Spoiler alert !!

Bombay talkies is a film about the power and the hold of cinema on
ordinary people's lives . It seems that in the 100th year of it's
inception by the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke , Bollywood wants to pat
itself in the back for all the soft power it has been able to generate
among the country's teeming millions .

Four directors come together to direct four different short films
packaged into one , and each tries to show the influence of cinema on
ordinary folk in his own style .

Of course , one should not forget that the cinema folks are the most
unnecessarily self important folks in the world . They will try to
create their self importance where none exists . Not for nothing has
Mario Puzo remarked in his landmark novel ' The godfather ' that in
places where there real economy works like for example a car factory ,
the work happens in absolute silence . On the other hand , in a film
studio everyone is making a lot of noise to make himself or herself
sound important even though the film industry's contribution to the
economy is scant.....

This film is certainly another attempt by the film industry to make
itself sound as important as possible---in some parts by showing some
outrageous scenes seeming to showcase the extent to which cinema
influences the commoners....

Take for instance , the part directed by Zoya Akhtar---where a child
begins to discover that he is homosexual/transsexual and wants to be
like a girl more than a guy . He idolizes Katrina Kaif and wants to
dance like her wearing sexy clothes with sexy moves titillating and
ensnaring the audience , but with totally feminine gestures . The
attempt here is to show how Kats baby can be a powerful influence over
young minds . But does it have to end in a grotosque show where this
little boy organizes a dance where he gyrates like a woman ( who else
but Katrina ! ) in front of a stunned gathering wearing lipstick and
openly declares his gayness/transsexuality at such a tender age in such a
shocking manner ??

The part directed by Karan Johar is also about ( but naturally ) gay pride---since Karan is a well known homo....
In this case a young gay man unsettles the marriage of a couple ( Rani
Mukherjee looking sensational in backless blouses and exceptionally full
body along with Ranadeep Hooda ) by wooing the husband and bringing out
his gay tendencies . The wooing is done by making a beggar girl sing
old romantic Lata Mangeshkar songs thus signalling attraction , thus
again showing cinema's influence on people . But does it have to end in
open mouth to mouth kissing between Ranadeep and the gay man ( played by
Saqib Salim ) ???

I found myself squirming in my seat in embarrassment while seeing this
male on male kissing scene as also during the gay stage dance of the
small homosexual/transsexual boy . So is the film about the power of
films on the population or about the power of homos in the film industry
?? There was no need to show two parts out of four concentrating on
gays .

The other two parts are better . One part shows Nawazuddin Siddiquie
playing a marathi man living in a chawl where his past dreams of
becoming an actor have been ground to dust . One day he gets to play an
insignificant role opposite a major star and his dreams are awakened and
recharged . He completes the scene by adding his own fine touches to it
but goes back without accepting monetary payment to tell his daughter
about the experience---doesnt care about the money but about the sheer
joy of being a part of the film industry for however brief a
moment.....thats the passion , the glamour of celluloid.....

The fourth part pays homage to the big B---the superstar...and also to his superstardom.....
A man travels from Allahabad to Mumbai just to fulfill his father's
wishes of making Amitabh taste his homemade moraba---and spends weeks
trying to reach out to Bachhan.....
......And when he does manage to do so , it becomes a story to tell to
his fellow passengers on the way back again and again---only to evoke
the jealousy of someone who shatters his dreams....literally....
Oh , the pain of strugglers and the ultimate disappointment for many---beautifully shown as never before.....

Typically , movie reviewers have flocked to sing praises of the film
because it celebrates the film industry---and they consider themselves
as part of it.....
Who in his right mind would speak ill of what gives him his daily dose of moolah ??

Well , I dont consider myself as part of the film industry and dont earn any money from it---so I beg to differ.....
I found the film brilliant in parts but overall not so great....

Verdict---Okay .

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