Film review of Bombay Talkies.

An Anthology film,also called as a "Package Film",is generally defined as a film that comprises of four to five short films/stories.In some cases,the different stories are shown to be related to each other through a turn of events,which does not happen in some other cases.Sometimes,it even happens so,that the different films are directed by different directors.This in short,can be regarded as the main idea/concept of an anthology film.

Paying tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema,"Bombay Talkies" is an anthology film comprising of four short films,unrelated to each other,each being directed by one among,the four most promising directors of  bollywood- Anurag Kashyap,Dibakar Banerjee,Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar. The four short stories intend to focus on how the lives on common people of all classes and stages of society,are affected by the impact of cinema,and in a way showcases the power of films.

Getting into the review:

Trailer - The trailer of the movie,released almost 3 weeks before the release of the movie,was very well received by the audience.It gave a feel of something different and unique,that is going to be implemented in the movie.The trailer seemed to be the ideal one,for attracting audience to cinema halls,by portraying an environment of dynamic uniqueness.So,for the review of this movie,the trailer needs to be mentioned as a special point.

However,much unlike the trailer,the movie was not so well received by the audience.The pace seems to be too slow,and the interest of the movie also gets lost somewhere in between.

Poster -                                              

                                                             

The poster as shown above,clearly signifies the fact of this movie,being an anthology film.The poster shows four stories running parallel to each other,each being different and unrelated to the other three.The poster therefore according to me,is up to the mark and somehow establishes it's purpose.

Story Line - The story line follows a sequential order with four short stories running parallel to each other, but shown one after the other.The film begins with the story "Ajeeb Dastaan Hain Yeh",directed by Karan Johar,which focuses on the life of a mismatched couple,Gayatri(Rani Mukerji) and Dev(Randeep Hooda).

The twist in the story comes in form of a young guy named Avinash(Saqib Saleem),who is gay and works under Gayatri. Slowly,Avinash and Dev come closer to each other,bond well and develop feelings for each other,thus revealing,that Dev is also gay.When Gayatri comes to know of this,she banishes Dev from home,setting herself free and realizing the reason for their failed marriage.The story ends in a symbolic way,showing Dev pennyless,roaming on streets,while Gayatri applying make up before the mirror,testifying that she has moved on.A girl child,who begs on the streets singing the song "Ajeeb dastaan hain yeh",in between and during the story,deserves special mention.

The second story,named "Star",directed by Dibakar Banerjee,displays the life of a failed actor(Nawazuddin Siddiqui),who finally stumbles upon a chance to prove himself to the world and more importantly to his daughter.It is inspired from the story"Patol babu-Film star",written by legendary personality,Satyajit Ray.

The third story "Sheila Ki Jawaani",directed by Zoya Akhtar,shows the life of a boy,who after seeing Katrina Kaif dance to the track"Shiela Ki Jawaani,decides to be what he wishes,breaking the norms and rules made by society and even goes against his parents.

The last story "Murabba",directed by Anurag Kashyap,displays the life of Vijay(Vineet Kumar Singh),who in order to fulfill his dying father's last wishes,comes from UP to Mumbai,lives a penny less life,just to make the legendary film actor,Mr.Amitabh Bachchan,eat a half of the murabba,that his father has sent with him.

The pace of the movie is too slow,and the interest seems to get lost somewhere in the middle way.

Acting - Acting by each of the lead as well as the supporting characters,in each of the stories,stands well on their grounds.The casting is appropriate,and each member carries out his work well.To add to the contribution to Indian cinema for completing 100 years,there is a song at the end of movie featuring many superstars of Indian Cinema.Celebrities like Shahrukh Khan,Aamir Khan,Ranbir Kapoor and many have been a part of the song.The song therefore deserves a special mentioning.

Music - The movie has five tracks,among which all according to me,are accordingly adjusted to the situation and the lyrics is too suitable.The opening song and closing song deserve special mention.Music by Amit Trivedi,and Lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya and Swanand Kirkire,comes out to be worth while.The pace of music however is slow.

Overall,the movie score 6.5/10.