'Love Hostel' review: Gritty tale of interfaith marriage, its consequences
What's the story
In a society segregated on the basis of caste and religion, interfaith marriages are still frowned upon.
And, we get a story based on that in ZEE5's recently-released movie, Love Hostel.
In his sophomore directorial, Shanker Raman paints a world where the cost of loving someone outside the prescribed sphere is deadly—literally.
But did the socially-relevant film come with satisfactory making?
Here, we review.
Story
This is the basic plot of the narrative
Before the protagonists, Raman introduces the antagonist, Viraj Singh Dagar (Bobby Deol)—the devil incarnate.
With the brutal killing of a newlywed couple on the run, makers show us just how dangerous the assassin is.
Elsewhere, Jyoti Dilawar (Sanya Malhotra) elopes from her impending wedding to meet her lover Ahmed Shokeen (Vikrant Massey).
Then, Dilawar's MLA grandmother (Swaroopa Ghosh) ropes in Dagar for her bidding.
Comments
Raman builds Dagar with care, his efforts pay off
Now, in terms of story, there isn't enough meat at play here.
But Raman, who has also written the Red Chillies Entertainment-backed film, dedicates his 1:40-hour-long runtime toward coloring the town red.
And, Deol embodies this task with absolute earnestness. With haunting background scores and strategically placed shots, makers give Dagar a bigger-than-life image.
Malhotra and Massey also give straight-up clean performances.
Special mentions
With subtle dialogues/glimpses, Raman drops various truth bombs
Through the tale, Raman tries to also touch upon several intricacies.
In one scene, when an investigating officer (played by Raj Arjun) tells the political leader to hand over Dagar, she amusedly points at some kids playing, asking, "They are all Dagars, which one are you looking for?"
Young boys getting "Dagar-lessons" just by growing up in such a house is a hard-hitting thought.
Verdict
Gory themes, rampant killing can be off-putting for some though
However, in his attempt to showcase barbarous ideals ruling the hinterlands even today, Raman exaggerates it a tad bit.
Certain scenes would push your eyebrows to the top of your head in perplexity.
But the film is filled with good jumpscares and twists.
While it might not be everybody's cup of tea, lovers of gory flicks can enjoy this "love story."
Verdict: 3.5 stars.