CityLights (2014 film)

Last updated

CityLights
CityLights.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Hansal Mehta
Screenplay by Ritesh Shah
Based on Metro Manila
by Sean Ellis
Produced by Mukesh Bhatt
Starring Rajkummar Rao
Patralekha
Cinematography Dev Agarwal
Edited by Apurva Asrani
Music bySongs:
Jeet Gannguli
Background score:
Raju Singh
Production
company
Distributed by Fox Star Studios
Release date
  • 30 May 2014 (2014-05-30)
Running time
119 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
Languages Hindi
Rajasthani
Budget₹90 million
Box office₹90 million

CityLights is a 2014 Indian drama film directed by Hansal Mehta starring Rajkummar Rao and actress Patralekha in the lead roles. It is a remake of the BAFTA nominated British film Metro Manila (2013). [2] The film was presented by Fox Star Studios in association with Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt. [3]

Contents

The story is about a poor farmer from Rajasthan coming to Mumbai in search of livelihood. [4] The film released on 30 May 2014, and won rave reviews from most critics. In spite of releasing in just 350 screens, CityLights became a success due to its low cost of production and consistent collections at the box office. [5]

Plot

Deepak Singh's (played by Rajkumar Rao) life as a former driver in the Indian Army in a village in Rajasthan who owns a garment store is tangled in the web of poverty, hope and despair. Deepak's family consists of his ever-supporting wife, Rakhi (played by Patralekha), and their little daughter, Mahi. They tag along on his journey to Mumbai as he is unable to repay the money he owes for his store. With no contacts or addresses, except that of his friend Omkar, Deepak takes extreme measures to search for him when arriving to Mumbai.

Deepak is tricked by two con-men who offer to sell him a flat for Rs 10,000 and decamp with the money. With no details on them, the Mumbai police refuse to file an F.I.R. His wife meets an escort working at a night bar, who provides them with temporary accommodation in a building and convinces her to work as a bar dancer until Deepak finds a job.

Deepak gets hired as a driver for a privately owned security bureau with a monthly pay of Rs 15,000. Deepak's senior colleague, Vishnu (played by Manav Kaul) realizes that he is gullible, and does various favours for him in order to gain his trust. Vishnu later reveals a plans to loot a parcel being transported by the security agency. When Deepak vehemently opposes the idea of the theft, Vishnu blackmails him by revealing that he has hidden a box that he previously stole, in Deepak's house. Feeling cornered, Deepak agrees to the risky plan of stealing the keys for this box. However, Vishnu is attacked and killed in the course of the robbery. Meanwhile, Rakhi loses her job. Deepak finds the box stolen by his senior in his house and comes up with a plan to ensure Rakhi and Mahi's safe return to their village.

The movie ends when his attempt to steal the keys from the agency cost him his life but through a shrewd tactic he is able to pass on Rakhi the imprint of the key for the stolen box. Rakhi and Mahi return to the village with Rakhi lost in memory of Deepak and their happy past.

Cast

Production

CityLights marked actress Anwita Paul's debut, known by her screen name Patralekha. As Paul was in a relationship with the lead actor Rao, the production house did not disclose her name until the trailer was released. When press kept questioning about the lead actress, the filmmakers dismissed the question. [6]

While the film was originally set to be directed by Ajay Bahl, due to creative differences he was replaced by Hansal Mehta. [7] In December 2013, it was announced that shooting would begin in Rajasthan. [3] [8]

The film was first scheduled to release on 1 May 2014, which was subsequently shifted to 30 May. [9] On 5 May 26 minutes of footage was previewed at a Mumbai event. [3]

Soundtrack

CityLights
Soundtrack album by
Jeet Gannguli
Released12 May 2014 (2014-05-12) [10]
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length32:18
Label Sony Music India
Producer Mukesh Bhatt
Jeet Gannguli chronology
Youngistaan
(2014)		CityLights
(2014)		 Singham Returns
(2014)

The songs were composed by Jeet Gannguli with lyrics by Rashmi Singh. Rashmi Singh received Best Lyricist award at the 60th Filmfare Awards for her lyrics to the song "Muskurane." [11]

The film score was composed by Raju Singh.

Track listing

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Muskurane" Arijit Singh 5:34
2."Darbadar" Neeti Mohan 4:22
3."Ek Charraiya"Arijit Singh4:46
4."Citylights" (Title Song) Ustad Rashid Khan 3:23
5."Soney Do"Arijit Singh4:27
6."Ek Charraiya" (Unplugged))Jeet Gannguli4:47
7."Muskurane" (Unplugged) Mohammad Irfan Ali 4:59
Total length:32:18

Critical reception

Times of India reviews the cinematography of "Citylights" by Dev Agarwal is wonderful. Shots of the family sleeping against a rubbish pile, a '3BHK' in a construction site, Deepak staring at an ocean of pure despair, a fallen cycle in a courtyard, stand out. The family's migration stays with you as a vivid new experience – but its city sojourn occasionally reminds you of familiar moments. [12]

Sweta Kaushal writes in a Hindustan Times review that Hansal Mehta's direction makes Citylights "intensely gripping and thought-provoking, the interplay of emotions and how the couple copes with city's hardships are the high points of the film." [13]

Box office

The film collected ₹90 million (US$1.1 million) against a similar production budget. [14]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryRecipients and nomineesResultRef.
7th Mirchi Music Awards Song of The Year "Muskurane"Nominated [15] [16]
Album of The Year Jeet Gannguli, Rashmi Singh
Male Vocalist of The Year Arijit Singh – "Muskurane"
Music Composer of The Year Jeet Gannguli – "Muskurane"
Lyricist of The Year Rashmi Singh – "Muskurane"
Upcoming Lyricist of The Year Rashmi Singh – "Muskurane"Won
Raag-Inspired Song of the Year"Soney Do"
Listeners' Choice Song of the Year"Muskurane"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manoj Bajpayee</span> Indian actor

Manoj Bajpayee, also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. He is the recipient of numerous accolades including three National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards, and two Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2019, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, for his contributions to art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anubhav Sinha</span> Indian film director, producer, screenwriter

Anubhav Sinha is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi films. He is notable for movies like Ra.One (2011), Tum Bin (2001), Dus (2005), Mulk (2018), Article 15 (2019), Thappad (2020) and Bheed (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apurva Asrani</span> Indian filmmaker

Apurva Asrani is an Indian filmmaker. He has written the human rights drama Aligarh (2016), the courtroom drama Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors (2020), has co-written & edited the film Shahid (2013), has edited the popular gangster film Satya (1998) & also the webseries Made in Heaven (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajkummar Rao</span> Indian film actor

Rajkummar Rao is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films. He has appeared in more than 30 films since 2010, and is the recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards and an Asia Pacific Screen Award. In 2017, he appeared on Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nushrratt Bharuccha</span> Indian actress (born 1985)

Nushrratt Bharuccha is an Indian actress who mainly works in Hindi films. After working in television, she made her film debut with Jai Santoshi Maa (2006). She gained recognition for her roles in Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) and Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011). Bharuccha's career progressed with starring roles in the comedies Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 (2015), Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018), and Dream Girl (2019). She has since starred in Chhorii (2021), Janhit Mein Jaari (2022) and Ram Setu (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub</span> Indian Hindi film actor

Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub Khan is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He is frequently cast in supporting roles, and has appeared in more than 25 films in a career which has spanned eight years. He has also worked in a Hindi serial "Kyunki... Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai" which was telecasted on Doordarshan in 2008. He has collaborated with director Aanand L. Rai on four films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinesh Vijan</span> Indian film producer

Dinesh Vijan is an Indian film producer and director who works in Hindi films as well as a few English Films. He is the founder of Maddock Films. He gave up his banking job in 2004 to pursue films. He has produced critically and commercially acclaimed films such as Stree, Hindi Medium, Luka Chuppi, Badlapur, Love Aaj Kal,Cocktail and Bhediya.

<i>Shahid</i> (film) 2012 film by Hansal Mehta

Shahid is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film directed by Hansal Mehta, written by Sameer Gautam Singh and jointly produced by Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra in association with Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under the UTV Spotboy banner. Based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated in 2010, the film stars Rajkummar Rao as Azmi; Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur appear in supporting roles.

<i>Hamari Adhuri Kahani</i> 2014 film directed by Mohit Suri

Hamari Adhuri Kahani is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Mahesh Bhatt under the banners of Vishesh Films and Fox Star Studios. The film stars Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, and Rajkummar Rao. It is based on the love story of Bhatt's parents, Nanabhai Bhatt, Shirin Mohammad Ali and his stepmother Hemlata Bhatt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hansal Mehta</span> Indian film director (born 1968)

Hansal Mehta is an Indian filmmaker. He started his career with television show Khana Khazana (1993–2000) and later moved on to directing films like Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! (2000), Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? (2002) and Woodstock Villa (2008). He received critical acclaim with Shahid (2013), for which he won the National Film Award for Best Direction. He was nominated for a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film for Faraaz (2023). He directed the television series Scam 1992 (2020), for which he won the Filmfare OTT Award for best director and Scoop (2023), which won the Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Award for best Asian television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patralekha Paul</span> Indian film actress (born 1990)

Patralekha Paul known mononymously as Patralekha, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Paul made her acting debut with drama film CityLights (2014), for which she won the Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muskurane</span> 2014 Hindi song

Muskurane (transl. Smile) is a romantic song from the 2014 film, CityLights. Composed by Jeet Gannguli, the song is sung by Arijit Singh, with lyrics penned by Rashmi Singh. The music video of the track features actors Rajkummar Rao, Patralekha and Arijit Singh.

<i>Aligarh</i> (film) 2015 film by Hansal Mehta

Aligarh is a 2015 Indian Hindi- language biographical drama film directed by Hansal Mehta and written by Apurva Asrani. It stars Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao in the lead roles.

<i>Trapped</i> (2016 Hindi film) 2016 film by Vikramaditya Motwane

Trapped is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language survival drama film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, who also co-produced it with Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl and Madhu Mantena under the banner of Phantom Films. The film stars Rajkummar Rao as a call centre employee who gets trapped in his apartment room without food, water, and electricity, and Geetanjali Thapa as his girlfriend.

<i>Omerta</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Hansal Mehta

Omerta is a 2017 Indian biographical crime drama film directed by Hansal Mehta and stars Rajkumar Rao in the role of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, British terrorist of Pakistani descent. The film explores the 1994 kidnappings of Westerners in India for which Omar was arrested and served time in prison and the plotting of murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

<i>Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana</i> 2017 film by Ratnaa Sinha

Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language romance-drama comedy film directed by Ratnaa Sinha and written by Kamal Pandey. Produced by Vinod and Manju Bachchan, the film features Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Kharbanda alongside K. K. Raina, Alka Amin, Vipin Sharma, Govind Namdev, Navni Parihar, Nayani Dixit and Manoj Pahwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luv Films</span> Indian film production company

Luv Films is an Indian film production house founded by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg in 2012. Based in Mumbai the company produces and distributes commercial as well as feature films. Within a short span of time the production house established itself as one of the prominent producers in the Indian film industry while giving blockbusters like Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety, Malang - Unleash The Madness, De De Pyaar De, Chhalaang. The production house has also produced two critically acclaimed films like Vadh and Kuttey. 

<i>Chhalaang</i> 2020 Indian comedy film

Chhalaang (transl. Leap) is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language sports black comedy film directed by Hansal Mehta. It is produced by Ajay Devgan, Luv Ranjan, Ankur Garg and presented by Bhushan Kumar. Chhalaang stars Rajkummar Rao, Nushrat Bharucha and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub. Sports Action is directed by Rob Miller of ReelSports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shailesh R. Singh</span> Indian film producer

Shailesh R Singh is an Indian film producer known for his works exclusively in Hindi cinema. In his 12-year career span, he has produced both commercially & critically acclaimed films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajkummar Rao filmography</span> List of films of Indian actor Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao is an Indian film actor who has his first lead role in Dibakar Banerjee's anthology film Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010). After a few supporting roles in films like Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 (2012) and Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, his breakthrough came with the drama film Kai Po Che! in 2013. He rose to prominence with his portrayal of a lawyer Shahid Azmi in Hansal Mehta's critically acclaimed biographical drama Shahid (2013), for which he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

References

  1. ↑ "Citylights – Movie – Worldwide Gross & Budget". Box Office India . Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "'The Fault in Our Stars' to Get Bollywood Remake". The Hollywood Reporter . 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hansal Mehta unveils 26-minute footage of 'Citylights'". The Times of India. 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Hansal Mehta begins shooting Citylights this month". December 9, 2013. India Today. Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Citylights (2014)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "Rajkummar Rao's girlfriend to debut in Citylights". Indian Today. 2 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Hansal Mehta replaces Ajay Bahl for 'City Lights'". November 5, 2013. MID DAY. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Hansal Mehta to shoot 'Citylights' in Rajasthan". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "Citylights". The Times of India. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Citylights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "60th Britannia Filmfare Awards 2014: Complete list of winners". The Times of India . 1 February 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "Citylights Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015.
  13. ↑ Hindustan Times
  14. ↑ "Citylights". Box Office India . Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  15. ↑ "MMA Mirchi Music Awards". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "MMA Mirchi Music Awards". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.