Release date : 03 May 2013
E24telugu.com Rating : 3.5/5
Director : Anurag Kashyap,Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar
Producer : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Ashi Dua
Music Director : Brian Tyler
Starring : Robert Downey, Jr.Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
Cinema plays a huge component in every Indian’s life. Indian cinema has been entertaining, educating and enlightening the masses since 100 long years. Bombay Talkies is a movie being made as an ode to the centenary of Indian Cinema and amalgamates four short segments by ace bollywood directors Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap.
Story :
The first story directed by Karan Johar is of a sexually deprived married couple, Rani Mukherjee and Randeep Hooda, whose lives takes a huge twist after a young homosexual lad, Saqib Saleem enters the picture. His entry reveals some of the long kept secrets.
The second segment is of Dibakar Banerjee, which revolves around the life of an actor (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who is searching for a way to earn his living. Until he accidentally gets a small role in a movie, which helps him face his ill daughter.
Next up is director Zoya Akhtar, who narrates a story of small boy (Naman Jain) who dreams of becoming a dancer like Sheila, of Sheila Ki Jawaani (Katrina Kaif). The rest of the story sees the boy dealing with his unsupportive father, an encouraging sister and his secret idol, Katrina.
The last one is the story of a man (Vineet Kumar Singh), who comes to Mumbai from Allahabad to meet superstar Amitabh Bachchan and fulfill his father’s wish. The story has been helmed by Anurag Kashyap.
Plus Points :
Four contemporary directors coming together to display the best of their talents is a never-seen-before site and Bombay Talkies promises to deliver the best.
Karan has very smartly made use of two memorable filmi tracks, Ajeeb dastan hai yeh and Lag jaa gale as a narration to his story. All the three leads, Rani, Randeep and Saqib make the most of their on screen time and deliver the commendable.
Dibakar’s segment is one of the most cinematic parts of the movie. From Nawazuddin’s effective performance (especially during the climax) to Sadashiv Amrapurkar’s dialogue delivery, what is not to like? The story is based on Satyajit Ray’s short story ‘Patol Babu, Film Star’ and the filmmaker makes cinematic viewing pleasurable with this one.
Zoya Akhtar’s segment is based on the story of a real life kid, whom the director had ones met. There are no words to express how talented a young boy like Naman Jain could be. From his acting to dancing, Naman excels it all. Khushi Dubey is confident and brilliant. Ranveer Shorey plays his part equally well. Katrina Kaif’s cameo is a plus for the part.
Anurag Kashyap narrates a story that has the ability to make the audiences laugh and cry at the same time. Being one of the best of the lot, Anurag’s segment will connect with every other individual, who dreams of meeting his bollywood idol. No other actor could have portrayed the character of a desperate man as well as Vineet Kumar Singh. The actor is wonderful in every single scene. Amitabh Bachchan’s cameo is an icing on the cake.
Minus Points :
We do not really have much to say in this section, however the song included in the end with twenty top bollywood celebs is just too long to digest. Even though it explains the Indian cinema’s existence aptly, it is elongated to an extent that it feels bigger that the four stories put together. Karan’s segment that depicts a harsh reality could have had a little more drama to it. Even though the movie captures the essence of Indian cinema, there is a lot more that bollywood speaks off which is left unsaid.
Technical points :
The movie boasts of an excellent album by Amit Trivedi including two yesteryears songs in Karan’s segment, which play an important role in the narration of the whole part. The promotional video at the end is a disappointment. With the Indian masses addicted to long length movies, four less than half an hour films makes it difficult for the audiences to grasp the first and go to the second.
The cinematography and editing in the all the four stories is superlative. Direction and screenplay is upto the mark.
Final Word :
On a whole, there would have been no better way to celebrate 100 years of the Indian entertainment industry than this. All four stories go on to touch the lives of the people living in a bollywood-crazy country. The movie is a must-watch.
