When people hear about this movie they term it as Kashyap's worst film, but the real question is did people just form their criticism based on some patchy critic reviews and assumptions, or people watched it? Well, I hope this review will change your perception of the movie.
Story and Screenplay
The inspiration behind the storyline of the movie was Ellroy's stories based on crippled young women left on the streets of Los Angles, and tough young men doing their ultimate to make things right. Anurag Kashyap idolizes Martin Scorsese; so much that he got hold of Scorsese regular editor Thelma Schoonmaker for this film. Just like Scorsese's unconditional love for New York, this is a tribute to Kashyap's love affair with Bombay city! The story revolves around a character named Johnny Balraj played by Ranbir Kapoor who is a commoner and has a desire to make it big in Bombay. Speaking in an Anurag Kashyap movie style, a 'big shot'. He meets Rosie (Anushka Sharma) who he considers the love of his life and blows off heads if he has to for her. His rise to fame fallouts to unsettling situations in this gangster saga. The characters Kashyap has created in the film hints at Brian De Alma's way of character development.
2. Cast
Sadly, not many saw the film because honestly, this was one of Ranbir Kapoor's best performances. He nailed the tapori accent and even though it's rare to see Ranbir with guns in films this character cohered well with him. Anushka was elegant as Rosie those black heart soft-spoken dialogues were pulled off with ease. Karan Johar playing the Antagonist was the weak link of the entire film. His performance didn't have the depth to become memorable in this mosaic tribute to the gangster film. The film had a powerful supporting cast with commendable performances from Kay Kay Menon, Vivaan Shah, Manish Choudhary. The captivating performance was immaculate follow through to Kashyap's revelation film of the murkier Bombay. But I guess the audience is more comfortable seeing these big stars dancing to baseless music than an experimental character with an uprising arc.
3. Editing & Music
The exotic times of 1960 in Bombay which revolved a lot around Parsi gangsters, glamourous jazz clubs, gossip rags, and unflinching scams was displayed to perfection. You could see the 120cr budget rightly used when you analyze the film visually. The editing could have been tighter not like other of his films but it is rightly so justified because the film was shuffling around many things and had a chance of presenting the utter case on the big screen. The jazz music was comforting, the colors of the sets were mirroring the 60s. The boxing ring sequence has its own Guy Ritchie feel to it with the magnetism Rosie performance is a lure to the eye.
You just the feel of going back to that time, get drunk and walk carefree under the neo noirish atmosphere of Bombay.
4.Direction
Anurag Kashyap is a true maestro of Indian Cinema and he has proved it again and again with his work. He is obsessed with cinema and you can realize that with the depth in every scene he shots those references aren't just bluntly used there. The character walking in the rain like a silhouetted effect. Every scene was shot with so much attention! Every puff of cigarette to the dazzling ladies of jazz and the lights all gave feels of films like Godfather and David Lynch neo-noir classics like Mullholland Drive. All of this attention to detail and confusion made no sense to a large chunk of the audience.
Anurag Kashyap was held guilty for making a flop film with a big film starts but his obsession with different levels of filmmaking was missed altogether by the people. This is not his best work but it has enough elements which still justify why Hollywood filmmakers too look up to him. Maybe not today but in the coming days, people will realize the essence the beauty, and the realism of the film.
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