Shor in the City

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

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.

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.

"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...

Shor in the Cit directed by Krishna D.K and Raj Nididmoru is an excellent movie.

With a captivating story,strong performances,stylish narrative, water-tight screenplay makes Shor In The City a must watch!

Story:

Chapter 1: A n NRI Abhay (Snedhil Ramamurthy) faces threats from extortionist (Zakir Hussain) when he opens a small business and goes out with an aspiring model. He refuses to pay, both are stalked, and when he complains to the police, they not only shrug it off but offer 'protection' for a price. With increasing pressure, he must now make a decision to re-locate or submit to their demands.

Chapter 2:

Tilak (Tusshar) and his friends,Ramesh (Nikhil Dwivedi) and Mandook (Pitobash) are career criminals, and sell merchandise that they steal from passengers using public transportation. He also buys best-selling novels, has copies printed, and has them sold at busy traffic signals. Things change when his group find guns and an explosive device in a stolen bag.

Chapter 3:

Sawan Murthy (Sundeep Kishan) wants to be a cricketer and must come up with Rs.10 Lakhs in order to be inducted in the 20/20 team. He has no money, nobody will lend him any, and he considers robbing the Citizen's Co-operative Bank. Just some of the challenges faced by regular Mumbaites and criminals in this crime-laden city.

Each and every chapter has a vibrant story.

The director duo do a marvelous job.

The screenplay is water-tight.

The dialogs are excellent. .Especially the ones delivered by Pitobash.

Performances:

Chapter 1:

Sendhil Ramammurthy delivers a fine performance while Zakir Hussain is menacing as the extortionist.

Chapter 2:

Tusshar Kapoor stands out.Pitobash does a fantastic job.Nikhil Dwivedi is subtle.

Chapter 3:

Sundeep Kishan is good.

All in all,Shor in the City is a movie with power-packed performances,enthralling story and water-tight screenplay.I am going to give a seven on ten.