Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Satyadeep Mishra, Kay Kay Menon, Vivaan Shah, Manish Chaudhari
Directed by: Anurag Kashyap
Produced by: Fox Star Studios, Vikas Bahl & Vikramaditya Motwane
Written by: Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash, Vasan Bala, S Thanikachalam
Music: Amit Trivedi
Cinematography: Rajeev Ravi
Edited By: Prerna Saigal, Thelma Schoonmaker
In a scene from Bombay Velvet', Karan Johar (as the elitist power broker Kaizad Khambatta) steps out of a meeting with Ranbir Kapoor (as Johnny Balraj) & Satyadeep Mishra (as Chiman Chopra), laughs his heart out at his protg's poor English. In a nutshell, it neatly captures the film's spirit; the powerful elite don't believe in sharing their glory with unpolished upstarts. Bombay Velvet', a love story set in the backdrop of destructive ambition, rides on this conflict. Although, not at all points is its vision neatly conveyed.
Bombay Velvet' is the story of Johnny Balraj & his childhood buddy, Chiman Chopra who casually commits petty crime to make ends meet. Both escape the Partition for a tough life on the streets. A chance encounter with the glib, ambitious power broker and tabloid owner Kaizad Khambatta gives their lives a dicey but promising direction. They become suited, booted musclemen who run a club; a nest of (legally) forbidden pleasures & power broking for the city's elite.
Here, in this seductive and sophisticated Bombay Velvet', Jazz singer Rosie Noronha (Anushka Sharma) is main attraction. She is implanted by a rival newspaper baron, Jimmy Mistry (Manish Chaudhari). As crime festers under velvetine table covers & swirls of prohibited liquor, the police catch up; Honest, hatted cop Vishwas Kulkarni(Kay Kay Menon) enters the mix, wearing nonchalant amusement as his armor.
At the center of it all is the passionate love story of Rosie & Johnny; they say little but love dangerously. Johnny numbs his painful past by boxing bare knuckle; Rosie risks everything by choosing love over all else. And Khambatta, who has had to fight ugly to recover his family fortunes, doesn't like this. When Johnny finally demands a seat on the high table, Khambatta mocks him and turns.
The heart of Bombay Velvet' beats sinuously; but the plot's backdrop is somewhat muddled. Power broking is over reclaimed South Bombay land. That leads to tussle between Communist sponsored mill workers & their owners.
Khambatta connives to get land deals and Johnny provides the muscle. Jimmy Mistry counters this. Their respective newspapers compete in printing dirty linen. Amidst all this, there are some negatives of photos. While the plot twists, turns & swerves sufficiently in it's first half, in the second half, it's emotions and argument become tepid. Honestly, all that whiskey drinking onscreen (even during the day) gave me a slightly woozy feeling.
Having said that, Bombay Velvet' is a huge achievement for its maker & his team. It's scale, scope & grandeur is alluring and visually stunning. From docklands to mill lands to the red light district of Falklands Road, Bombay has been revisited masterfully. Jazz, as it flows in and out of the film's narrative, is it's subtle intoxication; and its editors that visuals, background score & narrative seamlessly come together. Much after the film wraps up, you unconsciously hum its music. So far, the songs featuring Rosie Noronha have been promoted on television. It's the song by Papon and another one by Mohit Chauhan that stay with you the longest; for their timing and melody.
While its story is it's biggest star, the film is equally a testimonial to brilliant performances. Ranbir Kapoor is effortless & powerful, boiling over with anger convincingly. Anushka Sharma doesn't say much in this film, but her silences convey her helpless fate subtly. Their love story could honestly have been given some more time to flourish. It is raw, unseasoned & quite real in its crazed texture. Kay Kay Menon, with a meaningful smirk, convinces you of his acting prowess again. Satyadeep Mishra is a find in this film; he smolders onscreen with emotive eyes. And then there's Karan Johar; as a scheming, greedy & posh power broker, Johar is convincing and natural. Again, Khambatta could have spoken a bit more & stayed on longer in the film; the menace he dishes out is at the crux of this celluloid haves and have nots' struggle.
As the plot meanders away at some points, high impact visual sequences (the one with the tommy guns etc) feature as reminisces of Scorcese & Coen Brothers' classics. They don't fit in entirely in this Indian retro tale; but look beautiful.
Anurag Kashyap proves his mettle with brave forays in historical fact & filmy glamour. Does beauty make up for flaws in the purely commercial format? Perhaps, it does. Seeing Raveena Tandon singing in elaborate costume definitely tilts the debate in favor of beauty here.
Bombay Velvet' is a definite watch for fans of love stories, high voltage drama, retro flicks & RK- Anushka. Watch it for a solid dose of retro romance, glamour & past glory.
Ticket Price Value:80 Percent
hat is the story?
Street fighter Johnny Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) dreams of becoming a big shot, to achieve this ambition Kaizaad Khambatta (Karan Johar) helps him. Rosie (Anushka Sharma) is a jazz singer who is wooed by Johnny. Soon Johnny realises that he is just a trump card for Khambatta, and other big entrepreneurs are using him for their big projects in the city. So what will Johnny do now? Watch Bombay Velvet to know it all.
What works for the movie?
Anurag Kashyap undoubtedly is one of the finest directors Bollywood has and the manner in which he shifts gears swiftly; no doubt he is conquering Indian cinema.
Through Bombay Velvet, he transports you to the bygone era of 1950's and 60's that is encapsulated with great finesse.
It's a gripping tale, courtesy to the detailing in costume, set design, makeup, the body language, the language and of course, the jazz. It's not just a love story neither is just about the lust for power and supremacy. It's about Mumbai, (then called Bombay) that saw itself transforming into a metropolitan marred by greedy collusion between governments and corporate.
Stars - Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Kay Kay Menon
Director- Anurag Kashyap
Music- Amit Trivedi
The greed here has overpowered the vision while people's needs are used as an excuse to grab land or to build structures. Kashyap, known for giving intricate details about whatever he gets his hand on once again excels in it.
Not for a second, you will realise that it's Sri Lanka where most of the film is outlined and shot. It's sheer art and is intoxicating.
What makes the lightings and the other settings more erotic is the chemistry between Ranbir and Anushka.
The couple comes as a breath of fresh air in the flick. Their love is passionate while their hatred too intense.
Ranbir Kapoor shows traits of his great grand father Raj Kapoor, but that is just for them who wants to make any resemblance out of him. Ranbir is just himself. He accelerates the character of Balraj with his extraordinary act that would be cherished by the audience for sure.
Anushka Sharma as a jazz singer is lovable. She is every man's dream lady and she indeed manages to prove that beautifully.
The surprise package of the star cast of Bombay Velvet is Karan Johar. As Khambatha, Johar makes an extraordinary acting debut. More than his dialogues, it's his expression that leaves us awe-struck.
Satyadeep Mishra as Balraj's friend too leaves a mark.
What spoils the mood?
It's sad that the entire aura of classified sets and brilliant performances are brought down by its weak narration, while the screenplay and dialogues are too cliche. Anurag in his Gang of Wasseypur narrated the story that travelled post India's Independence to the current timeline without creating any stereotypes in the movie. Here, his characters and even sequences are more inspired from the 70's film arena. Also there are many loose threads, which remain untied till the end.
Final Verdict-
Depsite these few flaws, Bombay Velvet can be watched for Ranbir-Anushka's sizzling chemistry amidst drastically transforming Bombay into Mumbai. Also be ready for Karan Johar's surprise act.
http://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/bombay-velvet-movie-review-21895.html
Such A Great Movie #BombayVelvet ..Excellent Work Dear @karanjohar ,,,@AnushkaSharma ,,,#RanbirKapoor And @TheVivaanShah ..
ps: I am just fishing..