid boy blossoms into love very soon.

Back to this day.  They are travelling in two different buses, and the journeys are purposive.  Least do they know, however, that destiny has other plans for one of the two couples.  The director (Sharavanan) brings the stories to a denouement in a way that makes you view tragedies with a sense of disbelief, shock and, above all, empathy for victims.

Journey is not your regular fare.  It comes with a huge dose of Tamil nativity and realism.  The characters are slice-of-life; the scenes are unpredictable; the behaviours and reactions of the characters are different.  Much like what we see in Tamil movies.  When you are not talking of the climax, there is nothing in Journey which you have not watched in many romantic movies in the past.  Journey stands out because of its cathartic climax.  It stands out, in fact, because it is difficult to describe the climax.  If one can come out of the theaters without passing a judgement on the denouement, and simply receive the philosophy it tries to convey, you will find Journey a worthy watch.

The film's lovely moments are stuffed in the two love tracks.  While Ananya's innocence is realistic, Anjali's girl-next-door toughness is entertaining.  Sharva, who unexpectedly encounters Ananya in the morning, ends up spending time with her till the evening.  In complete contrast, is the story of Anjali and Jai.  The toughie girl makes him spend through the nose, asks him to meet her cop-father, and pits him against an old-time Romeo who has been falling behind her, before she finally smiles at him.

The dialogues brilliantly capture the feelings of the characters.  The music fulfills its purpose of spiking up the proceedings.  (In one such moment, you see the whole town joining Jai in his celebratory mood after he wins his love).  The screenplay doesn't confuse.  The story keeps moving between back and present, and alternates between two stories.

All in all, Journey narrates two loves stories that go smoothly all throughout.  Wait for the earth-shattering moment that comes in the climax..

Released on: 16th Dec, 2011