100 Years! Yet Again. Review on Bombay Talkies

“Maybe if Satyajit Ray had casted Salman Khan he would have achieved the 100 Crore Target”- Quoting a status which I read randomly on one of the Social Networking sites. Looking at the Society and the Cine-goer today it just seems like a larger chunk of Social Networking Site only. We, who look like Statuses to be updated, liked and commented upon. We also have a Security option which says- Public, Friends Only, Secret or Safe. Such was my reaction on reading the reviews of Bombay Talkies. To a point that a channel like NDTV updated –“ Bombay Talkies is what you expect its Shootout at Wadala which is a must watch!” Tomorrow the same channel will report- rape, sod*my or any such crimes which spring a common thread- Frustration, Deep Anger, Unrequited Dreams and Voices which were buried for good or (bad).

So what does the protagonists from all the four stories have in Common- An Original Identity which gets lost in the Dark Alleys. Either you are Gay, or not Smart Enough (Updated may be the other word), Do not fit in the definitions of the Society or just plain Stupid. In trying to just get that Recognition from the Mentality (more than people) that you are not a sore thumb. Where did these definitions spring from? From the same people who could empathize with the protagonists but stepped out of the Movie Halls shrugged their shoulders and actually ended up comparing the four stories- K Jo was brave, Dibakar is better in Delhi movies, Zoya should stick to her “Life Travel” movies and Anurag Kashyap is better with his shades of Grey. Branding Complete! It’s a safe bet.

The fact that it’s a Stupendous effort of a whole Fraternity to offer a Work of Extreme Courage and Art to our Current Societal Structure- “Live and Let Live”. That here is a Dev and Gayatri whose perfect up screen image is not what actually it is, that here is an Avinash who is trying to bare the blatant Truth! That here is a Purandar with an Ego and a Bird larger than Life “Emu” with Dreams which do not want to confirm with anything mediocre- but nothing matters more to him than his Daughter’s smile and confirmation. That here is a Vikky who knows that his Dreams are beyond the usual or set “defined” ones. That here is a Vijay and his Babuji who live the same passage of Life, nurturing the Dreams which do not even belong to them, toiling and not achieving anything!

With subtle care and precision the movie boasts of not poster heroes and box house hit faces(of course they do come in, in the Tribute song) strongly giving in a message that here is a movie “For the People, By the People, Of the People”. The soul exchanging scenes between Dev and Parvati(the beggar girl), Purundar relating story to his sick child, Vikky dancing away to Glory and Vijay getting(or not getting) the gist of the lesson are worth a dekho !

I look at the Giggling crowd behind me and realize “Bombay Talkies” has lost its Mark ! Ironically and very Sadly..

P.S. Dear Mouthshut keeping Your Views regarding the Petition in Supreme Court about Freedom of Expression your site does not allow me to use the Word "Sod*my"