Prohibition-era crime films bring with it a sense of wistful nostalgia. One, therefore, cannot fault Anurag Kashyap, who has earned his distinction as a filmmaker of merit, for striving to deliver an ode to all the masters of the genre, Martin Scorsese towering above others, who have shaped his cinematic sensibility.
But transplanting the mise-en scène to 1960s Bombay calls for more than stylisation; you expect that from Kashyap. You believe that he will beat clichés, the very approach that has taken him to where he is today, giving him access to Hollywood studio money, and having the king of mush Karan Johar rooting for him.
Yet, when the big ‘mainstream commercial’ adventure came along with Bombay Velvet, Kashyap falls short. Genre-comparisons notwithstanding, this is arguably Kashyap’s weakest movie to date. Stylishly mounted, no doubt, and with power-packed performances, Bombay Velvet loses its plot and descends into an extraordinarily shot Bollywood cliché.
Kashyap has said how painstaking it was to recreate the sets (erected in Sri Lanka, and fantastic indeed, evoking the nostalgic feel of yesteryears; those who have seen the 1960s may step forward to vouch for the authenticity). He also talks about how excruciating it was to piece together the CGI (apparently, only the first level of the multi-storeyed buildings was put up; the rest is tech wizardry).
Was he so carried away then that he forgot to re-read his script? Emotional connect is practically non-existent in Bombay Velvet. If you watched the glorious dramas of Goodfellas and The Untouchables with edge-of-seat engagement (even in its re-watching, to this date), well, Bombay Velvet even gets boring.
And when Johnny Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor), in his bid to escape the police, walks into a hotel, where ‘Santa Claus’ is greeting guests, and a few moments later, walks out dressed in red and white beard all, Bombay Velvet becomes what no Anurag Kashyap film ever has been: Predictably lame.
Bombay Velvet poses to be a love film set in the prohibition era of Bombay, between a pickpocket who aspires to be ‘hot shot,’ and a jazz singer Rosie (Anushka Sharma). In the backdrop is the power struggle between two newspaper barons (Karan Johar and Manish Choudhary), some convoluted drama involving land reclamation, a minister caught in action (and all of the above chasing its negative) and a smart police officer (Kay Kay Menon) in hot pursuit.
Kashyap, no doubt, brings out some clever characterisations to his protagonists and also extracts the best out of his lead pair; Ranbir and Anushka could not have asked for more fleshed out roles. They excel individually but a sizzling on-screen chemistry – the sort that brings out their Romeo & Juliet kind of love – is sparingly low.
That takes us to the film’s weakest link: Karan Johar. From body language to screen presence, he falls short of being anything remarkable. Kashyap only have needed to look at his cast to have spotted the man who would have fit the bill. Kay Kay Menon, who else!
Bombay Velvet’s strengths, however, come from its technical team. Rajeev Ravi’s camera, intelligent editing by Prerna Saigal and Thelma Schoonmaker, and mind-blowing music by Amit Trivedi – for bringing all that together, Kashyap takes a bow.
But in failing to rise above mere style and not bringing his trademark elements of quirkiness, unpredictability and honest writing, Kashyap gets a ‘thumbs down.’ Sir, you are the best hope we have in Hindi film industry. You have inspired a new generation of filmmakers. Big budgets shouldn’t have crushed that hope.
Bombay Velvet
Directed by Anurag Kashyap
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar
Now playing at theatres in the UAE
Rating: 2.5/5
