City Lights
2014 · Directed by Hansal Mehta
Original language: Hindi
- thriller
- drama
The story
Deepak Singh was an ex army person and owned a small garment shop in a Rajasthani village. When his life struck by a tragedy, he migrates to Mumbai, with his wife and young child, hoping for a better life. However, upon arriving, he soon discovers the challenges of life in a big city.
What it’s like
Handheld, close and sweaty, with the camera pressed into cramped rooms and crowded street markets under flat, hazy daylight, so the city feels crowded and hot. The palette is dusty ochre and washed-out grey, warming to amber in the desert-village scenes that open the film, then tightening into fluorescent-lit corridors and dim, low-ceilinged flats. The score is sparse and mostly absent, letting traffic, voices and ceiling fans carry the room tone. It is a slow-burning, anxious drama with a thriller's undercurrent, built on money worries and the pressure of a family trying to hold together in an unfamiliar, indifferent place. Its emotional register is sober, weary and tense, with moments of quiet tenderness between the couple and their young child. Intensity is moderate: there is peril, a few sharp outbursts and some brief, unsparing violence, but no gore and no sexual content. Best suited to viewers who want a grounded, socially observant drama with real texture and do not need a light or escapist watch. It rewards patient, attentive viewing on a quiet evening rather than background play.
More films like City Lights
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved City Lightsand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
