Entertainment / Movie Review: Bombay Talkies

Movie Review: Bombay Talkies

Entertainment Nov 08, 2013

by Smruti Das

Film: Bombay Talkies
Director: Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Rani Mukherji, Ranveer Shorey, Vineet Kumar Singh
Rating: 3.5/5

Four ace directors. Four short films. Bollywood’s all time biggest stars came together to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema.

Bombay Talkies is not your stereotypical Bollywood fare that has an unbeatable hero, a pretty heroine and an evil negative character. Instead, this tribute to Indian cinema is a set of four specially made short films that have a common theme to illustrate how Bollywood has impacted our lives. Clearly, each of the four directors (Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap) has attempted to tell a story that can have an imprint on the audience.

In the first story, Karan Johar, contrary to his style of making films that depicts his magnanimous style, shows a couple (Randeep Hooda- Rani Mukherjee) who experience a passionless marriage until a homosexual man (Saqib Salem) enters their life and the truth is revealed. Johar's usage of Lata Mangeshkar’s songs – Ajeeb dastaan hain yeh and Lag ja gale are powerful as they bring out the different set of emotions that the characters experience.

The second film, based on a short story by Satyajit Ray, and directed by Dibakar Banerjee, is my personal favourite and will touch your heart. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays a failed actor and an entrepreneur who is unable to sleep at night peacefully. One day, he strays into a film shooting only to re-discover the emotional energy that he once had. The scene where Siddiqui rushes home after his shoot to describes his experience to his daughter shows how brilliant an actor he is. The audience had a round of applause for his splendid performance.

The third film by Zoya Akthar is about a little boy who is mesmerized by Katrina Kaif in ‘Sheila ki jawaani’ (from the film ‘Tees Maar Khan’) and wants to grow up as a dancer. His father (Ranveer Shorey) wants him to become a sportsman and is unaware of his secret desire. Kaif, in a cameo, as a winged fairy, inspires the boy to dare to dream and keep his secret desire in wraps. The little boy's performance will leave you with a smile.

The final story, titled 'Murabba', is a classic tale of how we are fascinated and in awe of the Bollywood stars. Vijay (Vineet Kumar Singh), a young man, from Allahabad, on request of his ailing father, travels all the way to Mumbai to meet Amitabh Bachchan. He goes through painful circumstances with a hope that Bachchan will take a bit of the Murabba and his father will feel blessed. Vineet Kumar puts in a powerful performance as a man who gives his heart out just to meet the superstar.

At the end of the four films is a song that does not have anything that would make it popular. However, the audience is likely to sit through it as it has a roster of stars paying tribute to the Indian cinema. The timing of the song does make it feel out of place and has been accommodated to give it a celebratory feeling.

In a world where Bollywood films now have foreign locations, super stars and item songs, Bombay Talkies is an experiment. It isn't a must watch but a successful experiment, a film that will make you think about how Indian cinema has impacted you. As I was walking out of the theater, I overheard a few folks from the audience talk about their favourite story from the film. Clearly, everyone had a strong reason. Happy 100th Birthday Indian Cinema!

Watch the movie trailer here:

What is your favourite story in the film?

_{Images & Video : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Feature Image: Viamcom 18 Motion Pictures}

Smruti Das

Author

Covering global events as the GPS Editor fits right into Smruti Das’ world. A post-graduate in advertising and communication management from Indira School of Communication in Pune India as well as having five years of experience in the hospitality and not-for-profit sectors under her belt, Smr...

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Movie Review: Bombay Talkies

by Smruti Das

Smruti Das

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