"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.
