Much has been said and much more has been written about the movie in question. All said and done(written?)..this is one movie not to be missed.
If we can spend our time, energies and money watching and bearing with all the crap movies being released of late from that big assembly unit called ’’Bollywood’’, supposedly the largest in the entertainment world, Bollywood Calling (BW) comes across as a whiff of fresh air not only for the novel theme but also in the way in which it has been handled by Nagesh Kukunoor.
The film is more relevant in these times because it gives an ’’Insider’s peek’’ into the making of a movie in India right from the casting stage till it is wrapped up. Agreed that the director might have ’’ripped’’ apart the industry by unabashedly showing all that goes on behind the scenes in ’’aamchi bollywood’’. At the same time, his confidence and conviction in selecting this particular theme for making a movie need to be appreciated.
Of the cast, Om Puri does more than full justice to his role as a South Indian movie producer (complete with the accent and mannerisms) who is forced to turn into the director as well because the ageing superstar ’’Hero’’ of the movie wishes so!!! I guess I wont be lying if I say that no one else could have done justice to the role as Om Puri did.
Navin Nischol, as the ageing hero of the movie who still holds considerable influence on the audience and the industry..gets a meaty role after a long time.
Pat Cusick just about fits the bill as the semi-retired C-grade hollywood hero who is invited to act in a Indian production.
The film does have its moments of humour, thanks mainly to the crisp dialogues, fine acting by the cast and adept handling of the scenes by the director. However, the screenplay also tends to ’’sag’’ at times making the audience sigh..thanks to a few cliches thrown in for good measure.
The screenplay could have been better and the editing a bit more tight than it was. Now that he has proved himself as a good director and can afford higher budgets for his movies, Nagesh Kukunoor definitely needs to polish up on the technical finesse. He has certainly grown as a director since his ’’Hyderabad Blues’’ days and gone is the touch of amateurishness which was pretty evident in the above mentioned movie.
Directors like him need to be encouraged (by the industry and patrons alike)..for he heralds a new breed of young directors who make movies that are different from the ’’masala movies’’ that we are fed with day in and day out.
Take a bow Mr.Kukunoor, and heres hoping and wishing that we get to see more of your work in the years to come..the industry needs directors like you...All the Best!!!