Shor in the City

Mumbai is not a mere city. It's a phenomenon. Paragon of diversity. Umpteen movies have explored its idiosyncrasies multitude of times that now any movie on Mumbai, honestly, looks the same. But somehow, I had a positive expectations from 'Shor in the City'.

Babel like concept of showing several loosely connected events happen in parallel, the characters fading in the chaos of the city. Three petty thieves trying to cash in every opportunity, one NRI trying to establish his own business, One struggling cricketer trying to get entry to the big stage. It's not an out-and-out comedy. So expectations to have lots of laughs is going to fall falter. Promising start. Unfortunately, lost me midway because of mundanity. The last 15 minutes was the saving grace for the initial tedium. Overall, a pretty average movie. Could have been so much better. Watchable. Some appreciable performances (the NRI part is good).

Another slick Mumbai stories about a bunch of people trying to make things work in this mad city. The story has five main characters a small time publisher of pirated books, couple of small time thugs, an NRI trying to start a business in India and a young boy trying hard to make his name in corrupt cricket world.

The lives of all the characters intertwine during the course of the plot. Tushar kapoor's acting is just on par at best and so are most actors, including Senthil Ramamurty who plays NRI Abhay in fact seems to be overacting in parts. The surprise element was Pritosh Tripatht playing 'Mandook' he is a revelation very believable in his role of a dumb goon/ sidekick.

The movie has a fresh feel and the song 'Saibo' very melodious. Overall a good attempt by directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.

Instantly liked the movie. Unarguably, one of the better Bollywood movies of the year. I would count "Phans gaya re Obama" and "Shor" as some of the finest products of coming of age Indian cinema.

If I may take the liberty, I perceive "Shor" as a "Dhobi Ghat" (DB) on crack. While DB is very subtle, understated and subdued, "Shor" is pulsating, vibrant, chaotic and tantalizing. Snippets of dark humor here and there, but nothing surmounting to the backdrop of Mumbai. Again, unlike DB the story lines never cross, nor do the characters inter-wine. However, the crisp editing and repeated cuts to cyclical plots make it seem that way. The film essays eleven days worth of events in the lives of three different sets of inhabitants trying to slug it out in Mumbai City leading up to the festival of Ganesha Chaturthi.

Three bootleggers (Tilak, Mandook and Ramesh) live off cheap thrills, carrying out petty crimes, and following up with debauchery in local bars. An expatriate Abhay, relocates to Mumbai to start a business. And an aspiring cricketer, Sawan, looks to make a big name for himself. It is hard to say weather these guys seek out troubles or is it the other way round. Abhay faces local turbulence in the form of street ruffians who demand protection money, and cannot seem to make the city welcoming. He wants to like it, but can't seem to like it. The cricketers' despair is to overcome the extraordinary competition by bribing the officials with money. And Tilak has a plan for future and sees his business expanding if he takes up more responsibilities.

The only common thread which resonates with the" Shor in the city" is the metamorphosis of these inhabitants. Abhay, does he what he has to do; grows out of his mainstream sophistication and grabs the bull by its horns. Sawan, disowns the loot, that he so meticulously plans, for something better than his obsession. Tilak gets a breather and walks out unscathed, as he watches the kid dance to the tune of Ganesha in full glory. Mandook and Ramesh, cannot seem to let go of their tomfoolery, which leads to their predicaments. In doing so, all of them find themselves closer to their hearts and lovers.

The music is quite good. Most of the tracks play when people are running around or riding their bikes. Then there is beautiful depiction of disorder, as the city itself morphs into a loud and tumultuous world. Edgy direction and low-key actors, excluding Tusshar Kapoor, bounce off the screen as every day folks which are very identifiable in sync with the script. Sendhil Ramamoorthy (Abhay) looks radiant and very different from his Mohindar of "Heroes". Shor is a different movie in a very real sense and a very decent watch.

There has indeed been a lot of "shor" throughout 2011. The cacophony of corruption , the noise made by Anna Hazare against it , the cheer of India triumphing at the cricket world cup , the hullaballoo of the royal wedding , the euphoria surrounding Osama's death and not to forget the annoying IPL trumpet.

We are indeed living in noisy times. Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK get it right stating with the title itself.Mumbai in the last few years has ceased to be the dream city conjured up by Bollywood over the years. It has emerged into the city of the Slumdog , of Aamir , of Dhobhi Ghat and now as a noisy ,dirty and eccentric metropolis.

Three stories run parallely during the Ganpati festival. Each story deals with fringe characters desperate to make it into the mainstream. So we have petty criminals , foreign returned Indians and an out of favour cricketer. In Inarritu style they criss-cross each other's lives which culminates into the climax.

Hats off to the directors for the mood they lend to the film. The opening credits run amidst chaotic Mumbai streets where cars narrowly miss you. A sense of claustrophobia persists throughout along with intense , scorching heat. The bustling and crowded outdoors , the narrow dingy lanes , the deserted rooftops hardly give you any breathing space. The viewer is immediately overtaken by a sense of visual noise.

The sudden cuts coupled with edgy music and pedestrian language keeps the narrative tight. Again , hardly any breathing space anywhere. The performances blend into the story. Pitobash as Mandook stands out. Special mention for Tusshar (he's dropped the Kapoor) here for whom its been a long journey from Bore to Shor .

The 'shor' gets heightened as Tilak (Tusshar) who been married for a while now hardly even knows his wife. The story unfolds during the Ganesha festival with his idols dotting the city. But its almost as if God himself has been rendered helpless against the times. Is he just an excuse for another festival? While the ending may remind one of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver , its best left to the viewer to be the judge of it.

This is a film "full of sound and fury" Signifying existence in between -Sushovan Sircar for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

I wasn't expecting much of Krishna D.K. and Raj Nidimoru's 'Shor In The City'. Despite the rave reviews, I was under the impression that this would be another one of those slick-wannabe crime thrillers. I'm glad that I was wrong because the film positively surprised me.

Intertwined stories are becoming quite common in Hindi cinema and I enjoy them when they're told well. Here the link between them isn't significant in the sense that it's not what the story focuses on. The connection is shown smoothly. Each story has its own strength but for me the best one was that of Tilak which was refreshing and it had a wicked sense of humour. The sequence with the child and the bomb and the scenes that follow (concerning the child) still make me laugh. The scenes between Tilak and his wife are also amusing. The Sawan story presents an interesting theme but I felt the romantic angle was a little melodramatic. The Abhay story has a deja vu feel to it but it's well told and engaging.

The cinematography is stunning. It captures the rawness and authenticity of the title city and citylife very well. The background score, sound and art direction are brilliant. The pacing is slightly uneven as it tends to go slow in the middle. The performances of Zakir Hussain, Sendhil Ranamurthy, Tusshar Kapoor, Nikhil Dwivedi, Sundeep Kishan and Pitobash are good too (in the given order). The women hardly get any scope but Radhika Apte is a delight to watch.

The main highlight of 'Shor In The City' is its detailed screenplay which is also co-written by D.K. and Nidimoru (who have done a fantastic job as directors). Overall, 'Shor in the City' has been a pleasant and funny surprise.