It all started almost 100 years ago with a certain Dhundiraj Govind
Phalke shouting “Light, Camera, and Action”. The movie “Raja Harischandra” was opened for
public viewing on 3rd May 1913 and was promoted as “A performance with 57,000 photographs. A
picture two miles long. All for only three annas.” The rest as they say
became history. A nation learnt to dream, became a part of the madness of cinema,
thousands struggled to become dream merchants and millions registered themselves
as fans. Cinema became a religion, that unified an otherwise diversified
nation. It breathed life into the aspirations of many, became the catalyst of change,
sometimes depicting society and sometimes defying social norms.
A century later four of the most
revered filmmakers of the present era , each defined by a distinct style of
movie making, came together to pay homage to 100 years of Indian Cinema. Aptly
named as “Bombay Talkies” after the iconic yesteryear studio, the movie
celebrates the essence of hindi cinema, its profound impact on life and
beautifully presents a canvas with myriad hues. Each of the four stories are
unique except for their celebration of cinema, of passion, of life and dream.
Bombay Talkies opens with Karan
Johar’s hard hitting, realistic punch on an upwardly mobile society that still
lives in a world of lies and duplicity and in spite of a so called liberal
fabric is yet to come in terms with as basic a thing as someone’s sexual
orientation. Karan , treads on a
different path to capture the grey area in relationship and makes a powerful
statement about society through a riveting story. He handles an extremely
complex plot exceptionally well with witty lines, and masterful rendering of
yesteryear classic “Lag ja Gale” as its background score. Saquib Saleem is
effortless and steals the show with his spontaneity. Rani Mukherjee as a modern
lady who finally becomes “free” and liberated after learning about her husband’s
homosexuality adds sparkle to the plot. Hopefully post this we will get to see
a more emancipated Karan exploring fields hitherto unexplored, away from his
style of candy floss cinema.
The highly acclaimed Diwakar
Banerjee pays a fitting tribute to Indian Cinema by adapting a Satyajit Ray story.
He captures the trials and tribulations of a man trying to define his own
success for himself. Torn asunder between the search for his professional
success and personal respect, he finally finds his moment of glory when he gets
to play a two minute non entity in a film. Nawaz is simply magnificent and the
scene where he narrates his story in mime to enchant his daughter will stay
with you long after you leave the movie hall.
Zoya’s story is all about the
innocence of childhood, a sense of sacrifice and a captivating tale that
inspires you to follow and protect your dream. On one hand it’s a morale sermon
to those thousands of parents who force their kids to live their unfulfilled dreams,
rather than inspiring them to create their own paths of passion , on the other
hand it is a tribute to bollywood and its infinite influence on our day to day life. Naman Jain
plays out his character brilliantly.
How can we celebrate Indian
Cinema and forget the fables of hero worship by fans. Anurag Kashyap’s story
typifies those millions of fans from small town who are spell bound by the aura
of their filmy Hero. Millions prayed when Amitabh Bacchan was hospitalized,
many fasted, even today thousands gather in front of Jalsa to get a “darshan”
of their superstar. Anurag’s story is an ode to those millions who were
instrumental in making bollywood what it is today. Though it captures the joys
and pathos of a small town youngster who came to meet the superstar at his
father’s behest, this is one portion which could have been made better.
“Bombay Talkies” is a movie made
with lots of passion. It celebrates the madness of cinema, the quintessential diversity
of Indian film, its large canvas and its urge to experiment. More than a movie
it presents few delicious slices of life that makes you laugh, dream and
aspire. Go and relish the experience.
