I don’t usually pen down negative reviews because it seems hardly constructive and borderline disrespectful to efforts of artists and creators involved.
But once in a while comes a film that so utterly flawed and shoddy, that I can’t help but scrutinize it and call a spade a spade.
Unfortunately, The Girl on the Train is one such train-wreck, no pun intended.
I had high hopes from this film.
No, let me be more specific – I has high hope from a Parineeti Chopra starrer film because I truly believe she’s a great actress; She has simply been lost in the past five-six years (or perhaps got lost trying to find her niche).
I read the book few years ago and know how it ends, so I didn’t bother watching the Hollywood adaptation.
However, the Hindi version was appealing only for my appreciation of Chopra. Alas, it’s nothing but a HOT MESS !
I won’t dwell too much into the synopsis, but I would like to highlight some key aspects of the film that were so excruciatingly disjointed that I was irritated for being subjected to such a product.
NOTE: Spoilers ahead.
Character development
Mira Kapoor (played by Parineeti Chopra) is introduced as a high-profile criminal lawyer determined to bring justice to her clients. But not before showing her nervously panicking over a stalker threatening her to withdraw from a case.
Post an accident that led to her miscarriage and divorce, we see no character development or logical progression of the same to validate her actions. Let’s just say, all is narrated by the protagonist in words, not in action (or rather poorly in performance).
How does a woman of such indomitable spirit fall apart instantly and spiral down with no control (granted there are some issues that unravel in the last 15-20 minutes of the film, but none justify Mira’s condition of turning into an overly sensitive alcoholic obsessed with a stranger’s life).
Same goes for Nusrat John (played by Aditi Rao Hydari) and her husband Anand who should’ve had a backstory to explain their relationship.
Why were they seen as a happy couple on the balcony before the “incident” ? What changed? Why is the husband suddenly not bothered to find his “missing” wife?
There’s no explanation.
Chronology of events
The film doesn’t follow a linear chronology… or even a logical one.
While the story unfolds from various character’s point of view, the focal point is to find a ‘missing’ person who we later discover has been murdered.
But everything leading to that point in the film is a hotch-potch of characters popping out in random sequence of events, some completely disconnected from the main plot.
For example, the cops go around town senselessly interrogating friends and acquaintance upon receiving a ‘missing person’ inquiry.
Flip to approximately 30 minutes later when the film finally shows Mira’s involvement in the case via a CCTV footage at Nusrat’s house on the day of her murder, the cops realize it being a critical lead.
But wouldn’t checking the victim’s house and video evidences be the first step? What is this botched up investigation?
Well, more on this later …
Backdrop of London
The original story, as per the book, is set in London and the story plays out seamlessly given the detailing in the writing. However, that same setting has no bearing in the film whatsoever.
There are some location references to indicate Mira’s whereabouts on the day of the murder, but the film doesn’t provide any explanation to understand why or how those are relevant.
We see Mira drinking and crying her guts out in Central London a few times – that’s perhaps to show her loneliness in a bright and busy world. But that could be in any part of the world.
Moreover, the film doesn’t quite utilize any of the supporting cast members played by local South Asian artists from London. They are merely used as props with limited to no dialogues, only for the main leads to take center-stage.
For example, the opening scene of the film is at wedding ceremony plugged-in simply to show a meet-cute between Mira and Shekhar Kapoor (played by Avinash Tiwary)… and they are dressed better than the couple getting married played by Nisha Aaliya and Rajiv Chabria.
Another scene where this was obvious is when Mira has a breakdown at a bar’s washroom – we don’t quite see her friend trying to console and comfort her, we only hear her voice.
Sure, this may be in efforts to edit a crisper screenplay but screams against the narrative of “representation of South Asians” abroad. But I digress…
All of them (expect three – I counted) are South Asian, Hindi-speaking characters who are perhaps citizens of United Kingdom. Again, making me question as to why was it necessary to set the film in London?
The filmmaker certainly took massive creative liberties with the end; Could’ve done the same for the setting.
This leads me to the next point —
Police procedures
If you’re going to set a story in a country and incorporate law and order as an integral part, shouldn’t it be important to make it relevant to the land?
There was absolutely no research done on the interrogation methods that apply in the UK.
Cops turn up in parking lots to speak to a “prime suspect” (i.e. the husband of the victim) or by the river to question another key suspect (i.e. Mira Kapoor) and start questioning in broad daylight.
Storytelling
The trailer of the film describes it to be a story of ‘Mira Kapoor’ but in actuality it revolves around the life and murder of Nusrat John, which eventually gets Mira involved.
However, the makers tremendously under-utilized all the characters to properly stress on any one narrative.
Though it underlines Mira’s need to solve the mystery and prove her innocence, there is no real sense of urgency or guilt shown.
There are some choppy montages of her weeping with intercuts of unclear visuals that supposedly serve as clues to solve the case, but they’re just shoved in from dramatic effect.
Another disastrous flaw were the dialogues, especially those defining Mira’s character and its arc.
She thinks in odd poetry when she’s obsessing over Nusrat’s life, her own life and even when she’s venting out at a group therapy class, visibly consisting of non-Hindi speaking people.
The dialogues are out of a textbook – they neither resonate with the milieu nor with viewer.
Even the songs don’t match the mood of film – Matlabi Yariyan is an example of one that is supposed to represent the crushing pain of Mira for being deceived, but why is the rhythm and tone is so upbeat?
Inconsistencies & lack of attention to detail
I’ll make this quick:
- Mira forehead injury is apparently only prominent for the viewers and not everyone she encounters. Nobody cares to mention it or dress the wound.
- Mira’s make-up with running eye liner and black nail polish to depict her depressive state is the most stereotypical and unauthentic portrayal of her situation. And while everything around her is falling apart, her hair is never mismanaged – always set in perfect soft wavy curls.
- When Inspector Dalbir Kaur Bagga (played by Kirti Kulhari) watches Nusrat’s therapy tapes, why and how are we seeing glimpses of what’s going on in Nusrat’s head? That’s some “inception-istic” way of solving the case …?!
Overall, TGOTT didn’t attempt to involve the viewers in solving a murder mystery.
Several crucial elements from the book are either omitted or casually sprinkled from one sequence to the next that made it harder to decipher the plot or feel its intensity.
Perhaps the direction and story writing are to be blamed for this disaster. Or maybe the choppy editing that does a terrible job of telling a complex multilayered story.
Unfortunately, TGOTT is a disappointment with a screenplay that derailed far too many times in its runtime – pun intended.
Rating: 
1/5
The Girl on the Train is streaming on Netflix.
