Corporate

The movie begins with a subtle note about the corporate world in India and then unfolds itself into the dirty and disgusting games which the men in power play so that they could remain on the top. The performances of all the characters are beautifully done. No-one looks out of place. The main character that stands out is the performance by the leading lady Bipasha and Kaykay. The music is huge let down as there was no need of putting any songs in the movie but they were pushed into situations not required. The movie unfolds a beautiful story which is so close to the real corporate world. Indian cinema requires such kind of movies to made more. Keep up the good work Madhur Bhandarkar...

I saw corporate on DVD one afternoon expecting to fast forward through most of it but I was pleasantly surprised as I hardly touched the remote. (I did use it to get fast forward through the songs though)

The actors were pretty good especially Rajat Kapoor who gave an excellent performance showing all the nuances of his character. Most actors even Shahrukh would have gone overboard playing the corporate leader but not Rajat. The ensemble cast all performed well underplaying their roles which is not usually a Bollywood preference with their larger than life characters. Bipasha, Raj Babbar and the actor playing the politician were quite good.

Songs were not really required, I preferred it when they were in the background.

Although i am sure this movie will not do well at the Box office but I found it intelligent and well made so do watch it.

While most people would go in with extraordinary expectations for Madhur Bhandarkar's follow-up to the National Award winner "Page 3," I decided to leave the expectations at home and watch the film as a stand-alone. Corporate follows the life of Nishigandha Dasgupta(Bipasha Basu) as a fast rising executive caught in a power struggle between two corporate giants.

The film is definitely worth one watch, and sadly worth only that. The Pros of the film include it's boldness and cynical humor. The sets and costumes are well designed and dialogues are crisp. The plot is a good power struggle with everyone trying to come out on top. Showing the fact that one individual can't beat the system is one of Bhandarkar's strengths. Bhandarkar craftily shows how each character manipulates and uses the others to his/her advantage. The helplessness and selfishness of each character is also well scripted.

As far as the acting goes, Bipasha Basu, Rajat Kapoor, Raj Babbar give lukewarm performances, and the underrated Kay Kay Menon outshines all by playing the character of a weak individual to perfection. Other subtle yet praise-worthy performances include that of Lilette Dubey and Harsh Chhaya.

Now the cons: Unfortunately most of who go to watch "Corporate" have already seen "Page 3." therefore, with identical plots of everyone out to stab each other in the back, Corporate is a poor cousin of Page 3. Another instance where Bhandarkar fails is taking liberties with the viewers willful suspension of disbelief. He has over simplified the business/political world to the point that it seems that a handful people are running the economy and the country. Overcasting and incomplete character sketches are also a problem (What Samir Dattani and Minisha Lamba were doing in the film I really wonder: They had all of 10 minutes screen time - combined! and with nothing to add to the plot)

Overall, If you see the film without watching Page 3, and letting go of your reality check, it is a lot more enjoyable. Otherwise exposing the same social evils that "Page 3" did, Corporate beats the same dead horse.

After the exposé on Mumbai's "Page 3" society in a film of the same name,this one veers into the world of business barons and boardroom battles. The movie is based on the philosophy that in business, the ultimate goal is profit. And it does not matter if ethics are completely bypassed to achieve it. People who've seen Page 3 will identify Bhandarkar's signature style, especially the boldness with which he blows the cover off the perverse lifestyles of the rich and powerful. Sleaze is of course there in ample helpings. There are also the "aside" acts involving the lower wrung characters where they make fun of their bosses, as in Page 3.

I saw this movie after many people recommended it, and because it had Rajat Kapoor in it. But, I was quite disappointed!

Actually, it was a desperate attempt to be different, which, according to me, fell rather flat. It was an old story, packaged into an allegedly 'real' corporate world. Simply put, two rival industrialists fight to gain the upper hand in the big (read HUGE), bad (read ROTTEN BEYOND PUTRID) world of business. Everyone has elastic morals, except the ones who lose out at the end. That's it!

In a nutshell: the nice guys stuck to their ideals, but ended up getting screwed. Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn't this been repeated umpteen times already? Was not 'Jaane bhi do Yaaron' a similar tale, but faaaaaaaaaaaar better directed, acted, edited, funnier and an absolute classic? The difference is that we are now in an age where a tragedy is considered good cinema, as long as it is 'realistic'. I won't ask why, but that is how things have come to pass...

The acting was decent - Rajat was great, Raj Babbar was very good, Kay Kay Menon was good, but could have been excellent if he had stayed away from stereotypical expressions, Lilette was, as always, immaculate. But the revelation to me was Harsh Chhaya - he was outstanding in underplaying his emotions! Great job!

Finally, Bipasha Basu... what can one say! I had not seen her in any other movie thus far (thank my lucky stars!). Many told me she was good in this movie. GOOD???? Good God is more like it!!! She had a single expression throughout - whether she was smiling, laughing, crying, scheming, copulating (figuratively and literally) and collapsing. Atrocious!

Also, there are certain actors who were given roles in the movie, and the director simply did not know what to do with them. For example, Lilette Dubey's character suddenly showed a new side, and that was the end of her role! Wtf!

All in all, watch this movie if you were in the same predicament as me - nothing interesting in Blockbuster, you have nothing else to accompany your Sunday evening beer and are in a slightly masochistic mood...