Both movies are very similar. The makers of Citylights give credit
to Metro Manila (MM) and acknowledge that their movie is inspired by MM.
However, the story is slightly different.
I watched Citylights first and like always, was impressed by the
acting of Rajkumar Yadav (still not calling him Rao). In fact the entire cast
has done great work. It is a depressing story about a simpleton from a small
town in Rajasthan coming to Mumbai with his family in hope of a better and
successful life. And then he runs into bad luck.
I was so moved by the movie that I immediately decided to watch
Metro Manila. Most of the scenes and dialogues are same. The 'flavor' was of
course different. Some of the challenges encountered by the families (in
Citylights and Metro Manila) are also different. However, the plot is exactly
the same. And so is the ending.
However, the situation in which the protagonists in these movies
found themselves after an incident were slightly different. While the
protagonist in Citylights was almost forced to choose a path that he ultimately
took, it seemed that the protagonist in MM had an escape route. Tiny one but
could have avoided the end. His boss was helpful, he did not run out of money.
He could have made a different choice. However, another way to look at it is
that he took the step in hope of giving his family much more than he could ever
have.
Both the movies are great but I liked Metro Manila better than
City Lights.
