page_title: Waiting (2015 film)
section_title: India
hierarchical_section_title: Waiting (2015 film) / Reception / India
caption_attribution_description: English: Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah at the premiere of 'Waiting'
context_page_description: Waiting is a 2015 Indian drama film directed by Anu Menon. Produced by Priti Gupta and Manish Mundra under the banner of Ishka Films and Drishyam Films respectively, the film was co-written by Menon and James Ruzicka, and stars Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin in lead roles. Waiting focuses on the relationship between two people from different walks of life who befriend each other in a hospital, while nursing their respective comatose spouses. Rajat Kapoor, Suhasini Maniratnam, Arjun Mathur, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee and Rajeev Ravindranathan play supporting roles in the film.
  The development of the film began in June 2014, when Menon signed Koechlin and Shah for an untitled project. Principal photography started in November 2014 in the South Indian coastal city of Kochi; Neha Parti served as the cinematographer for the film. New Zealand-based singer-songwriter Mikey McCleary composed the film's score. Nitin Baid and Apurva Asrani edited the film, and Atika Chohan wrote the dialogue. Waiting also marked the Hindi film debut of the prominent South Indian actress-director Suhasini Maniratnam.
context_section_description: The film opened to largely positive reviews in India. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film the highest praise and deemed it "a well-chiselled marvel" saying: "Waiting is at once heart-wrenching and uplifting ... marked by deep philosophical undertones, but it is never unduly ponderous." A reviewer for The New Indian Express also spoke highly of the film saying, "Not since Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox have I seen an indie film addressing itself to the ageless issue of human desolation and individual grief with such warmth, dignity, grace, honesty and humour." For Namrata Joshi of The Hindu, the script was "dignified [and] without any false notes", and the film managed "to stand on its own emotional ground ... The people, situations, relationships, feelings are layered, warm and humourous [sic], ringing true in their complexities." Mohar Basu of The Times of India called the film "thought-provoking" writing: "Menon has whipped up a warm tale about love, loss and surviving life's catastrophic blows, with such simplicity."
  Kunal Guha of the Mumbai Mirror lauded the film's direction and cinematography saying, "Menon has the tenacity of a Sofia Coppola to produce frames where not much happens but one is unable to look away", and concluded, "The film deserves a watch for being one that doesn't try too hard and for its approach to an extreme situation." Rohit Bhatnagar of Deccan Chronicle, while also praising the technical expertise, said, "Neha Parti Matiyani beautifully captures the beautiful city of Kochi" and called the film "unmissable" saying, "'Waiting' is a refreshing subject that is engaging enough right up till its open ended climax." Shubhra Gupta writing for The Indian Express thought that the film was "too explanatory, too talky", and that "the most effective moments in the film occur when the two leads are allowed to fall silent, to just be in that moment, to loosen up". While lauding the film's treatment of the subject matter, Gupta described Waiting as "a film about life, lasting love and impending loss which explores a zone Bollywood doesn't bother with".
  The performances of the leading pair of Koechlin and Shah were chiefly praised by several critics. Guha in his review remarked "this film belongs to Kalki, who impresses by managing to wordlessly convey her character's state of mind in every scene". Chatterjee, offering a similar observation, wrote that Koechlin "provides the ideal foil, adding immensely to the emotional depth of the tale and heightening the conflict between two unlike poles". The latter thought that the lead performances empowered the film. In her review for Rediff.com Sukanya Verma called the film "absolutely riveting", and wrote of Koechlin that "[t]here's something stunningly unhindered about Kalki and her aura. She uses this quality in the most mesmeric fashion to create a woman we sympathise with and wish well for."
  In her review for Firstpost, Anna M. M. Vetticad wrote that the leading pair "shine in a lovely film" noting that chemistry between them was "unmistakable". She concluded by saying, "[Waiting] is both sad and amusing, believable, well acted and very well told". Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times summed up her review by writing, "Packaged with Naseeruddin as the adorable old man ... and Kalki as the charming young, energetic woman, Waiting is a delight." While acknowledging the "underdeveloped and overwritten" parts of the plot, Gupta was nonetheless appreciative of Koechlin and Shah, calling them good fits for their roles. Rajeev Masand writing for CNN-News18 offered similar observations; he criticized the "weak" plotting, but talked well of the characters: "you yearn for them to just shut up and soak in the silence. Each time they do, the film soars." Also lauding Shah's "real" and Koechlin's "endearing" performances, he wrote that Waiting, "raises important questions about life, love, and letting go. Plus there are those two splendid performances. That's plenty to merit a viewing."
caption: Kalki Koechlin (right) and Naseeruddin Shah were chiefly praised for their performances.
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