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Noor movie review: Sonakshi shines but...

Sonakshi Sinha's Noor, the story of an aspiring journo, goes on one long monotonous drawl, writes Deepa Gauri

Noor, based on Saba Imtiaz's work Karachi, You're Killing Me! is about the existential dilemmas and confusions of an aspiring journalist, working for a content provider, doing mundane 'human interest' stories. She believes she is lost and there is nothing to spark any enthusiasm, even if that means interviewing the most happening star in Bollywood.
Well, she wants to do 'big things,' break big stories and make her mark in the world of news. The premise, no doubt, is interesting. But most often the film falls flat on a one-note mode. Banking on self-deprecating humour in the first half, Noor never really rises above or hooks you into its narrative, even as it goes on a pretentious preach on value-based journalism.
The trouble, for a large part, lies in the pace of the movie. Nothing seemingly happens for a long time, and when something happens, the treatment is far too subdued to make an impact. After over two hours of watching the humdrum run of Noor, you just return fatigued and uninspired.
There is no faulting the noble intentions of Noor Roy Chaudhary (Sonakshi Sinha); she wants to make a difference; only the place where she works doesn't have it in its organisational leadership to do anything more than the mundane.
While she is not doing rather nothing, Noor can be seen hanging out with her childhood friends Saad (Kanan Gill) and Zara (Shibani Dandekar), and other than getting wasted, and occasionally bringing out the flourish of their unconditional bonding, there is little in that narrative to excite the viewer.
So when ex-CNN war photographer Ayan (Purab Kohli) comes into the picture, there is hope of the two going on crusade mode to save the world and the film. But in a sad twist, the big exclusive that Noor bags - about an organ racket - goes out of her control, and she ends up the whiner - as we see her for most of the film.
From then, Noor becomes a mild polemic on news values, social media and how journalists must see the 'victims' of news more responsibly. All noble thought, indeed, but where is the punch, the impact, the shock that makes you want to take this film more seriously?
There are too many convenient plot twists to the film that simply weigh down the narrative further. On the plus side, the cinematography - quite mood-based - is fantastic.
Sonakshi shines as Noor in some moments; to her credit, you never see Sonakshi the star for most of the part. Her transformation as Noor, the confused journalist is spot on. The supporting cast too - including Purab Kohli and Kanan Gill - make an impression.
But with an over-drawn narrative, and very little novelty in its treatment, Noor just runs flat. Check it out if you are Sonakshi Sinha fan.

Noor