Title DossierDrama

CityLights

DramaThriller

Deepak Singh is a farmer in Rajasthan. After a tragedy, he migrates to Mumbai with his wife and child to lead a better life. However, upon arriving, he soon discovers the challenges of life in a big city.

Year

2014

Duration

2h 6m

IMDb

7.3

Poster Feed

Cast

Hansal Mehta

Director

Rajkummar Rao

Deepak Singh

Patralekhaa Paul

Rakhee

Cast

Hansal Mehta

Director

Rajkummar Rao

Deepak Singh

Patralekhaa Paul

Rakhee

Manav Kaul

Vishnu- Deepak's workmate

KU

Khushboo Upadhyay

Sonali - Bar Dancer

Sadiya Siddiqui

Sudha- Vishnu's wife

Pramod Pathak

Boss Mhatre - Security firm

Vinod Rawat

Jayesh bhai

GB

Gautam Berde

Thug Broker

Vaibhavi Upadhyaya

Maahi- Deepak's daughter

AM

Atul Mongia

Bonnie

Resh Lamba

Waqaar

MG

Mallhar Goenka

Sachin

Mahmood Hashmi

Painter

SR

Shivam Rao

Suresh

Amarjeet Singh

Tea Shopkeeper

Sean Ellis

Writer

RS

Ritesh Shah

Writer

Trailer

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Comments

10 Comments

هايم في بلد العجايبAug 22, 2024

A wonderful performance by Rajkummar. The harsh reality of life for many, and the lengths one family has to go through to survive. Its worth the watch, gives you a taste of what life may be like all around the world.

Jojo KontaAug 22, 2024

In a film of such relentless intensity, the songs (although they aren't of the lip-synched variety) and the background score seem a tad excessive, if not entirely out of place. But CityLights is a Vishesh Films production, and hence the soundscape is anything but run of the mill. Jeet Ganguli's musical score is first- rate, but the lilt and the lyricism of the numbers appear to somewhat soften the blow that the film seeks to deliver. In the end, what lends CityLights the power to offset its rare weaker moments is its unwavering commitment to a realistic mode of storytelling. CityLights has its heart in the right place, and it is a heart that is backed by a ticking mind that is able to grasp the subtler shades of human behavior without tripping on over-sentimentalism. CityLights isn't a feel-good entertainer. It is a film that shocks, provokes and seeks to prick our collective complacency and apathy. That obviously adds up to infinitely more value than the price of a multiplex ticket.

Mr. Perfectionist 🙏Aug 22, 2024

4/5 Insanely brilliant. Extremely poignant. True to life. These expressions spring up in my mind as I begin to write this review. You see, I am still recovering from the emotional, thrilling and dramatic sledgehammer which is Citylights. To put it plainly, this is the most consistently brilliant Hindi movie I have watched in all of 2014. I was hooked from the first frame and loved the unpredictable turns the script took. The worst and the best of human nature are vividly portrayed throughout the length of Citylights and it makes for some heart rendering and some truly uncomfortable moments. It casts light on the plight of the rural migrant who comes to the city with high hopes. The contrast between the humane behavior of the so called vulgar elements of the society and the coldness, aloofness and predatory nature of the venerated high society is masterfully displayed. The acting is as good as it gets. Raj Kumar is easily the best new actor in Hindi industry. He gives a superlative follow up performance to his class act in Shahid. The debutante Patralekha matches him and even manages to outshine him in some scenes. This has the best kind of music, which propels the story forward rather than acting as an impediment to the story telling. Hansal Mehta, the director, deserves the highest praise for acting on his vision and making his second path breaking film (after Shahid) in two years. This is one of those films which helped me reaffirm my faith in the present of Hindi cinema. I loved it.

Jay ArghhAug 22, 2024

New movie Reviews and lots more Hot news .... LIKE THIS PAGE : English Hindi TAMIL TELUGU Facebook : Movie Review by Yunus Irshad https://www.facebook.com/YunusIrshadsMovieReview CityLights (U/A) TAMIL ------------ my Rating: ★★★★ EMOTIONAL STRENGTHS :- * Rajkumar Rao performance..... * Story and Camera.... * Casting was simple and decent.... * Climax..... WEAKNESSES :- * Few scenes were unwanted in second half "intimate scenes"... FINAL VERDICT :- * Overall.. it is really feel good movie about a poor man... heart warming attempt from the director.... Deepak Sing is a farmer in Rajasthan. After a tragedy, he migrates to Mumbai with his wife and child to lead a better life. However, upon arriving, he soon discovers the challenges of life in a big city. Director: Hansal Mehta Writers: Sean Ellis (original story), Ritesh Shah (adapted by) Stars: Rajkummar Rao, Mallhar Goenka, Manav Kaul | See full cast and crew »

Mwalimu RachelAug 22, 2024

One of the best movies i have ever seen from Bollywood Cinema. Realty of a poor man and his struggle to get his family out of poverty. This movie simply touched my heart how well it portrayed the real life scenario's of a real person, so many difficulties and sacrifices he has to give just to achieve a roof over and three times food for his family. Even though it wasn't a typical khan movie this movie is a block buster in my list. Unfortunately it didn't get the praise it deserves. But still you should watch the movie and enjoy. Bot male and female actors have done there best. And for this they deserve an applause. Don't get deceive by the film cast just like a book by its cover. Watch and enjoy and than praise the cast.

Aji fatou jobe🍫💍❤️🧕Aug 22, 2024

The movie starts off well with amazing acting from Rajkumar Rao. The actress has done a half decent job. The editing was bad for the twists in the plot. Overall, an utter waste of time and this coming from a person who goes very easy on movies.

CyclizzleAug 22, 2024

Citylights re-unites the director actor duo Hansal Mehta & Rajkumar Rao after a superb "Shahid" which won each of them the National Award this year.CityLights Citylights is an adaptation of 2013 Award winning movie "METRO MANILA" directed by Sean Elllis and Hansal Mehta does complete justice to the original. The story is credited to Sean Ellis the original writer of METRO MANILA; the adapted screenplay is by Ritesh Shah. Ritesh stays true to the original but adapts it to the Indian context of people from smaller towns who migrate to the city of dreams Mumbai expecting to make a better living. Just a piece of advice if you are looking at an entertaining movie then this is definitely not the right choice. Citylights is the story of Deepak (Rajkumar Rao) and Rakhee (Patralekha) who come to Mumbai from Rajasthan to make a better living but become victim of the shrewd reality of city life. The story by Sean Ellis captures the pathos of a small town guy well in his story and Ritesh's screenplay captures the nuances well. At times the movie's pace becomes sluggish especially during song sequences which was unnecessary. Some of the sequences are very well written albeit I felt the climax was a bit hurried and could have been presented well. It is the performances which make the movie memorable. Rajkumar Rao gives another brilliant performance. His portrayal of Deepak Singh is so realistic that you wonder whether he is really acting. The Dialect to the body language is all up to the mark. Another superb performance is of Manav Kaul who plays Vishnu a friend of Deepak with ulterior motives. After "Kai Po Che" Manav again shows his caliber, this is an actor to look forward to. Sadia Siddique as Vishnu's wife is good albeit her role is small. Patralekha as Rakhee does show a spark but gets overshadowed by Rajkumar and Manav. Production Design by Rajat Poddar is realistic. Editing by Apoorva Asrani could have been sharp. Jeet Ganguli's music is good but does not gel with the narration rather it hampers the pace. Hansal Mehta's forte is to get the human emotions bang on and he succeeds in this movie as well but fails a bit in giving it a Thriller edge and finesse in the narration which was the highlight in the original METRO MANILA.

Cyrille Aug 22, 2024

City lights is a masterpiece movie no words for script plot performance of rajkumar rao is mind blowing this types of movies will surely change the face of bollywood 👍👍💙

Cherie MundowAug 22, 2024

City Lights will surprise with the intent it has in itself. It has composure and a severe amount of reality. The story is about Deepak Singh (Raj Kumar Rao) who is a farmer in Rajasthan. He has debt on him. The business doesn't pick up and he finds himself in crisis. He, thus, decides to move to Mumbai to earn money accompanied by his wife and his daughter. Once they reach the city of Mumbai, the movie starts telling its real aim. The kind of money bugs a city contains kind of immoral activities they are able to do without a tinge of shame and fear is what you will find in the movie which is true in real scenario. Starting with direction which is done by Hansal Mehta, the director of Shahid, has again tickled a chord which will echo deep into you. From the very first scene you will get to the very base of what he is trying to show in the movie. There is a certain amount of adhesiveness to the moments where he has shown his class in getting to the core of the feel, which is most of the times of pain, betrayal and helplessness. The simplicity with which he has carried out a sensitive yet common attributes of greed, dissatisfaction and immorality is simply a class of its own. The situations when you can't differentiate a right from a wrong are depicted just perfectly. Amidst all this, he had the courage to inject in few moments which were funny and yet sober. The timing and character of those moments is a tough nut to crack. Overall, he was brilliant again. Coming to characters, the first name is Raj Kumar Rao, who seems to be getting along really well with Hansal Mehta, is doing another seriously awesome work. There is not a single moment in the movie which can make you think that this guy is an actor and not the real character. The innocence of the character was the toughest thing to portray but he did it with so much honesty that you would not be able to hold yourself from applauding him. The fear, the belief, the helplessness and the desperation are just effortlessly portrayed by him. You will love him, feel for him and hope for him. Patralekha also played the role of his wife to a good degree of what was required. You can easily identify her as any common girl which was very important for the character. The character played by Manav Kaul of Vishnu Bhai is going to surprise you. He has done more than justice to the role and yet again after Kai Po Che he has shown the value of his acting skills. The music by Jeet Ganguly is fantastic and it will soothe you. The background score by Raju Singh is appreciable. The movie deals with the reality of people's desperation to earn money in order to survive in the cities. It depicts the actions which people are willing to take irrespective of those being immoral or disgraceful. The bitter truth that is present in the society and yet nothing can be done. It shows how money has become unpleasantly important. Though the movie scores really high on almost every part, I just felt that in two scenes it hasgone a bit too harsh and far. The reaction of Vishnu's wife after his death is not digestible. Her crave for that money box at that particular moment did not fit in. Also, the reaction of Deepak Singh's(Raj Kumar Rao's ) wife when he dies is not what I could connect to. A wife who loved her husband so much cannot have an urge for a box of money exactly when she got to know about his death. Apart from this,the movie is a must watch and it definitely paved a way for many upcoming Bollywood movies.

Ama FrenzyAug 22, 2024

Definitely not a bad film, watch it for the acting by everyone. This is a film of the downtrodden families and the helplessness of the people living that life. There are lot many compulsions and obligations they shall be having. Mostly, they are in forced circumstances making them go for desperate measures to improve their life style. The protagonist Deepak Singh is one such poor should who is driven to take desperate steps to improve the living of his family. Rajkumar Yadav becomes Deepak Singh literally. From the Rajasthani accent to the demeanor, to the attire and even body language, everything is pitch perfect with him. Its good to find a new-age actor who becomes the characters rather than just playing the part. Rajkumar Yadav has gone way beyond many of his contemporaries. The next best part was of Manav Kaul who played the tight security guard "Vishnu". Manav was damn good in his role, just refreshing to see a new face play a character with such conviction. Also, the heroine of the film Patralekha was commendable. While others did their job well. So this film was a lot about acting above all else. This is an official remake of the British-Filipino film "Metro Manila". It's heartening to see a lot of credit being given to the original film. Never saw the original film, but this film was weak at places while it was brilliant at some places. Deepak comes back drunk and asks his wife, (who takes up the job of a bar dancer) to dance for him. That was a brilliantly performed scene I felt. Coming to the weakness, it lies in the writing that defies logic. It's a film that tries hard to be as real as possible. Real locations, realistic characters and more-so the scenes that could have possibly happened. But, there are a few things that did not satisfy my logic. So I was a bit disappointed by what was offered by this team of "Shahid" which I think was a brilliant film. Hansal Mehta did great job in extracting acting, but he stuck to the script so tightly, that he might have forgot to ask a few questions to the writers and producers. So thus, he had presented some flaws unintentionally. The editing should have been more precise. The film though 2 hours in length seems long with not much happening. The intimate scenes of the main leads could have been trimmed down is what I strongly felt. It's a good film still, but not a thoroughly satisfying venture to me as a viewer. A 3/5 for a film that's good and could have been so better.