Metro… In Dino (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Follows stories of bittersweet relationships in a contemporary setting, exploring various aspects, hues, and moods of love.

My Take – I think we all know by now that life doesn’t always come with closure as people are often flawed, and any relationship between something imprecise is always going to be messy. But irrespective of what the world throws at us, we need to take the effort, even it means we have keep falling in love again and again, that too with the same person. A quiet powerful message that lies at the core of writer-director Anurag Basu‘s latest.

A rare film that may look chill on the outside but low-key hits hard when you’re least ready. Acting as a spiritual sequel to Life In A… Metro (2007), he once again brings four new stories, each exploring relationships, second chances, and emotional complexities, but all carrying the same heart and soul, striking an even deeper chord with viewers.

Sure, the stories presented here are not exactly unique and are a bit sanitized when it comes to comparison with the tone of its predecessor.

But as storyteller, Anurag Basu wants us feel between the lines and instead opts for an intimate, slice-of-life approach that celebrates real love and the complications that come with it, all without the grand melodrama or heightened cinematic gimmickry. Making it a mature, layered, emotionally chaotic ride through what love, regret, and timing really means in today’s world.

Set in five cities, the story follows the lives of four urban couples, each and every role with each stages. Kajol Ghosh (Konkona Sen Sharma) and Monty (Pankaj Tripathi), are a middle-aged couple who have been married for quite some time, and have settled into such a routine that they even schedule intimacy like a dentist’s appointment. But when Kajol discovers that Monty just like one of her friend’s husband has made a profile on a dating site, she decides to take action, something which her mother Shivani (Neena Gupta) would never have done.

Mainly as Shivani has reached a certain age in which has adjusted in a life with her husband Sanjeev (Saswata Chatterjee) irrespective of the hot and cold treatment he dishes out. But somewhere inside her there still remains a longing for the dreams she sacrificed. And when an invite for a college reunion come through she is positively excited, particularly to meet her old-flame Parimal (Anupam Kher).

Unknown to her, Parimal too is going through the motions of life, after facing a tragedy that ended the life of his wife and his young son, he has been left alone in a gloomy apartment that he shares with his caring widowed daughter-in-law Jhunuk (Darshana Banik), who refuses to move on. Then there is Shivani and Sanjeev’s younger daughter Chumki (Sara Ali Khan), who has always been confused about everything in her life.

Though she is soon to be engaged to a well-earning colleague, her chance meeting with womanizing travel vlogger Parth (Aditya Roy Kapur) comes like a breath of fresh air. On the other side, Parth’s best friends Akash (Ali Fazal) and Shruti (Fatima Sana Shaikh) are struggling with their relationship too. A promising musician once, Akash feels suffocated as a corporate employee while Shruti has her own ambitions, particularly maternal. Though they try making sacrifices for each other bitterness soon starts to fester.

Along the way the new hyperlink romance drama touches upon many relevant themes, including #MeToo, an LGBTQIA+ subplot, marriage as an institution, commitment phobia, identity, ambition, and abortion, without marking them off like topics on some checklist in order to appear woke but ending up becoming drab, mainly as Anurag Basu’s direction shines yet again.

The way he weaves music into narrative moments is both unique and artistic—not everyone may get it, but those who do will find it refreshing and heartfelt. Visually too, the film is very well shot. Warm, moody, consistent. And while Pritam’s soundtrack isn’t instant chart-buster material, but it grows. As every note blends effortlessly with the screenplay.

The songs linger quietly, like the film itself. Soft, slow, and meant to sit with you long after. This isn’t a film that is trying to surprise you. It’s more about the in-between moments. The silences, the second thoughts, the things people never say out loud. Flawed, for sure. But still worth viewing.

In the age of social media, when clueless people are seeking AI’s help as friend, philosopher, and guide, and using dating apps to meet their potential matches, filmmaker Anurag Basu deserves praise for making a case for love, the old-school way.

Of course, it helps that the casting is pitch-perfect, with every actor owning their space and breathing life into their characters. Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta and Saswata Chatterjee bring a rare grace and depth to the portrayal of elderly love. Konkona Sen Sharma and Pankaj Tripathi deliver measured sensitive turns.

Aditya Roy Kapur and Sara Ali Khan bring fresh energy, unexpected chemistry and infuse the film with youthfulness. But it is Fatima Sana Shaikh and Ali Fazal who act as the emotional anchor of the film. Their story arc and their breakdowns feel authentic throughout. On the whole, ‘Metro… In Dino‘ is an emotionally rich immersive musical drama that is breezy yet thoughtful.