Chandni Bar

This is one of the movies that allows to peek at the life of the people who have suffered and haven't seen the light at the end of the tunnel. The movie is very effective for it takes us into the life of a beer bar dancing girl (Mumtaz) in the city of Bombay, and shows us the rut that she is in and any attempts made by her to rise are in vain. The movie is both dark in content and in the lighting which is symbolic of the hopelessness and is very effective. Tabu's performance is noteworthy as she depicts the life of Mumtaz with absolute sincerity. Details, such as, her twirling the cord of the phone when she is in a state of hopelessness shows she has really immersed herself into the character. With her performance you never feel that she is putting on a show. The movie neither glamourizes nor demeans the profession of these girls and the director deserves praise for that. The lack of songs is highly appropriate for this movie as this is not a "feel good" movie. As a warning to the faint of heart, this movie is highly disturbing and should be avoided when depressed.

After you have seen Chandni Bar, your perception of any prostitutes around the world will change drastically. Instead of looking at a prostitute as a sexually satisfying object, you will look deeper into her and realize "why she ever became a prostitute in the first place". It is too easy to say that "there is no excuse for being a prostitute, and one can choose his/her own career in life", but after you have seen Chandni Bar, your view point will change completely and you will want to help many women who are helpless/poor/prostitutes around the globe.

Chandni Bar starts by introducing the main character's traumatic beginnings that locks her into doing things she willingly doesn't want to. Throughout the film, the "change room door" in the bar signifies the actual life of helplessly trapped women on one side of the door, and the "pretentious women" on the other side of the door who make a living by selling themselves.

In conclusion the film has been very well put together, and has an excellent direction (worthy of film awards).

I have had tears rolling down my cheeks over ten times when I watched this film, and I suggest you view it with someone who has very little respect for women or views them as sex object. This is a very hard hitting film that will touch you deep within.

My Score: 10 / 10 (for all the ten tears I had)

Watch, listen and understand !

NEIL BHATIA

What worked:

• an inner view of the life of the bar girl in Mumbai; some of the plots seemed stereotypical but indeed true to the fact
• strong screenplay and lead actors

What did not work:

• maybe the ending was necessary the way it was, but we could hope for some alternative endings with something optimistic. However, the ending is still as powerful as it should have been

Final verdict: Recommended.

"Chandni Bar" is the BEST movie to come out of Bollywood in 4 decades. Its a brave film, speaking unabashedly about the seemy underbelly of Bombay (and YES it is and always will be Bombay to many), about the nexus between crime and the corrupt police in this city, about sin and the hope of redemption dashed by a vicious system. No wonder this was NOT India's entry to the Oscars....our politicians would be loathe to export something that could "create a bad impression" (they sent the ghastly jingoistic "Lagaan" instead). Pity, because, as an example of cinema verite at its grittiest, it would have probably won. Tabu would have definitely been in the running for Best Actress --- her performance is a study in truth and control. I happened to meet her on a plane and asked whether the film was shot more-or-less in sequence; and she answered in the affirmative --- no doubt this helped her create a slowly-intensifying graph of emotion, peaking at her gut-wrenching howls in the final scene. Her subtlety and sensitivity in the role of the dance-hall girl have had few equals seen by this writer in the cinema. Also the film's design, capturing the slums, back-alleys, police-stations and of course the seedy, sexual, smoky, boozy atmosphere of the dance-bar (changing its decor and its music with the passage of time in the plot) has an attention to detail and a REALISM that anyone who has ever been to these places will marvel at. Bravo to all concerned....and now may we PLEASE have this available on DVD?

Madhur Bhandarkar is amazing. Tabu is a glamorous Thespian! Not to mention Atul Agnihotri & Rajpal Yadav! Beautiful performances.

The emotion behind the life of a bar dancer in India and all the underlying difficulties - the ups and downs are depicted in this movie. The range (1886 - 2000) is narrated in a very effective manner.

The background aalaap, music, songs and all the rendition makes it a perfect movie.

The message her is so true that the audience really gets touched by it. With one of the few bold themes in the history of Bollywood, Chandni Bar stands out just like his other movies.

Be human, watch this and know how it feels to lead of life filled with utter baloney!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO!

For more - bit.ly/TEJAS