Movie Review: Bombay Velvet…not as lacklustre as its being made out to be

Bombay Velvet, Anurag Kashyap’s magnum opus (considering this is the largest budget he’s worked with for a film thus far) is an exquisitely made film from a quality of film perspective. The script though, falls short of the monumental effort that has gone into other aspects of the film. The second half, in particular, succumbs to the pressure and goes the predictable clichéd route. That said, it isn’t half-bad a watch. Definitely not as bad as people are making it out to be.

There’s plenty to appreciate about this film - the visuals are dazzling, you feel as you have been teleported to the 60s – every little detail has been thought through and given painstaking attention. From the newspapers, to the cars, to the trams to even the match box and bus banners – everything looks apt. The music is jazz all throughout and while it isn’t particularly memorable, it remains faithful to its genre.

The directorial touch is plain for all to see. There’s plenty of gloss that the script demanded – yet that too has a distinct sheen in the way its presented. The context is built slowly and with deliberate attention – might even remind you of Gangs of Wasseypur at times – and while the love story is central to the plot, the context becomes a perfect backdrop to the sequences that follow. Bombay Velvet is a picture perfect title to the context that is built in the movie. The intermission is a little bit of a letdown and unfortunately post that at least story wise it doesn’t really get much better.

There are plenty of clichés and some might even strike the emotional chord. However, it doesn’t seem to be an Anurag Kashyap presentation especially after the first half. This kind of emotional drama simply isn’t his style and one wonders where all this comes from in a story that should’ve ideally taken a very different route. Kashyap is known for his realistic grey or even dark grey characters. Here, its much easier to paint them in black and white.

While the characters aren’t that great, the performances certainly are. Ranbir Kapoor seems to be trying a little too hard and it is actually Anushka Sharma who seems more convincing in the earlier parts. However, as his character develops Ranbir shows us exactly why he is miles ahead of any of his contemporaries. Karan Johar makes a decent debut though his dialogue delivery leaves a lot to be desired. KK Menon is completely wasted given his acting prowess.

With a better second half and less predictable storyline, Bombay Velvet could’ve been a smooth as silk presentation, through and through. As it stands though, while its film-making has a distinct velvety texture, as an overall package, it does end up being more than a bit rough around the edges.