Bombay velvet

Film: Bombay Velvet

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Noted actors: Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Anushka Sharma, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5

A cliched story!

why you ask? Here are many reasons - 

A plot around photo negatives

A Dons mole 

A casino with a jazz singer

A world of Mafia

Of intrigue and secrets

Of machine guns and revolvers 

Of love and murder

Of fake double role 

Of police arriving at climax

Of suited booted men

Of Audrey Hepburn and Howard Roark

Of polka dots and vintage laces 

Of beautiful clothes and faces 

Of puffy hairstyles and hair gels

I loved the sounds of Geeta Dutt. What a soulful voice and the classy Jazz Singer! 

What was different was the triangle of of gay love. "Rosy main aisa kya tha Jo mujh main nahin tha." But it doesn't strike a chord with audience. As for the real love story between Johnie and Rosy lacked chemistry. In fact there was hardly any chemistry between any pairs, Johny and his friend, Johny and Khambatta, or Anyone. The only decent act was by Kay Kay. Johar just got the role because of his 'friendship' with Kashyap. 

Will you call this film classic, or as something that has all the ingredients to become one. A lot of films are not hits but they are classics. Will that be Bombay Velvet. From the love of critics and the nostalgics, and not of short term memory of masses. Of intellectual discussions on periodic dramas, of state of society of love stories, of jealous men and vulnerable woman. The stuff velvet is made of. May be Bombay velvet is an ode to such films. These are classic concepts of the films from 1950-60s. 

There are so many classics that were not a commercial hit. Their stories, their characters, their plots everything is different. Two favourites of mine are - Lamhe and Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda.