Bombay Talkies

Plot

Introduction

The narrative comprises four distinct short films compiled as an anthology celebrating Indian cinema. Each segment, helmed by a prominent contemporary director, explores themes ranging from identity and artistic integrity to parental expectations and generational cycles.

Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh (Directed by Karan Johar)

Avinash, a young man, confronts his father and defiantly declares his homosexuality, rejecting the derogatory labels his family has used to shame him. Distraught yet determined to start anew, he leaves his parental home. At a railway station, he crosses paths with a young girl singing the classic song "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh."

Avinash secures an internship at a magazine where he meets Gayatri, who is married to an uptight man named Dev. When Avinash discloses his sexuality to Gayatri, her progressive, unbothered reaction fosters a deep friendship between them. On his birthday, Gayatri invites Avinash to their home for dinner, having beforehand informed a visibly uncomfortable Dev that her colleague is gay.

During dinner, Avinash and Dev bond over their shared passion for vintage Hindi cinema. A subtle physical proximity triggers a noticeable reaction from Dev. The following day, taking advantage of Gayatri's absence, Avinash visits Dev at home, presenting him with a music CD and playfully encouraging him to "come out". He takes Dev to meet the young singing girl, who performs "Lag Jaa Gale". Dev, deeply affected, gives the girl a large sum of money. When he cynically questions if she is lying about using it to feed her siblings, she curtly defends her honesty.

Avinash becomes certain that Dev is a closeted homosexual. However, his expectations are shattered the next day when Gayatri happily confides that she and Dev shared an incredibly passionate night. Recognizing that his own presence sparked Dev's repressed desires, a frustrated Avinash confronts Dev at his workplace. When Avinash attempts a sensual embrace, an embarrassed and enraged Dev violently assaults him. The beating triggers Avinash's repressed trauma of his own father's past physical abuse.

Cast

Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh

Rani Mukerji as Gayatri

Randeep Hooda as Dev

Saqib Saleem as Avinash

Shiv Kumar Subramaniam as Avinash's father

Star

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Purandar

Sadashiv Amrapurkar as the spirit of Purandar's stage mentor

Sheila ki Jawani

Naman Jain as Vicky

Ranvir Shorey as Vicky's father

Swati Das

Katrina Kaif as herself (cameo appearance)

Murabba

Vineet Kumar Singh as Vijay

Sudhir Pandey as Vijay's father

Amitabh Bachchan as Himself (special appearance)

Special appearances

(during the song "Apna Bombay Talkies", in order of appearance)

Reception

Critical reception

Bombay Talkies received positive reviews upon release. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4/5 stars, and noted that the film "is one of those infrequent movies wherein you get to eyeball the superior efforts of four top notch film-makers in less than two hours.This reality alone makes the film a compelling watch, while the superior performances and absorbing themes that the movie prides itself in only serve as an icing on the cake. This celebration of cinema is a must watch!" He said Rani Mukerji is an actor par excellence Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times also gave the film 4/5 stars, saying "Bombay Talkies is a unique experiment that works very well. The collaboration between four leading directors suggests a confidence that was rare in the industry even a decade ago. I believe that things can only get better from here on." Tushar Joshi gave the film 3.5/5 stars, adding that "Bombay Talkies is a format that needs to be praised for its concept. The sequencing of the stories works and the pace is swift, never showing signs of lethargy. If this was a tribute to 100 years of cinema, then we need to have an array of directors from different genres pay such homages more often." Similarly, Sukanya Verma gave the 3.5/5 stars, concluding that "Bombay Talkies is an absorbing ode to the language of cinema that is part of our collective system." As for performances, she noted that "it’s Rani Mukerji’s flawless artistry as an imprisoned soul wearing a mark of normalcy which elevates the emotional core of Johar’s story." The duo of Banerjee-Nawazuddin creates magic on the screen in 30 mins, adapting Satyajit Ray's short story, "Patol Babu, Film Star."

Awards and nominations

Karan Johar's segment "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh" fetched Queer Palm nomination at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Soundtrack

The music of the film is composed by Amit Trivedi with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and Swanand Kirkire. "Apna Bombay Talkies" is the only song which brings legendary singers of 90s Kavita Krishnamurthy, Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Sadhana Sargam and Abhijeet together for the first time that too with veteran singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. The song features all the singers according to the respective actors they have sung most of their hit numbers making this song one of its kind.

Sequel

The sequel for Bombay Talkies, Lust Stories was released on Netflix on 15 June 2018. It has been co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Ashi Dua. Karan Johar's segment stars Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani, and Neha Dhupia and concluded filming in December 2017. Zoya Akhtar's segment stars Bhumi Pednekar and Rasika Dugal, Dibakar Banerjee’s short stars Manisha Koirala and Sanjay Kapoor, and Anurag Kashyap’s film stars Radhika Apte and Akash Thoser.