Shor in the City

"When the noise is deafening, can you really hear yourself?"

(If you can't hear it, you're OBVIOUSLY dead)

The whole movie is about a chaotic scenario that occurs during the Ganapathi Mahotsav in Mumbai. It's told in a multi linear narrative as there are mainly 3 stories happening the same time… But no attempt is made to forcefully intertwine the stories and that's one interesting and distinct aspect of the film.

All the characters are very well tailored… Undoubtedly Tusshar's best movie till date… But the actor who dazzles here is Pitobash Tripathy as the eccentric small-time goon Mandook, who steals every scene he's in… He is the epicenter of most of the chaos and his role is just a masterpiece…

It's surprising and disturbing and has a vein of rich, dark humor coursing through it. After the unforgettable comedy '99', directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK continue their great job with Shor. The script is crisp, tight and spattered with some smart, funny one-liners and is consistent till the end. There are many occasions to laugh out loudly especially the time bomb sequence. The movie also boasts a rivetingly smart climax.

In short, Shor in the City is a total buzz on!

And one note: Do wait till the end credits finish rolling... The surprises don't end with the film...

The movie is a cock-tale of three stories simultaneously taking place in Mumbai within the span of 11 days of Ganesh Chaturthi. The narration consists of three different class and tastes having different background struggling in one or the other way to get a place in the heart of India.

Let me mention one name first of all, Pitobash Tripathy. I remember him right from the 3 Idiots. I knew the man has got the talent and he has accorded himself very well in the character. He brings in the gags in each and every scene he is featured.

The film has got one of the strongest end credits and all thanks to the brilliant scene in the end credit.

Rensil has a descent debut and is same with Preeti Desai.

Stories,though simple, are well narrated. Screenplay is engaging.Writing team comprising Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K., Sita Menon has done a good job.

Editing is good.The track fails to show the third story connecting with the other two in the end. Tusshaar Kapoor's track could have been chopped a little.

Music is unconventional.All songs are used in the background score which boosts the movie in a positive way.

In the end, this "Shor" is a must watch!

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.

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

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).