ashdoc
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Spoiler alert !!
Bombay talkies is a film about the power and the hold of cinema on ordinary people's lives . It seems that in the 100th year of it's inception by the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke , Bollywood wants to pat itself in the back for all the soft power it has been able to generate among the country's teeming millions .
Four directors come together to direct four different short films packaged into one , and each tries to show the influence of cinema on ordinary folk in his own style .
Of course , one should not forget that the cinema folks are the most unnecessarily self important folks in the world . They will try to create their self importance where none exists . Not for nothing has Mario Puzo remarked in his landmark novel ' The godfather ' that in places where there real economy works like for example a car factory , the work happens in absolute silence . On the other hand , in a film studio everyone is making a lot of noise to make himself or herself sound important even though the film industry's contribution to the economy is scant.....
This film is certainly another attempt by the film industry to make itself sound as important as possible---in some parts by showing some outrageous scenes seeming to showcase the extent to which cinema influences the commoners....
Take for instance , the part directed by Zoya Akhtar---where a child begins to discover that he is homosexual/transsexual and wants to be like a girl more than a guy . He idolizes Katrina Kaif and wants to dance like her wearing sexy clothes with sexy moves titillating and ensnaring the audience , but with totally feminine gestures . The attempt here is to show how Kats baby can be a powerful influence over young minds . But does it have to end in a grotosque show where this little boy organizes a dance where he gyrates like a woman ( who else but Katrina ! ) in front of a stunned gathering wearing lipstick and openly declares his gayness/transsexuality at such a tender age in such a shocking manner ??
The part directed by Karan Johar is also about ( but naturally ) gay pride---since Karan is a well known homo....
In this case a young gay man unsettles the marriage of a couple ( Rani Mukherjee looking sensational in backless blouses and exceptionally full body along with Ranadeep Hooda ) by wooing the husband and bringing out his gay tendencies . The wooing is done by making a beggar girl sing old romantic Lata Mangeshkar songs thus signalling attraction , thus again showing cinema's influence on people . But does it have to end in open mouth to mouth kissing between Ranadeep and the gay man ( played by Saqib Salim ) ???
I found myself squirming in my seat in embarrassment while seeing this male on male kissing scene as also during the gay stage dance of the small homosexual/transsexual boy . So is the film about the power of films on the population or about the power of homos in the film industry ?? There was no need to show two parts out of four concentrating on gays .
The other two parts are better . One part shows Nawazuddin Siddiquie playing a marathi man living in a chawl where his past dreams of becoming an actor have been ground to dust . One day he gets to play an insignificant role opposite a major star and his dreams are awakened and recharged . He completes the scene by adding his own fine touches to it but goes back without accepting monetary payment to tell his daughter about the experience---doesnt care about the money but about the sheer joy of being a part of the film industry for however brief a moment.....thats the passion , the glamour of celluloid.....
The fourth part pays homage to the big B---the superstar...and also to his superstardom.....
A man travels from Allahabad to Mumbai just to fulfill his father's wishes of making Amitabh taste his homemade moraba---and spends weeks trying to reach out to Bachhan.....
......And when he does manage to do so , it becomes a story to tell to his fellow passengers on the way back again and again---only to evoke the jealousy of someone who shatters his dreams....literally....
Oh , the pain of strugglers and the ultimate disappointment for many---beautifully shown as never before.....
Typically , movie reviewers have flocked to sing praises of the film because it celebrates the film industry---and they consider themselves as part of it.....
Who in his right mind would speak ill of what gives him his daily dose of moolah ??
Well , I dont consider myself as part of the film industry and dont earn any money from it---so I beg to differ.....
I found the film brilliant in parts but overall not so great....
Verdict---Okay .
Bombay talkies is a film about the power and the hold of cinema on ordinary people's lives . It seems that in the 100th year of it's inception by the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke , Bollywood wants to pat itself in the back for all the soft power it has been able to generate among the country's teeming millions .
Four directors come together to direct four different short films packaged into one , and each tries to show the influence of cinema on ordinary folk in his own style .
Of course , one should not forget that the cinema folks are the most unnecessarily self important folks in the world . They will try to create their self importance where none exists . Not for nothing has Mario Puzo remarked in his landmark novel ' The godfather ' that in places where there real economy works like for example a car factory , the work happens in absolute silence . On the other hand , in a film studio everyone is making a lot of noise to make himself or herself sound important even though the film industry's contribution to the economy is scant.....
This film is certainly another attempt by the film industry to make itself sound as important as possible---in some parts by showing some outrageous scenes seeming to showcase the extent to which cinema influences the commoners....
Take for instance , the part directed by Zoya Akhtar---where a child begins to discover that he is homosexual/transsexual and wants to be like a girl more than a guy . He idolizes Katrina Kaif and wants to dance like her wearing sexy clothes with sexy moves titillating and ensnaring the audience , but with totally feminine gestures . The attempt here is to show how Kats baby can be a powerful influence over young minds . But does it have to end in a grotosque show where this little boy organizes a dance where he gyrates like a woman ( who else but Katrina ! ) in front of a stunned gathering wearing lipstick and openly declares his gayness/transsexuality at such a tender age in such a shocking manner ??
The part directed by Karan Johar is also about ( but naturally ) gay pride---since Karan is a well known homo....
In this case a young gay man unsettles the marriage of a couple ( Rani Mukherjee looking sensational in backless blouses and exceptionally full body along with Ranadeep Hooda ) by wooing the husband and bringing out his gay tendencies . The wooing is done by making a beggar girl sing old romantic Lata Mangeshkar songs thus signalling attraction , thus again showing cinema's influence on people . But does it have to end in open mouth to mouth kissing between Ranadeep and the gay man ( played by Saqib Salim ) ???
I found myself squirming in my seat in embarrassment while seeing this male on male kissing scene as also during the gay stage dance of the small homosexual/transsexual boy . So is the film about the power of films on the population or about the power of homos in the film industry ?? There was no need to show two parts out of four concentrating on gays .
The other two parts are better . One part shows Nawazuddin Siddiquie playing a marathi man living in a chawl where his past dreams of becoming an actor have been ground to dust . One day he gets to play an insignificant role opposite a major star and his dreams are awakened and recharged . He completes the scene by adding his own fine touches to it but goes back without accepting monetary payment to tell his daughter about the experience---doesnt care about the money but about the sheer joy of being a part of the film industry for however brief a moment.....thats the passion , the glamour of celluloid.....
The fourth part pays homage to the big B---the superstar...and also to his superstardom.....
A man travels from Allahabad to Mumbai just to fulfill his father's wishes of making Amitabh taste his homemade moraba---and spends weeks trying to reach out to Bachhan.....
......And when he does manage to do so , it becomes a story to tell to his fellow passengers on the way back again and again---only to evoke the jealousy of someone who shatters his dreams....literally....
Oh , the pain of strugglers and the ultimate disappointment for many---beautifully shown as never before.....
Typically , movie reviewers have flocked to sing praises of the film because it celebrates the film industry---and they consider themselves as part of it.....
Who in his right mind would speak ill of what gives him his daily dose of moolah ??
Well , I dont consider myself as part of the film industry and dont earn any money from it---so I beg to differ.....
I found the film brilliant in parts but overall not so great....
Verdict---Okay .
