Director: Anurag Kashyap
Run Time: 149minutes
Stars: 3 stars
(Disclaimer: The film’s review has been written by the reviewer after watching the film. This review is not aimed to hurt any individual or sentiments. We request that you judge the movie better, after watching it yourself.)
Synopsis: Bombay Velvet is an adaptation from the novel Bombay Fables about the glamorous world of the city of Mumbai, when it was called Bombay in the early 50’s. Johnny Balraj (played brilliantly by Ranbir Kapoor) hits the street when he is a little boy and since then he learns that there is no straight way to success or become rich. He becomes a street fighter and on the other hand, little girl Rosie (played by Anushka Sharma) is lured in to the big bad glamour world of bars and nightclubs of the rising city of Bombay. She is trapped in a scandal and since then she is one of the most popular singers in a seedy bar or the other. Ranbir as the cold hearted Johnny is brash and totally in love with this singer, Rosie, as he spots her singing in a bar and then begins their tumultuous relationship. She joins Bombay Velvet club where Johnny is the manager and this is where all the nefarious dealings, debauchery and betrayal begins. But then this love story is not what you expect from Anurag Kashyap and here is where Johnny gets to meet the sly villainy Kiazad Khambatta played by Karan Johar. A plot of mixed characters, twisted intentions and betrayal follows and that is when Johnny slowly transforms himself from a street-smart fighter to a person who is simply ambitious to a vengeance seeking young man. Music by Amit Trivedi is mediocre except for the chartbuster Fifi.
Performance: Ranbir Kapoor as Johnny Balraj is once again at his best elements and we are now certain that whatever was expected of him from the script, he delivered and that too with great dexterity. Anushka as Rosie was a silent victim of the criminal side of Bombay as a Jazz singer, who falls madly in love with Johnny. Karan Johar is good in certain frames and even convincing too but at certain places he fails to deliver. Chiman (Satyadeep Mishra) is his sidekick who does brilliantly and so does Kay Kay Menon as a police man.
Analysis: The movie Bombay Velvet was probably one of the most awaited films this year for two reasons- One, that it was a film by Gangs of Wasseypur director- Anurag Kashyap and two- it was going to be about the underworld of Bombay back in 50’s and will have heart throb, Ranbir Kapoor in it. But when the trailer was released, it received several negative comments too but the lead actors and the director said that they had wanted this reaction from the audience. Of course, it takes a lot of guts from the director to do something so drastic and dramatic, but yes, you have to remember that the director is none other than Anurag Kashyap and yes, we have to admit that treatment wise, technically and from editing point of view, Bombay Velvet is one for new age production designers to look out for and learn the finer nuances. But that’s that. Story-wise the plot till the interval is interspersed with many characters who come in and out of the scenes, even before you begin to grasp. But slowly, post interval, you lose yourself in the convoluted plot and then mindless firing and killings. The scene where Johnny enters the hotel with tommy guns is truly a remarkable scene but then due to a lackluster story line, even that fails to really grip you or make you sit on the edge of your seat
Summary
If you are an ardent Kashyap fan, then Bombay
Velvet is not for you. Watch the movie just if you are a) Ranbir Kapoor
fan, b) Anushka Sharma Fan c) wish to see how Bombay was in 1950’s
before any of the colossal buildings were even built.
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