Bombay Velvet (2015)

Firstly, I am a neutral movie buff and I am not giving this movie 8/10 only as it is an Anurag Kashyap film. I am a big fan of Kashyap all the way from Gulal to Dev D and appreciate that he makes movies from his heart and not for box office earnings.

Now coming to Bombay Velvet.

The movie: A gangster film with some bit of inspiration from Fight Club, Slumdog Millionaire and likes of various gangster movies such as Scarface made in in Hollywood. However, let down by force fitting all of this in one 2.5 hour story - didn't go well, but didn't go bad either. The movie has colors of old school Bombay, it gets the characters right - Ranbir is great as Johnny and Anushka's role couldn't possibly have been performed better by any one else (only if Madhuri still acted). And now the punch - Kay Kay Menon and Karan Johar both fit in perfectly as the good cop and mastermind criminal lobbyist. The movie has blood, filth, emotions and music in perfect combination.

Overall, a must watch for off-beat cult movie fans for sure. You will take some scenes with you. And you will start appreciating this when you either see it again, or start thinking about it a bit more deeper than "just another film".

8/10 from me for the effort overall. 6/10 in story 9/10 in casting 10/10 in direction

Watch it with open mind and preferably without reading random reviews and talking to people who don't understand cinema critically.

Fmovies: The film, that's set in the era of 1949, welcomes the audiences with a track by Raveena Tandon Thadani (special appearance). On the other hand, while a young Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) is busy taking his baby steps in this man-eat-man world, he also spends his time in the red light district nursing frustrations of seeing his mother getting slapped and abused. Youth throws him in the boxing ring of free-for-all fighting to earn some ready cash. He then comes across Chiman (Satyadeep Misra), who not just becomes his partner in crime, but also his friend for life. As they march ahead in life, they, gradually land up becoming the henchmen for Kaizad Khambata (Karan Johar), editor of the tabloid 'Torrent' and also a top wheeler-dealer. Impressed with his dare devil attitude, Kaizad appoints Balraj to manage his club named 'Bombay Velvet'. In addition to this, Kaizad also entrusts him with the task of wiping out the 'Communist's opposition to this 'Capitalist' plan. But he meets with a roadblock called Jimmy Mistry (Manish Chaudhury), editor of pro-labour class tabloid 'Glitz'. It is then, that the beautiful jazz singer Rosie (Anushka Sharma) is sent as a honey trap to lure Balraj by Jimmy. But the duo consummate their passionate romance and become inseparable. The henchman wants to have his share of the pie in the new money-order and that's when the drama turns bloody and what-happens-after. Meanwhile, Kaizad tries to adopt the policy of divide and rule between Balraj and Chiman. Does Rosie become successful in her role of a honey trap, does Kaizad become successful in separating the Balraj-Chiman duo and what ultimately happens to 'Bombay Velvet'... is what forms the rest of the story.

Pros - Film is visually stunning. The music and special effects are outstanding. One liners are outstanding and to be apllauded.

Cons - No matter how glamour or class you show in movies, it should have a script, screenplay and a climax which is important! BV's climax is just as awful as Roy. I was and always will be proud of Anurag K's films like Gangs of Wasseypur and Queen. I was proud to say that i'm his fan but this film has turned it down.

Last Words: *If you want to see for Ranbir, please go because his acting is outstanding. The way he delivers his role and dialogue - 5/5 stars! *If you are Anurag Kashyap fan and want to continue to have faith in him, go at your risk or please avoid!

Sometimes a movie comes around that is so specific to a certain time and place that a little background info. helps the understanding (or at least, the appreciation) of the movie. "Bombay Velvet" (NR, 2:29) isn't difficult to follow, but it is a movie that makes me feel like I should devote the introductory paragraph of my review to a very brief history lesson – or maybe just a few relevant facts: Long before it was renamed Mumbai and even before it became the largest city in India, the city of Bombay was actually a series of seven main islands off of India's west coast. By the middle of the 19th century, the Indians had made Bombay into one contiguous city by reclaiming the land between the islands using earth from large hills. As Bombay's population grew, this reclaimed land became very valuable and the local government had to make plans for the land's orderly development. This process opened the door to lots of wheeling and dealing, political corruption and the growth of organized crime. By the late 1960s, when ground was about to be broken for a number of large-scale building projects, the situation had become messy and violent. Complicating matters were India's localized and loosely enforced alcohol prohibition laws. Add a few "tommy guns" (which the Indian gangsters did) and living in Bombay in the 1960s was a lot like living in Chicago in the 1920s.

That interesting but little-known set of circumstances in the newly independent nation of India makes up the backdrop, and drives the action of this film. But rather than giving us a history lesson, this movie makes the situation very personal – telling the story through the eyes of a street thug turned gangster named Johnny Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor – looking very much like a young John Turturro). As Johnny works out his anger and frustrations (and makes some money) in backroom fist fights, he dreams of being a "Big Shot", as he says it. The toughness he displays in the 1960s version of cage fighting and the boldness of his petty crimes brings Johnny to the attention of various men who can help him move up in the shady world of organized crime, even if only for their own personal gain.

A local gangster named Khambatta (Karan Johar) brings Johnny and his childhood friend and partner-in-crime, Chimman (Satyadeep Misra) into his operation. Khambatta gives Johnny the nightclub of the film's title to run – and uses it to launder money. That's about all Khambatta thinks Johnny is worth, but Johnny thinks that this is only the beginning of what he deserves. Johnny wants to be a player in those big real estate deals that are about to be finalized. He doesn't have the influence of the others involved in this high-stakes game, but he does have two crucial cards to play – Khambatta's backing, and an incriminating photo of an important politician.

But Johnny's not just trying to claw his way to the top for himself. He's deeply in love with Rosie (Anushka Sharma), his club's new singer, a woman whom he once lost to rival gangster Jimmy Mistry (Manish Choudhary). Johnny wants and needs to believe that he has finally won Rosie's affections, but her loyalties may be divided. Johnny would do anything to keep Rosie safely at his side – and to be the big shot that he believes he's destined to be. But as the tension rises, and all the characters resort to more extreme means to get what they want, a Bombay police detective (Kay Kay Menon) seems to be getting closer and closer to figu

Bombay Velvet fmovies. Bombay Velvet, with a whopping budged of INR 80 crore (800 million), marks a departure for Kashyap who over the last decade has succeeded in carving a niche for himself in Hindi cinema with low budget, highly unconventional and genre-transcending films like Dev D, Gulaal, and Gangs of Wasseypur. Based on historian Gyan Prakash's book "Mumbai Fables," Bombay Velvet stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Kay Kay Menon, and Manish Chaudhary in major roles. The movie presents the larger-than-life tale of a small-time but ambitious gangster Johnny Balraj, who would stop at nothing in a bid to realize his dream of becoming a "big shot" in the elite social circles of the 1960s Bombay, and his lady-love Rosieâ€"an aspiring Jazz singer with a heart of gold.

While it would be a bit far-fetched to describe Bombay Velvet as a cinematic success, it would also be unfair to deem it a failure. Yes, it's a mess of a film but a mess that's way more alluring than the trash that Bollywood churns out day in and day out. Then why complain? Well, because we expect better from Kashyap! This critic for one is devastated by the very thought of what it could have been had a filmmaker of Kashyap's caliber brought his a-game to the table. Kashyap's love for cinema and his ear for music are praiseworthy. The tone of Bombay Velvet is set from the word go: it opens up with some stock footage showing the early days of the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) which is immediately followed a jazz number featuring Raveena Tandon donning the '60s retro look. In the view of this critic, the movie touches it highest point during the early scene that shows a young Rosie, in Goa, hum a melodious song in Portuguese. The combined effect of the very song and the mystical background music (reminiscent of Krzysztof Kieslowski's films) created a sense of magic for a few fleeting moments that, alas, couldn't be recreated in the latter scenes.

Bombay Velvet features several exceptional shots but there are as many bad ones as well. Perhaps, Kashyap seems to have forgotten about the legendary American filmmaker Howard Hawks' saying that "a good movie is three good shots and no bad ones." In order to truly appreciate Bombay Velvet, one needs to be madly in love with movies, for it pays endless tributes to yesteryear films and stars with Film Noir and Classic Hollywood influences abound. Kashyap's fascination for all things cinema is evident in each and every frame.

Ranbir Kapoor looks daring and a bit over-the-top as Johnny Balraj. But, if it were Cagney he was trying to imitate then he certainly got it spot on. Of all the actors from the Hollywood's golden age, Cagney is the most unique mainly because of his over-the-top acting style. It's something that the great Stanley Kubrick took a note of when he made Jack Nicholson essay the role of Jack Torrance in his psychological horror masterpiece The Shining (1980). It certainly caught Kashyap's attention as well. Anushka Sharma is a natural when it comes to playing bold feministic roles and in Bombay Velvet she plays a jazz singer to a tee (she seems to have perfected the act of lip syncing). As Rosie she is a treat for the sore eyes and those responsible for her wardrobe certainly need to be commended. While Karan Johar's menacing portrayal of the business magnate Kaizad Khambatta is the movie's real highlight, Kay Kay Menon is solid as ever in the role of a no-nonsense cop.

Overall, Bombay Velvet is a s

Imagine the worst movie you have EVER seen. Now multiply that by 1000. Now put chilly powder in your eyes. The result will be this ridiculous excuse for a motion picture! Watching Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag twice back to back would be a more acceptable behaviour than liking this film! Watching Karan Johar trying to act all tough was like watching a poodle with one of those ridiculous fluffy haircuts, trying to act like a German shepherd! Vidya Balan could have played a better gangster than that fruitcake! I am sorry but a gay gangster is not acceptable. And just exactly what was Ranbir Kapoor thinking before signing a film like this is beyond comprehension! Maybe he needed money for his upcoming wedding. He is a good actor, there are absolutely no doubts about that. But his acting in this.. this.. thing.. was like a cross between his acting in rockstar and besharam. Anushka Sharma was OK, probably because she had limited dialogues. A sheer waste of talent like Kay Kay Menon. The fruitcake's wife was hot! Like really hot! After making films like the Gangs of Wasseypur Duology, Gulaal etc. this was definitely not expected from Anurag Kashyap. It makes one wonder what compelled a sort of genius like him to come up with this suicide inducing film! A very sad attempt at neo- noir. To sum up.. PLEASE DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE. DONATE YOUR MONEY. BUY A RIDICULOUS SHIRT FROM JABONG. BURN YOUR MONEY IF YOU HAVE TOO MUCH AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT. BUT DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE.

I have never ever written a review (except the ones on flipkart) because I don't think I have the right to judge other people's work, but I just had to write one for this, because I feel that it is my duty towards mankind to stop y'all from wanting to give yourself a Columbian neck tie! And I just had to vent out my frustration somewhere otherwise you would have seen my picture in the papers tomorrow followed by the caption "Deranged man kills 2 cats, tries to run over at least 12 people with cars from his hotwheels collection, before trying to swim to Australia. Friends say he was OK till Friday evening".

Peace V

Although Bombay Velvet has not been doing well, it is a movie that you must watch. The story is very interesting; you keep anticipating what will happen next. The movie is made extremely well; the characters are believable, and the sets make you feel you are in the '60s. The storyline is a bit slow in the first half, but the second half picks up speed. The love story between Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor is one of my favorite elements of the story. I was a little hesistant to watch this movie based on the reviews, but I do not regret watching it at all. This movie makes up for Ranbir Kapoor's last two flop movies, Besharam and Roy. Overall, this movie is a must watch and you will regret it if you do not watch it.