Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Kay Kay Menon
Music: Amit Trivedi
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Watch Bombay Velvet’s Movie Review:
Director Anurag Kashyap conjures up a delicious slice of the Mumbai of yore. We sit captivated from the very first frame hypnotised by the flickering sepia-toned images of trams chugging and an unadulterated skyline.
Loosely based on Gyan Prakash’s book Mumbai Fables, it’s a world where the typewriter spells out BOMBAY on a pale white sheet of paper with an avuncular familiarity. Bombay Velvet sucks us in.
It’s 2 years after Independence we are told, the year of the Bombay Prohibition Act of 1949. Goa is still under Portuguese control and the newspaper headline screams “Godse will hang”. A young bright-eyed boy grows up into a handsome Johnny Balraj, who when not cavorting around bars finds his true métier in roughing up opponents double his size in bloody street fights. There is also a sweet-faced little girl with a mellifluous voice singing at a church choir who transforms into a wide eyed beauty Rosie.
Watch Bombay Velvet’s Official Trailer:
The story of a virgin city runs parallel to that of the central characters. The epic crime thriller, The Roaring Twenties makes a brief appearance in the movie and a lasting impact on the impressionable Balraj. “He was a big shot,” reminisces Priscilla Lane cradling James Cagney in her arms.
It’s this desire to take a shot at being someone big and influential that becomes the mainstay of the film. Balraj wants to make big money, Rosie aspires to be a famous singer and the city is ready to reclaim its share even from the sea. The pace of the story and its performances keep us engrossed.
A curly-haired Ranbir Kapoor plays the street-smart Balraj with an endearing vulnerability. Anushka Sharma crooning away on stage in wondrous outfits melts into her character. Together, Ranbir and Anushka are delightful - their propinquity setting the screen ablaze.
Karan Johar makes his acting debut as a mustached villain Khambata, who evokes some chuckles and a couple of full-throated laughs, at times unintended. Manish Chaudhary, K K Menon and Satyadeep Misra, as Balraj’s childhood friend Chimman, ensure that the “velvet” in Bombay Velvet definitely belongs to the first half. The Scorcese touch is unmistakable, thanks to top notch editing by Thelma Schoonmaker.
Set against the backdrop of some intoxicating Jazz music by Amit Trivedi and the lilting voice of Niti Mohan for company we are firmly ensconced in the beauteous Bombay of the 60’s.
They say “all’s well that ends well”. Sadly it doesn’t end well for Bombay Velvet. The sharp nosedive post-interval is a pity particularly since the brilliant build up pre-interval deserved a much better denouement. The narrative flounders; the direction falters and the film loses steam with each passing frame. Somewhere close to the end a harassed looking K K Menon playing Inspector Kulkarni chucks away his cap in disgust as the music rises to a crescendo. This basically sums up the dejection we feel. A faux climax, coupled with a blurry and clichéd narrative brings this 150-minute film to a grinding halt.
The end seems contrived, even silly, diminishing to a large extent the aura of an otherwise charming film. It falls short of being the masterpiece it had set out to be, but you still must go watch it.
I’m going with a very generous 3 QUINTS out of 5. For the love of a beautiful Bombay that beckons us all, it deserves to be seen at least once on the big screen.
Rating: 3 Quints
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