Bombay Talkies

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.

First off - This movie is not for everyone. Walking out of the hall, I could overhear conversations along the line of, "I thought this was supposed to be good?"

In short, if you like movies from directors such as Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Dibankar Banerjee and the likes - you will love this film. If you are into mainstream bollywood, you will hate it.

Also, although the movie is rated U/A, I would strongly advise you not to take your kids along. The first line of the movie is "I am gay, not a eunuch!". This was enough for the people with kids to stand up and leave. And anyway, this is not a movie for kids.

Coming to the four films, #1 Karan Johar - Trash. Most of the reviews I read seemed to like Karan Johar's film, but I really didn't see the point. The film had little to do with Indian Cinema. People seem impressed with the fact that it's bold. It was bold, but forcefully so. As if Johar was trying very hard to be mature. The result was that the film seemed unrealistic and over the top with sexual references and jokes.

#2 Dibakar Bannerjee - My Favorite. A failed actor (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who gets roped in to a movie shoot. Beautifully done, and Siddiqui was brilliant as always. You feel emotionally attached to the character. I teared up. I am willing to watch this one over and over again.

#3 Zoya Akhtar - Cute. A little boy who wants to be Sheila from 'Sheila ki Jawaani'. Nicely portrayed. The direction seemed novice though.

#4 Anurag Kashyap - Oh! the irony. This one depended more on the storyline than on the screenplay like the others. I had high expectations from Kashyap and he did not fail me. It's a brilliant story and you will find yourself rooting for the character as he tries hard to meet Amitabh Bachchan.

Overall, this is my opinion,

The Best - Dibakar Bannerjee Also good - Anurag Kashyap OK - Karan Johar Not too great - Zoya Akhtar.

What a wonderful act is that four talented directors come together with some of the great new-age actors to create an amalgamated cinema worth watching. But, is it the much-needed ode to Bollywood? Hands down, No!

Karan Johar starts off with a very bold story having marvelous performances by the lead actors. Great direction, dialogues & the elemental conviction is absolutely fantastic. The conclusion troubled me maybe due to incompletion but that's expected. And yes, it immortalizes homosexuality, 50 Shades of Grey & sex. 7.2/10!

Dibakar Banerjee teams up with the Siddiqui but fails to evince character depth & the real matter. Although, the emotive stance is appreciable, the momentum which is required to stand up in a movie of so much importance is low. Sadashiv Amrapurkar was good. 5.7/10!

Zoya Akhtar brings sweetness to the anthology with brilliant acting by child artistes. Although, the climax is a bit stale & illogical (so much crowd attraction for 2 kids), I liked the love, bonding, chasing-the- dream thingy & iotic traces of child-abuse involved in it. 6.3/10!

Anurag Kashyap's is the cynosure with a story so sharp & related (to native India), it makes a great ending story worth watching. Amitabh Bachchan's presence, the placebo effect-story, palpable plot & the lead character's expressions make it the best short. Great music. Splendid. 8.5/10!

Overall, a good show put up by the thespians & succeeds in marking a new wave of cinema making, but I really think all work was done hastily with the stories requiring little polishing & improvisation. Could have been better!

BOTTOM LINE: A good movie & can be considered one of 2013's few best! Recommended!

MESSAGE: Respect the LGBT community & understand that relationships is more than physical; make a person happy everyday; follow you dream surreptitiously; be with your parents when they need you & make their wish true.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity: Mild | Sex: Strong (No visuals) | Nudity: No | Violence: Strong | Gore: Very Mild | Alcohol: Mild | Smoking: No | Drugs: No

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!!

This rating is only for the last part... Anurag kashyap.