I've just finished watching it and I don't think I've ever love-hated a movie more than this. I feel horribly depressed because of it. I feel like I need to reach out to someone, anyone, and give them a hug.This is partly because the film is actually very painful and awkward to watch. It has this very wretched way of not showing what's actually going on but just shows the characters either being very emotional or very cryptic. Plus you get these fade to black transitions just when it looks like characters are about to open up to each other. The visuals are also intentionally depressing.But it's all very well-crafted. And once you are prepared for the emotional tone of it, it is very rewarding to see the finer details in the acting and the story. And like similarly depressing yet cathartic films such as The Crow or The Road, this film makes you connect with the human beauty expressed within it such that it will haunt you with thoughts of what the characters are going through. This is no doubt thanks to the acting of one Aishwarya Rai, who is maybe at her career best here, portraying a living, breathing character like she's done never before or since. Ajay Devgan is good too, though the amount of restraint he imbued the character with is more infuriating rather than sympathetic, he almost comes across as the antagonist in this story. Something you might not agree with, but gives you something to think about as you come to terms with the story.The rest of the cast is great too, bringing realism and gravity to the story and helping round out the main two.In terms of being an emotionally wrenching experience, I'd put this film up there with Graveyard of the Fireflies. If you give it a try, you'll never forget this film and will feel an emotional wrenching wherever you remember it. This is art of the highest order.EDIT: On further reflection I have to add that Ajay Devgan is actually also great in this movie. I found his character harder to appreciate because I wasn't prepared for it in the first viewing. As a fan of his work I was expecting him to play a more stoic, even aggressive character, so it was difficult for me to accept the more emotionally vulnerable character he was depicting so well in this film. I will have to make the time to watch this film again just to better appreciate the more delicate depth of it.

Somebody is lying to keep up appearances, and the director has left it up to you to try and figure who it is. This is the sort of film that you sit down and cut, paste and analyze for hours. Aishwarya Rai showcases some real grit here that is rarely seen in most of her films, as many directors just prefer for her to show up and look pretty. She is pretty here too, but the scenario is dark, she plays this character dark and seductive, and heartless as she she does it innocent. She is deceptive as she is truthful, it's up to you to decide what she is really and Rai gives you a run for your money trying to figure her out. Ajay Devgan brings it as well, as a man who hasn't gotten over his love for this woman, even after her marriage to another man. One rainy afternoon, he tracks her down for a visit and the game of who is who begins. This is not you typical Bollywood flick. This one actually requires you to scratch you head and think. A++++++++++++ all the way! Aishwarya Rai is especially awe-inspiring!

This movie doesn't draw the average Bollywood fan in...why? I'll tell you why. This movie lacks crappy acting, crappy songs, with crappy Michael Jackson-esquire choreographed dancing. This movie is one that is on par with Hollywood's best. Honestly, I think it should have been India's nomination for the Oscars (foreign film), but of course, they chose something crappy. A Bollywood movie isn't a Bollywood movie if there's no "love story" thread. But this movie managed to pull off telling one of the best love stories ever in UNDER TWO AND A HALF HOURS (a record for Bollywood), while avoiding the Bollywood cliché. Such a refreshing movie!

Being an Indian American, I have seen many Indian movies, and this one is different in many ways. First of all, it is short - but being based upon a short story, that is understandable. Second, since it is not a musical (which most Indian movies are) it is even more understandable.Raincoat is something more along the lines of something that you might see in a film academy's final project viewing, as opposed to something that was released to the public - and yet, even as simple as the movie seems superficially, the acting and character portrayal by both main characters are superb.I was advised to watch this for the express reason that it was *not* a musical, and that the dialog was very riveting, and I have to say the recommendations were correct. I was mesmerized by the movie within 2 minutes, from the time that Manu's mother tells him not to beg, to maintain his own dignity. From that point on, I was captivated by the plot, imaging all sorts of sub plots and ideas here and there - some of the themes I was right on the money and some, well, let's just say I have a good imagination.The plot descriptions for this movie, especially by rAjOo, are right on the money, and give you a good idea about the characters - however, the meeting between Manu and Neeru takes place several years since they last saw each other, and it takes the interference of a third character to bring Manu up to speed about the way things are now.In the end, the characters show just how much they mean to each other, albeit deceptively, and yet, as the first review by Invisible Man states, they talked and talked and said nothing.Watch the movie - and if you cannot understand Hindi, watch it with someone that can - the subtitles are about 95% effective, but there are still some things that get lost in translation.