Chandni Bar

Thanks to the plethora of movie and music channels, the 'non-commercial' movies of today get enough and sometimes, extra publicity. Hyderabad Blues gave some distributors the confidence to venture out with such movies.

As is obvious from the title of the movie and from the promos on TV channels, the story revolves around the central character, Mumtaz, and her life and times as a "beer-bar" dancer. Rather than just narrating one particular story, the movie tries to document the misery in the lives of such people.

Hats off to Madhur Bhandarkar for boldly doing a movie the way he wanted to do it. The movie hits you on your face even more than Satya (to which it has drawn comparisons), primarily because of the absence of commercial elements (including songs). The movie is raw yet clean.

But the other half of the credit should go to Tabu, who stakes her claim for a second National Award, with a sensitive portrayal. The only problem is that she tends to maintain a kind of laziness in all her roles. The other actors are adequate and play characters which move in and out of Mumtaz's life. Raju Singh's background score is a good supplement to the movie, though it sounds eerie at times.

This movie is strictly not for entertainment. Just go out and get the satisfaction of watching a good movie.

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

A riveting, extremely well-acted movie. Also, one of the most depressing I've ever seen. If you're looking for upbeat Bollywood fare, go elsewhere. This is an excellent film, but the main character is put through the ringer time and again, and the story takes you with her.

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.

In the land of Bollywood, where movies are purely escapist fantasies of love everlasting, here is one film that isn't afraid to be realistic. Chandni Bar tells of the plight of young girl from a small town, who goes to sin city Mumbai where she works as a bar dancer to make both ends meet. There are several scenes in this movie which shine with brilliance, and Tabu shines in her role. The rest of the supporting cast also give expert performances, but particular mention must be given to Ananya Khare, whose portrayal of bar dancer Deepa steals the limelight from Tabu whenever both of them are in a scene together. Atul Kulkarni also gives a great performance as Tabu's criminal husband Potya Sawant. The film has a very realistic look in its portrayal of the gritty back alleys of Mumbai.

If you are in the mood for pure escapist fantasy, go watch Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. But once you get sick of the sugary sweet concotions Bollywood has to offer, give Chandni Bar a try. It's deliciously bitter!