Movie Review

Rating :

Verdict : All beauty, no soul but Watch it for Anurag Kashyap and Ranbir Kapoor. __________________________________________________________________

Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet has been one of the most awaited film in the recent times. which is Based on historian and Princeton scholar Gyan Prakash’s book Mumbai Fables, this film takes us back to the late sixties, when the minds and muscles that mattered were busy making plans of turning Nariman Point into a business district, a la Manhattan, by reclaiming the Arabian Sea, joining the seven islands of Bombay. This Film Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Anushka Sharma, Satyadeep Mishra and going to hit the screens today. So,  let's find out whether 'Bombay Velvet' will be another hard hitting path-breaking type of film by Anuraag Kashyap or might add to the list of those big commercial films which went totally wrong when they were made by realistic film makers.

Story:-

'Bombay Velvet' is a story set in the late 60's of Bombay city. It narrates the tale of a petty thief Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) and his friend Chiman (Satyadeep Misra) who accidentally bumps into a richest and most powerful businessman Kaizad Khambatta (Karan Johar). 

Khambatta nurtures Balraj and uses him for all his illegal activities. He sets up a night club named ‘Bombay Velvet’ and employees Rosy(Anushka Sharma) as the lead jazz singer. As time passes by, Johnny falls in love with Rosy and starts plotting against Khambatta and his empire. An angry Khambatta comes to know of this and decides to kill Balraj and Rosy.

Rest of the story is as to how Balraj survives this onslaught from Khambhatta and comes out successfully.

Positive Points:-

Credit should go to Anurag Kashyap for choosing such an intense subject and setting it during the post independence era. The way the glitzy life of Bombay in the early 60’s has been showcased is just superb. Ranbir Kapoor is awesome as the gritty Johnny Balraj. He owns the character and gives his career best performance. All his scenes with Karan Johar have come out extremely well.

Karan Johar is the surprise package and the biggest highlight of the film. Kudos to Anurag for choosing Karan as the antagonist as the director turned actor delivers a power packed performance. Karan is elegant, suave and at the same time lethal as Kaizad Khambatta. Interval bang of the film is very good and has been executed well.

Anushka Sharma once again gives a professional performance. She looks her part as the Jazz singer and ably supports Ranbir in the film. K K Menen is superb as the cop and gives a lot of depth to the film. Visuals of the film are wonderful and showcase the dark side of the city in the early 60’s.

Negative Points:-

The basic drawback of the film is the pace of the movie. Bombay Velvet moves at its own pace and one needs to be patient at times to follow the proceedings. All those who are looking for popcorn entertainment will find this flick dull.

Once the twist in the tale is revealed, the film gets a bit predictable and slow. The length of the film is also a tad too long and the first fifteen minutes have only been used to establish the characters which was a bit unnecessary.

Technical Points:-

Major credit should go the art director Sonal Sawant for showcasing the 60’s in such a superb light. The night club settings, vintage cars used and costumes only reveal that a lot of hard work has been done for the film. Camera work is breathtaking as you are engraved in the mood of the film with its beautiful visuals. Dialogues are decent and go with the mood of the film.

Anurag Kashyap had always mentioned that Bombay Velvet would not be bold. Rightly so, the film has less adultery when compared to his previous films. The way Anurag showcases greed and indulges his audiences with the gripping feel of the flick is pretty good. Amit Trivedi’s background score is richer than his jazz tunes. However, the music on the whole does manage to lift a sagging story time and again.