That Girl In Yellow Boots Review

'That Girl In Yellow Boots' is an attempt that needs to be acknowledged for the fact that it at least tries to be different even though it doesn't quite reach there. However another fact that also needs to be stated is that it is directed by someone as experienced as Anurag Kashyap. Now if it was made by someone totally raw and new, the flaws in 'That Girl In Yellow Boots' could still have been over looked. However for someone who has films like 'Dev D', 'Black Friday' and 'Gulaal' to his credit, this 'independent affair' unfortunately falls a little short.

Someone who is a British citizen, is living in a state of despair and is still managing to hold her head high while saving her chastity for the man who indeed cares for her, Kalki brings across the right blend of vulnerability and strong resolve. So even as this girl in yellow boots tries to meet her father who had abandoned her family more than a decade ago, she comes across various characters, some good (Naseeruddin Shah, a massage customer), some bad (corrupt officials, her drug addict boyfriend - Prashant Prakash) and some downright ugly (a gangster - Gulshan Devaiya, a seedy customer).

Meanwhile other men in her life don't quite make her feel any better. Prashant continues to fluctuate between being demanding and sympathiser, Gulshan gives her two tight slaps before shedding a few tears on listening to her fake sob story, Naseer challenges her for the immoral acts, a senior official wants her to make his clients 'happy', a mysterious customer ogles at her in a discomforting manner while the eventual revelation of her father only makes her feel further disgusted.

However what could have been a riveting thriller turns into a slow paced dramatic affair during the last 20 odd minutes. Leave aside the fact that the identity of the father doesn't quite shock you, it is also so talk-heavy that the charm is reduced. Dialogues mouthed at this point aren't much clear either that results in one concentrating more on what is being spoken on screen instead of being involved in Kalki's emotions. Moreover the sequence prior to this - the one where Kalki starts dancing with gay abandon - and then the one where she is driven away into infinity are way too metaphorical to be comprehended!

Due to all of these reasons, one feels that Kalki's excellent act in the film deserved a much better culmination. Right from her dialogue delivery to her slightly wayward English to her body language to her slight mannerisms - Kalki shows that she indeed is an actress who has it in her to come up with many more striking performances in years to come.

Amongst other actors, Gulshan leads by a distance. He is brilliant as a Kannadiga gangster and scores a hat trick of very good performances after 'Dum Maaro Dum' and 'Shaitan'. Three cheers for him. Prashant is every bit a slimy young man but his characterisation loses an impact in the latter part of the film. Naseerddin Shah is surprisingly just about ordinary.

'That Girl In Yellow Boots' is a film that starts off well, becomes really interesting in the middle portions, starts fading in it's journey towards the climax and ends up being disappointing as the end credits start rolling. Frankly, this is one film that could have been so much better and despite Anurag Kashyap at the helm of affairs, doesn't end up being an entirely satiating affair. Sad, because 'That Girl In Yellow Boots' could just have been Bollywood's own dose of European cinema.

Rating: **1/2