So how is Bombay Velvet? The promotions were centered around the sizzling Chemistry between the protagonists – Ranbir and Anushka. So let’s start with the Chemistry and then we will move on to the other subjects!
Chemistry – B: That they were comfortable with each other comes through, but unfortunately their relationship isn’t well developed. In the haste of saying too much, Kashyap doesn’t develop characters and relationships. The screenplay in the opening 5-10 minutes of the film is ridiculous. Yes, he wants to show how the landscape of Mumbai was changing, but the childhood scenes, the jump to adulthood don’t make sense. They do nothing for the characters. Even the romance is hurried. You don’t get a chance to connect with them, feel their love. The characters go through a lot of emotions, but unfortunately you don’t.
Social Sciences – A+: As expected, Kashyap excels in Geography and History. The art design, the costumes, the look is spot on. You get a glimpse of Bombay in the prohibition era. The cinematography is excellent and the film does teleport you back to the 60s!
Art and Craft – B: Purely in terms of storytelling, AK fails this time. His ambitions of making an epic is the major problem. If he had envisioned this as a 2 hour film, it could have been a memorable film. The writing ranges from the excellent to the ridiculous. As I said earlier, the characters aren’t built properly. KJo, an ambitious man, picks up a roadside nobody to do some dirty work and you can’t understand why? Why doesn’t he simply pick up a professional killer? Why risk it with an amateur? While Kjo pulls off the scenes well, his character is extremely vague (like many other characters). Kashyap does well in the Art of storytelling, but he fails in the craft of it!
Music – A: Amit Trivedi aces the test. Be it the amazing background score or the Jazzified tracks, he does make the experience richer. He fulfils Anurag’s ambition of having Tarantinoish, background score laced action sequences/montages with aplomb. The only problem could be the overdose of Jazz. There isn’t much variety on offer, which makes the music monotonous. Loved Dhadam Dhadam and Mohabbat Buri Bimaari!
Mathematics - C: Do things add up? Well, Kashyap seems to have gone overboard while directing this film. It was written and shot like an epic and then, it seems, on the edit table they decided to make it '2 and half hour' film instead of a '3 and half hour' one! Hence the pacing and the flow seems extremely choppy. You jump from scene to scene, montage to montage, song to song. The movie lacks “THEHERAAO”, build up and you see it like a sequence of events amounting to something. But finally, things don’t add up. The impact is lost in the overdose. Even the motivations of characters aren’t clear. Everything seems very convenient, predictable. Why does Ranbir’s sidekick become his sidekick? Why does he decide to go against him and why does he flip back to Ranbir’s side in the end? Just doesn’t make sense.
Overall - B: Forget the making, forget everything, the problem lies in the movie’s inability to connect with its audience. So, should you watch it? Well, it is not as bad as they are making it to be. If 'Gabbar is Back' can make 100 Crores, then this deserves atleast 200! Go watch it and make up your own mind. Atleast watch it for Ranbir, Anushka, KJo and the ensemble cast’s sincere effort.
Some say that the internet is trying to kill the film, but why will it? Yes, he is AK – Arvind Kejriwal of the film making world, but that doesn’t mean the Modi aka Rohit Shetty Sangh or the Rahul Gandhi aka RGV brigade is out to bring him down! Kashyap has been the darling of the critics and the intelligent audience for years now. His problem was connecting with the masses. I think he should reflect on the film and see why he hasn’t connected with the people he generally connects with. Over ambition, Over Zealous Direction and an over bearing feeling of it wanting to be a Noir Classic (Wannabe) ultimately kills Bombay Velvet. Sadly, Jazzba hai Jaan nahi...
Rating: 6/10
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