Bombay Talkies

A conglomerate of four individually directed stories rolled into one , Bombay Talkies exhibits a sharp deviation from the typical mainstream and commercial Bollywood of today.

Getting into the very first one , a 25 minute unusually bold attempt on homosexuality and the subsequent tantrums that follow, is undoubtedly and ironically enough , Karan Johar's best individual direction till date. A 8.5/10 for me.

The second one was an absolute stunner of a direction from Dibakar Banerjee with its very poignancy being augmented by an impeccably brilliant acting from one man Nawazuddin Siddiqui at his versatile best. A straight 9.5/10 for me, if not more.

The reel rolls onto the next half and here we have the third and what we have is a brave, mature, rich-in-content subject with a diluted direction from Zoya Akhtar. With the kind of subject it was, Zoya Akhtar could have made it look equipotent but no, it was not to be. Some unnecessary bits did actually mar the value of the subject. Expected more from an otherwise good direction from Zoya. This one bags a 7.5/10 for me.

Just when you have got that feeling that it was gradually loosing out on the steam, the mastery of Anurag Kashyap storms in with another piece of mind blowing story ,the fourth one in the slot. A typical Kashyap showdown with a subtle flavor of tragedy molded in, the last few minutes of this one as well as the whole movie, sparked a standing ovation from the audience in the end. A terrific acting from Vineet Kumar like his Wasseypur brother Nawazuddin earlier, marked the very essence of the story, only if you are not too critical about mentioning the charismatic presence of Amitabh Bacchan. A rating of 9.5/10 will somewhat, still seem a tad bit less for this piece of story.

And after "THE END" was shown, when actually it was not, and just when you feel you have had enough for the ticket you paid, you gotta sit back, only to see that Bollywood being revisited from the vintage past and present alike to mark its 100 years. On a confessing note, it was still not required and even if it was it should have been précised out to clamp on to the mood the movie had set. Some unnecessary sparkle-in-the-light stuff did partly dampen the mood in the end.

artistic...brilliant...honest...relevant....cinema... Bombay Talkies!! Karan Johar takes up a difficult topic and treatment of the topic and the characters and the scenarios, is all very, lets say, un-karan johar like....refreshingly artistic....the story lacks a closure, but you get to see a very very capable director in the short story!! Dibakar banerjee picks up a good short story, and an outstanding actor in Nawaz, to create his share of magic...Nawaz has again showed why he is easily among the greatest actors ever, anywhere, when it comes to displaying pain on screen...and,if you have ever done theater, you will be tempted to get up and salute this part...

Zoya Akhtar picks up a Katrina Kaif item number out of the forgettable Tees Maar Khan, and still creates a brilliant story out of it...the treatment, like all the other parts, is extremely realistic...and performances, like all parts, brilliant!! After the above brilliant sequences, excellently made, and brilliantly acted, which would make you clap, on several occasions...and smile...and cry..comes up the sequence by Anurag Kashyap....and what better way to prove, that he truly is the king among the film makers today!! The final story, has Anurag Kashyap, at even his best...and you have a relatively unknown face (guy who played Nawaz's brother in GOW), giving an outstanding performance...this part is beyond brilliance...a simple story told and depicted in a masterful manner...its so good that at times, that you may laugh and cry at the same time (actually!) fitting tribute....thank you to the team....respect for Hindi Cinema...respect for Bombay Talkies!!

"I don't think that writers or painters or filmmakers function because they have something they particularly want to say. They have something that they feel. And they like the art form; they like words, or the smell of paint, or celluloid and photographic images and working with actors. I don't think that any genuine artist has ever been oriented by some didactic point of view, even if he thought he was." – Stanley Kubrick

Much like the American or Italian movie industry, who made movies such as 'Hugo' or 'Nuovo Cinema Paradiso', which celebrates the art of movie making; Bollywood has its 'Bombay Talkies'

Celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema which was born in1913, we have four directors narrating four short stories in this movie. The stories though being each of a different flavor, has one common theme –how the life of the common man is percolated through movies. A similar themed movie was released few years back, Dev Bengal's 'Road, Movie' also explored the same arena; however, it's best not to compare these two movies at this juncture.

The film opens with Karan Johar's segment. The story explores the hypocrisy and insincerity surrounding homosexuality. The segment delivers itself so perfectly, that one at times wonders that if Karan Johar has wasted himself in cheap commercial ventures for so many years. This is possibly Johar's most serious piece of movie making so far. The metaphorical usage of old songs such as Ajeeb Dastan and Lag Ja Gale, accompanied by sharp witted dialogs makes it a compelling watch. Also, this is the segment where Urban Mumbai is captured very beautifully.

Dibakar Bannerjee's segment is arguably the best segment of the movie. Inspired from Satyajit Roy's 'Potolbabu Film Star', the story revolves around a man from lower middle class, a struggling actor trying very hard to make ends meet, suddenly landing up with a role in a movie. The protagonist portrayed by Nawazuddin Siddique, is one of the most layered characters that one would get to see in Bollywood ventures. Siddique has proved his worth time and again, but this time it is his absolute best. Also, Bannerjee's adaptation of a kid's story and changing the backdrop from the somber Kolkata to the rustic Mumbai is greatly commendable. The final scenes of the story, shows Siddique's profundity as an actor. It also proves that the duo of Dibakar and Nawaz is deadly on screen. Sincerely, hope that they make more movies together.

Zoya Akhtar's story is about a child protecting his dream and the parent's urge to follow conventionalism. Child actor Naman Jain shines a light and so does Ranvir Shorey as a disciplinarian father. The final scenes would remind some of the Hollywood flick 'Little Miss Sunshine' at times. Nonetheless, the story remains very original.

The last story by Anurag Kashyap is about a small towner's journey to Mumbai to meet the legendary Amitabh Bachchan to make him taste a half of 'murabba' as a part of his ailing father's wish. Anurag Kashyap who is usually known to think out of the box, dark gritty storytelling and using vivid imagery, surprises with a story that is so hopelessly positive. The movie is not only about the manic cine fans but also about a lesson learnt in life – of the need of drama in our lives and of the guts to fulfill one's desires. The story resembles the Tom Hanks starrer 'The Terminal' at times but is awfully delightful and makes one hug himself with joy. The performance by Veneet Kumar is top notch.

Bombay Talkies not only marks the 100 years of Indian Cinema, it also marks the coming of age of bollywood. For an industry which have only a handful of directors focusing on art house cinema so far – that too mostly on independent banners; this movie is surely a benchmark which prods a truly ensemble cast and a tout ensemble directors that earmarks this industry into manhood.

My Rating : 7/10

Not often does Bollywood make something out of the ordinary. No song and dance routine here. Here we have four short segments directed by four well-known directors.

All four stories will appeal to a different audience and perhaps might even offend some for their respective themes explored.

Not your commercial, mainstream entertainment. Niche, subtle filmmaking it is.

'Bombay Talkies' celebrates Indian Cinema, which turned 100 this year. Its a celebration of films & its influence in the world.

An Anthology film consisting of four short films, directed by Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar & Karan Johar, 'Bombay Talkies' entertains & pays tribute to magic of the Silver-Screen.

Karan Johar's Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh tells the story of a condemned homosexual boy who exposes his friend's husband's sexuality to her, only to end her turbulent marriage. Johar delivers a heartbreakingly emotional story of frustration & love. He directs it unabashedly & the performances by Rani Mukerji, Randeep Hooda & Saqib Saleem, are remarkable.

Dibakar Banerjee's 'Star', an adaptation of Satyajit Ray's short story "Patol Babu, Film Star", tells the story of a failed actor who gets the opportunity to act as junior artist, thus living his life-long dream. Banerjee executes this sensitive story with tenderness & care. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is terrific in the lead-role, while Sadashiv Amrapurkar is delightful.

Zoya Akhar's Sheila Ki Jawaani tells the story of a little boy who dreams to become a dancer after he sees Katrina Kaif sizzling on the big-screen. Akhtar's Direction is perfect, but the Writing is loose. It doesn't register the impact one expects from it. However, the performances by Naman Jain & Ranvir Shorey are credible.

Anurag Kashyap's Murabba celebrates the euphoria of Amitabh Bachchan. A dying father asks his son to travel to the city of dreams just to let the film-legend have a bite of a home-made Murabba. Kashyap's treatment is highly entertaining. Vineet Kumar Singh delivers a natural performance, but its Sudhir Pandey who is simply astonishing. Bachchan himself makes a flattering appearance in this story.

On the whole, 'Bombay Talkies' may not be perfect, but its an experience worth watching.