Bombay Talkies

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

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.

"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.

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.

'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.