Balraj is picked from the streets of Bombay by a prostitute who brings him up along with Chimman who are best buddies. Balraj enters street fights to earn money and also to mask the pain of his low life with the physical pain he endures. When he meets Rosie at a club, he falls for her but soon learns he needs to be rich to win over her. He becomes obsessed with the thought of becoming a big shot by hook or crook and soon enters the luring underworld by carrying out the dirty work of smugglers and mobsters. Everything seems to fall in place as he earns the love of Rosie in due course, until the shine wears away to expose the reality. The subsequent events in the lives of Balraj and Rosie form the rest of the story.
Language:
Hindi
Running Time:
151 min
Rating:
U/A
Release date:
15 May 2015
Directed by:
Anurag Kashyap
Produced by:
Vikas Bahl
Vikramaditya Motwane
Written by:
Vasan Bala
Gyan Prakash
Anurag Kashyap
S.Thanikachalam
Based on:
Mumbai Fables by
Gyan Prakash
Starring:
Ranbir Kapoor
Anushka Sharma
Karan Johar
Kay Kay Menon
Manish Choudhary
Siddhartha Basu
Remo Fernandes
Music by:
Amit Trivedi
Mikey McCleary
Shot by:
Rajeev Ravi
Editing by:
Prerna Saigal
Thelma Schoonmaker
Distributed by:
Fox STAR Studios

What’s Hot

  • Ranbir Kapoor is on the climb to the peak of his career which keeps going a notch up with each of his performances – Bombay Velvet will be one of his most memorable ones for the sheer level of intensity he brings to the character of ‘Johnny’ Balraj. Wavering between a romantically smitten guy and a ruthless killer, he pulls it off with just the perfect balance between both extremes.
  • The level of detailing undertaken by the art direction team to show Mumbai in the 1960s will continue to awe you for long even after the movie ends. The vast sets of the west-influenced buildings and leisure clubs literally take the visual experience to the time period in discussion. The equally competent lighting and camera work from Rajeev Ravi is just a perfect combination that does wonders.
  • The luxurious lifestyle of an upmarket vintage Bombay is brought out well with the glitzy Costumes and Makeup which looks particularly impressive for Anushka Sharma. Even the few minutes we see of the Raveena Tandon, she looks ravishing! The grooming for the gentlemen is another eye grabber with the typical short hair and moustache looks we all remember from the 60s.
  • The story makes a well knit effort to describe how the landscape of Bombay changed post independence at the hands of the high-handed mobsters, power hungry capitalists, conniving socialists and greedy politicians who put public at their mercy. Anurag Kashyap has to be commended for this attempt that feeds on his inspiration from crime fiction masterpieces from Hollywood. Kay Kay Menon excels in his role as a detective, quite the forte he has established nowadays.
  • The Jazz theme of the movie is a great base for Amit Trivedi’s marathon effort as he dishes out an album full of authentic Jazz music with the local flavour provided by the powerful and catchy lyrics from Amitabh Bhattacharya! ‘’Sylvia” and “Behroopia” are sure to catch on to your subconscious with the recreation of the “Iffi” number standing out from the rest. The background score is just as potent, especially the “Tommy Gun” score which underlines the mayhem towards the end.

What’s Not

  • Anushka Sharma looks a lot less convincing as the lead lady as a Jazz singer in love with a gangster partly due to her over reactions while performing the songs and greatly due to her stiff acting in the wake of romance or distress alike.
  • Karan Johar as the primary baddy is another misfit as he doesn’t pull up the serious looks we associate with his character and ends up goofing around in a look that doesn’t suit him well as well.
  • If we take out the fine aspects of film making from the equation, this movie has nothing substantial to show case as indigenous from a story perspective. Despite being based on a book written about the local scene, the over dosage of western influence makes it look so familiar with the scores of such similar Hollywood movies made on the underworld and lives of gangsters.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

Bombay Velvet is a diligently made movie that showcases the craze for Jazz that gripped Bombay in the 60s and showcases the building blocks of what would later evolve into the notorious underworld – all this made with an uncompromising taste for style and class. Despite being dragged down by a few glitches, the fine making and some decisive acting make it a timeless wonder that one must witness to revel the experience it offers more than anything else!