In conclusion, women get their coming of age movie. After 'Dil Chahta Hai', there has been a spate of coming of age movies for men, but very few which dealt with women and their issues genuinely. In fact, there has been practically none. So debutante director Alankrita Shrivastava's 'Turning 30' is like a small turning point in Hindi cinema.

It is great that Hindi movies lastly acknowledge that 30 year old women are just as down the hill as 30 year old men! Clearly, with this unholy obsession with youth and with each and every one of us being reduced to commodities, the pressures of turning 30 and still remaining single are something which most women can identify with at some level or the other.

Of course, we are talking of urban women and we are assuming that they have the right of choice unlike their rural counterparts, for whom life stills fall into the usual slots. So yes, Alankrita's 'Turning 30' is a much awaited movie and to its credit has been mostly written very smartly with a humorous streak running right through.

The film's protagonist, Naina (Gul Panang) touches crisis point in her life as she rings in her 30th birthday. Life should have been rocking; instead, her boyfriend (Sid Makkar) walks out on her, her boss makes life hell for her at work and her mother is after her about settling down. And to top it, this is the Big 30, and her biological clock is fast ticking.

With personal and professional disaster staring her in the face, Naina does the next best thing, she escapes from it by doing all the girlie things like getting a new haircut, new clothes, lingerie, getting back with her ex (Purab Kohli), etc. Like every other human being on Planet Earth, she choses to avoid the issue and remains sorrowful, till she finally decides to work on herself and in the process discovers herself…

Naina's voyage is something which many urban women may be able to recognize with, her anxieties and fears are something that many must have faced at some time or the other. And that is the great thing about Alankrita's script. The tale is something that one can relate with. In fact, the first half of the film is fairly crackling with energy.

But someway, the second part is not half as entertaining or authentic and seems to be a little synthetic in places, which is a bit of a letdown. The other plus point about this film is that finally it shows females bonding.The relationship that Naina shares with her two friends, Malini (Tilottama Shome) and Rukhsana (Jeneva Talwar) is lifelike and real and not filmy. However, Alankrita is not capable to maintain this authentic touch through out the film and matters get a little too clichéd in the second half.

In a long time after 'Dor', Gul Panag finally gets a role which she can sink her teeth into and truly enjoy. This is one such role and the actress lives it completely. She does a very fine job of playing Naina with all her suffering. Of the other actors, Purab Kohli is delightful as ever and turns in a very polite performance. Sid Makker is quite good and so are Tillotama and Jeneva as Naina's two friends. The others who appear in bit roles, like Satyadeep Mishra, Ira Dubey, Sameer Malhotra and Anita Kanwar, all chip in with honest performances as well.

'Turning 30' with its sharp and natural dialogues and situations is truly like a breath of fresh air as it provides an alternate perspective to life and the anxiety of living. It provides a woman's viewpoint. And surely that counts for something in a country where half the population is female.

Overall, it is praiseworthy to see.