Bombay Talkies Review

This is in celebration of the phenomenon called Bombay Talkies. When the quadruplet stories are told and done, an assembly of stars from Saigal to Shahid, Devika Rani to Deepika make an appearance to salute the idea of our cinema. Hopefully we will refer to this space herewards as Bombay Talkies instead of Bollywood. The exercise salutes dreams and the preparedness to chase it, nurture it, believe in it.
Each of the four reputed filmmakers bring their style and approach and in retrospect you notice the thin dividing line between the ‘big’ and the ‘classy’ will stand. Karan Johar apart, the films uniformly deal with aspirations. It is about cinema: making dreams, selling dreams, chasing dreams. In different postures they make clear that those who play safe, will not get the pot of gold. If you do not reach out to the rainbow, the pot of gold is far away!! And in the final story we are told that you don’t have to necessarily share it with the big bad world.
Each film spreads over about 25 minutes so the length of the film is its first advantage and the filmmakers all of whom have made long films have a short film sensitivity clearly defined and executed. The story lines are clear, the detailing near perfect, the casting researched and well founded and the drama just right. To an audience that rushes to enjoy a Shootout or a Dirty Picture and stay back to appreciate them, this sensitive exercise comes as a whiff of fresh air.
Karan’s story about an unabashed gay guy Avinash (Saqib Saleem) who walks into the high voltage life of Gayatri (Rani Mukherjee) and Dev (Randeep Hooda). This part is thematically very different from the rest of the show and pleasantly Karan Johar keeps away from the larger than life characters and deals with the concept alternate sexual preference with a hitherto unmatched sensitivity. Rani gives it the glamour quotient and Saqib the energy. Hooda is rightly lost and gazing.
Dibaker Banerjee details the life of an ordinary man who has failed in life but still aspires to be a star. Purandhar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is the fulcrum of this narration. The guy who never dares and thus fails to achieve. Finally he keeps his dream going and symbolically stays to tell his story – albeit exaggerated but filled with hope. This section is one filled with detail and some brilliant performances from Nawazuddin and in a very special role Sadashiv Amrapurkar.
Zoya Akthar tells the story of a little boy (Naman Jain) and his sibling (Khushi Dubey) who is a prey to whims of their father (Ranveer Shorey). While the little boy wants to be a dancer and adores Sheila ki Jawani and Katrina Kaif, the dad imposes his idea of physical fitness and importance of training in football. The sibling share their disappointments and conspire successfully against the adult world. Mature children dealing with childish adults.
The final story is literally of a guy daring to walk the talk. Dad (Sudhir Pandey) is old and dying. He recalls how his dad’s death wish was that he offer honey to Dilip Kumar and now he wants a similar wish fulfilled: Murabha to Big B. His son Vijay (Vineet Kumar Singh) sets off from Allahabad to Mumbai and strongly believes that he can meet up with the celebrity pierce through the fortress and fulfil the dream of his dying father. Naïve, innocent but achievable. This segment has a O Henry feel and twist. It introduces a bitterness that is overcome with fortitude and reiterates the main message of faith in your dreams and goals.
This is a fitting tribute The sincerity, warmth and the subdued hues make it special. Small is beautiful, subtle is class. We who complain of formula cinema must encourage this exercise in innovation. L. Ravichander.