Bombay Velvet

Last updated

Bombay Velvet
Bombay Velvet poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anurag Kashyap
Written byVasan Bala
Gyan Prakash
Anurag Kashyap
S.Thanikachalam
Based on
Mumbai Fables
by
  • Gyan Prakash
Produced by Vikas Bahl
Vikramaditya Motwane
Starring Ranbir Kapoor
Anushka Sharma
Karan Johar
Kay Kay Menon
Cinematography Rajeev Ravi
Edited byPrerna Saigal
Thelma Schoonmaker
Music by Amit Trivedi
Production
company
Distributed by Fox Star Studios
Release date
  • 15 May 2015 (2015-05-15)
Running time
149 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹118 crore [2]
Box office₹43.13 crore [3]

Bombay Velvet is a 2015 Indian period gangster film directed and co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, based on historian Gyan Prakash's book Mumbai Fables . It stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar in lead roles, with Kay Kay Menon, Manish Choudhary, Vivaan Shah and Siddhartha Basu appearing in supporting roles. [4] The film was released on 15 May 2015.

Contents

The film, made on a budget of ₹120 crore, grossed around 23 crore in the first week. It opened to mixed reviews and was declared a commercial disaster upon failing miserably at the box office. [5]

Plot

In 1969 Bombay, Balraj is a street fighter/boxer who is in love with the jazz singer Rosie. Seeing Rosie with wealthy men further sparks his dream of becoming a "big-shot", believing that if he manages to become rich, he might win Rosie's heart. Balraj and his friend Chimman then catch the eye of Kaizad Khambatta, a wealthy businessman who is impressed by Balraj and offers him the chance to manage his club "Bombay Velvet", which Khambatta uses to further his illegal tasks and activities. He also nicknames Balraj "Johnny", which then becomes his identification. As well as this, Johnny and Chimman fulfill minor tasks for Khambatta, including capturing a dirty photograph of a minister who Khambatta wants to blackmail. This news reaches Jimmy Mistri, a media reporter, who also happens to be the same wealthy man Johnny had previously seen Rosie with.

Remembering that Johnny has a crush on Rosie, Mistri takes advantage of this and sends Rosie to Johnny's club to get her hands on the photograph of the minister. However, Rosie and Johnny eventually fall in love, and Mistri threatens to reveal Rosie's true identity to Johnny. Therefore, Rosie begins to supply information about Johnny & Khambatta's activities to Mistri. After a photograph of a secret meeting between Bombay's big-shots is leaked, Khambatta guesses that it was Rosie supplying the information and orders her to be killed. Johnny hears of this and forms an enmity with Khambatta, the man who brought him into the crime world.

Johnny fakes Rosie's death and makes her act as if she is her long dead twin sister Rita. But soon Khambatta realises the truth, kidnaps Rosie and tries to kill Johnny and they get into a standoff at Bombay Velvet. Khambatta shoots Rosie to provoke Johnny. Johnny angry at this stabs Khambatta and is himself shot dead while trying to carry Rosie to the hospital, outside the club. It is revealed before the end credits that Rosie survived her gunshot.

Cast

Production

Development

Kashyap was inspired to make such a film after reading L.A. Quartet , a sequence of four crime fiction novels by James Ellroy, set in the late 1940s through the late 1950s in Los Angeles. [6] The novels inspired him to "dig into the dark trenches of the history of Bombay", [6] where he "found a treasure trove that was never-ending". [6]

Bombay Velvet was initially to be produced by Viacom18, but Fox STAR Studios decided to co-produce it with Phantom Films. It is based on Gyan Prakash's book Mumbai Fables and set in early 1950s towards 1970s, before Mumbai became a metropolis. Prakash is also one of the scriptwriters for the film. [7]

Casting

Although Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh and Saif Ali Khan were considered, [8] Ranbir Kapoor was cast as a street fighter, and Anushka Sharma was cast as a jazz singer. [9] [10] Kapoor explained his casting, "The script of Bombay Velvet just fell into my lap. I read it and I knew immediately that I wanted to be part of Anurag's grand vision, his innovative storytelling, his movie-making process; everything that he does so perfectly." [11] This was director Karan Johar's second film after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995); he was cast as the film's primary antagonist, Kaizad Khambata. [12] His role is said to have been inspired from Russi Karanjia. [13]

Filming

Principal photography began in mid-July 2013 and continued till early September 2013. [14] The first schedule was shot at Sri Lanka's Ranmihitenna Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele Cinema Park, Hambantota. Filming was also done in Colombo, Galle, and Pasikudah. [15] [16] The second schedule was also in Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele Cinema Park, Sri Lanka, where Sharma and Kapoor rejoined the filming in February. The second schedule completed in March. Parts of the set was left at the National Tele Cinema Park, rather than being dismantled, as it will be used as a tourist attraction site. The third and final schedule was in Mumbai where shooting was held for a ten-day period.

Editing

The film was released in only one version and was edited in collaboration by Prerna Saigal ( The Lunchbox (2013)) and Academy Award-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker. [17]

Themes

Bombay Velvet is influenced by Classic Hollywood cinema including Film Noir with its stereotypical caricatures like gangsters, gun molls and femme fatales. The movie draws inspiration from gangster films of the '30s and the '40s like The Roaring Twenties (1939) and White Heat (1949) and neo-noir films like Chinatown (1974) and L.A. Confidential (1997). [18] [19]

Marketing

A teaser of the film's first-look was released on 28 January 2015, it featured Ranbir Kapoor's avatar in the film "Johnny Balraj", the "big shot". On 29 January 2015, the official first poster was revealed, featuring Johnny Balraj wearing a pinstriped suit and wielding a Thompson submachine gun in each arm. [20] An official trailer was released during the India vs Bangladesh 2015 Cricket World Cup quarter final match, with Kapoor present at the Star Sports 3 studio with the commentators. [21] The film also attracted brand associations worth Rs. 20 Crore with brands like Reliance Jio Chat, Saavn, Gillette, GoDaddy among others. To build hype and buzz around the film, Fox Star India and Phantom Films crowdsourced the official fan art for the movie by running a poster design contest on Cupick. [22]

Bombay Velvet Movie Game, a promotional mobile video game based on the film was developed by Nazara Technologies and released the same year. [23]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Bombay Velvet is composed by Amit Trivedi, which he began working on the soundtrack after the release of Dev D . Amit stated in an interview that, "The music of Bombay Velvet will reflect the age of 1960s Jazz era of Bollywood." [24] The lyrics were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The album was released on 24 April 2015 by Zee Music Company, which took care of the film's audio rights.

The song "Fifi" is a remake of the Hindi song "Jaata Kahaan Hai Deewane" from the 1956 film C.I.D. which was originally composed by O. P. Nayyar and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. It was re-created by Mickey McCleary.

Release

The film released on 15 May 2015 in 2600 screens worldwide. [25]

Critical reception

Performances of Kapoor, Sharma and Johar received positive reviews, but the incoherent script and direction were heavily criticized. Arunava Chatterjee of Indiatoday rated it 3.5 stars and said, "While vintage seems to be the new fad in Bollywood, Bombay Velvet deserves a standing ovation in this age of run-of-the-mill Friday releases." [26] Bollywood Hungama also gave it 3.5 stars and said, "On the whole, Bombay Velvet is a visual masterpiece that is rich in form. If you want to be wowed by the detailing of the 1960s, superb performances of Kapoor, Sharma and Johar, then go ahead and watch this film." [27] Shubha Saha of Mid-Day gave Bombay Velvet 3.5 stars and said, "Bombay Velvet is more like a roller coaster ride, as it takes you on a dizzy high with its charming ambience and music that is bound to stay with you for long, but later you are brought down not so gently with the underwhelming plot and lack of punches. Watch it for the experience." [28]

Box office

The film opened to dull occupancy ranging 10%–20% on first day and on the second day half of the theatres removed it. On the third day it disappeared from all cinemas as the halls were empty. [29] The film collected ₹52 million (US$650,000) on first day [30]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNomineesResult, Ref.
Mirchi Music Awards Best Song Producer (Programming & Arranging)Sovon Mukherjee & Amit Trivedi - "Dhadaam Dhadaam"Nominated [31]
Asian Film Awards Best Composer Amit Trivedi Nominated
Ghanta Awards Worst FilmBombay VelvetNominated [32]
Worst Actress Anushka Sharma Nominated [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karan Johar</span> Indian filmmaker and TV presenter (born 1972)

Karan Kumar Johar, often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful actors and filmmakers under his company Dharma Productions. The recipient of several accolades, including two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards, he has been honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranbir Kapoor</span> Indian actor (born 1982)

Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including seven Filmfare Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoya Akhtar</span> Indian film director (born 1972)

Zoya Akhtar is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. Born to Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, she completed a diploma in filmmaking from NYU and assisted directors Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before becoming an independent writer and director. She is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. Akhtar, along with Reema Kagti, founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio in October 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dharma Productions</span> Indian film production company

Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Yash Johar in 1979. It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son, Karan Johar. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anurag Kashyap</span> Indian filmmaker (born 1972)

Anurag Kashyap is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France awarded him the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2013.

<i>Wake Up Sid</i> 2009 film by Ayan Mukerji

Wake Up Sid is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar under Dharma Productions, with UTV Motion Pictures as distributor and visual effects contributed by the Prime Focus Group. Set in contemporary Mumbai, the film tells the story of a careless rich college brat, Siddharth Mehra who is taught the value of owning up to responsibility by Aisha Bannerjee, an aspiring writer from Kolkata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anushka Sharma</span> Indian actress (born 1988)

Anushka Sharma is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India as of 2018, she has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 since 2012 and was featured by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varun Dhawan</span> Indian actor (born 1987)

Varun Dhawan is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. One of India's highest-paid actors, he has been featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2014. He has starred in 11 consecutive box-office successes between 2012 and 2018.

The Ghanta Awards is an award presented in recognition of the worst film in Bollywood. Founded by Prashant Rajkhowa and Karan Anshuman in 2010, the annual Ghanta Awards ceremony in Mumbai takes place about the same time as other major Bollywood awards. The awards themselves are a large golden bell that is typically used for idol worship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">58th Filmfare Awards</span> Award ceremony for Hindi language films

The 58th Filmfare Awards were held honoring the best films of 2012 from the Hindi-language film industry. The nominations were announced on 13 January 2013. The ceremony was held on 20 January 2013 at Yash Raj Studio, Mumbai. The event was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan for the sixth time. All the Filmfare Black Lady statuettes had gold-plated bottoms to celebrate 100 years of Indian Cinema. The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded posthumously to Yash Chopra by Karan Johar.

<i>Bombay Talkies</i> (film) 2013 Indian anthology film

Bombay Talkies is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language anthology film consisting of four short films, directed by Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap. The film released on 3 May 2013, coinciding with and celebrating the 100th year of Indian cinema and the beginning of a new era in modern cinema. It screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranbir Kapoor filmography</span> List of films of Indian actor Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He worked as an assistant director on the films Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999) and Black (2005), before making his acting debut opposite Sonam Kapoor in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic drama Saawariya (2007). It earned Kapoor the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He established himself in 2009 with leading roles in three films—the coming-of-age drama Wake Up Sid, the comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and the drama Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his combined work in these three films. In 2010, Kapoor played a character based on Arjuna and Michael Corleone in the commercially successful political thriller Raajneeti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom Studios</span> Indian film production and distribution company

Phantom Studios is an Indian filmproduction and distribution company established by Madhu Mantena, Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl, and Vikramaditya Motwane. It was founded in 2011 by all four of them, and was cited as the "directors' company". In March 2015, Reliance Entertainment picked up 50% stake in the company.

<i>Jagga Jasoos</i> 2017 film written and directed by Anurag Basu

Jagga Jasoos is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language musical adventure comedy film written and directed by Anurag Basu, and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Basu and Ranbir Kapoor. It stars Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, and tells the story of a teenage detective in search of his missing father. It was released on 14 July 2017 to mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, but bagged ten nominations at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, winning four of them for the film's music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anurag Kashyap filmography</span>

Anurag Kashyap is an Indian filmmaker and actor, known for his work in Hindi cinema. After writing a television series Kabhie Kabhie (1997), Kashyap co-wrote Ram Gopal Varma's crime drama Satya (1998). He later wrote and directed a short television film, Last Train to Mahakali (1999), and made his feature film debut with the yet-unreleased film Paanch. He next directed Black Friday (2007), a film on the 1993 Bombay bombings. Its release was barred by India's Censor Board for two years, but was eventually released in 2007 to positive reviews. The same year, he directed the critical and commercial failure No Smoking. Return of Hanuman (2007), an animated film, was Kashyap's next directorial venture. In 2009, he directed Dev.D, a modern-day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Bengali novel Devdas, along with the political drama Gulaal. Despite positive reviews, the latter was a box-office failure.

<i>Ae Dil Hai Mushkil</i> 2016 Hindi film directed by Karan Johar

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film directed, produced and written by Karan Johar under his banner Dharma Productions. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in lead roles.

<i>Ghost Stories</i> (2020 film) 2020 Indian anthology film

Ghost Stories is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language anthology horror film, consisting of four short film segments directed by Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap. It is co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Ashi Dua under their production banner RSVP Movies and Flying Unicorn Entertainment respectively. The film features an ensemble cast, including Mrunal Thakur, Avinash Tiwary, Janhvi Kapoor, Raghuvir Yadav, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vijay Varma, and Pavail Gulati. It was released on Netflix on January 1, 2020.

<i>Bombay Velvet</i> (soundtrack) 2015 soundtrack album by Amit Trivedi

Bombay Velvet is the soundtrack composed by Amit Trivedi to the 2015 film of the same name directed by Anurag Kashyap starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. The album featured 10 original songs with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and performed by Neeti Mohan, Shefali Alvares, Shalmali Kholgade, Papon, Mohit Chauhan and Trivedi. It also accompanied three instrumentals used in the film score. The album also featured two alternative versions of an original song, compiling over 15 tracks in the album.

References

  1. ↑ "BOMBAY VELVET (15)". British Board of Film Classification . 11 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Bombay Velvet - Box Office India". Box Office India. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "Bombay Velvet - Box Office India". Box Office India. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Bombay Velvet Cast & Crew". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Bombay Velvet' an 'epic disaster'; Anurag Kashyap, Ranbir Kapoor bear the brunt". indianexpress.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "Anurag Kashyap IAmA". www.reddit.com. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Fox studios to co-produce Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet". Hindustan times. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Not Ranbir Kapoor, but Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan were initially approached for 'Bombay Velvet'". dna. 25 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Ranbir Kapoor plays a street fighter in Bombay Velvet". India Express. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Rastogi, Tavishi (1 February 2013). "Anushka Sharma: bold, brash, bindaas". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Ranbir's next tells the story of Bombay". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Ranbir and Karan burst out laughing during KJo's first scene as an actor". The Times of India . 31 July 2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  13. ↑ Rahul, Iyer. "BOMBAY VELVET: Karan Johar's Parsi Connection" . Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  14. ↑ Sinha, Sayoni (21 August 2013). "Anurag's nine-year dream fulfilled". Yahoo. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "Indian film begins shooting in Sri Lanka's Tele Cinema Park". Colombo Page. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Anurag Kashyap to recreate Mumbai in Sri Lanka for Bombay Velvet". Indian Express. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  17. ↑ "Ranbir Kapoor talks about Bombay Velvet!". YouTube . PlanetRadiocity.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Bombay Velvet review by Anupama Chopra: It's a glorious mess". HindustanTimes.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Bombay Velvet (2015): Anurag Kashyap's sprawling period piece with an excess of style over substance". apotpourriofvestiges.com. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "First Look: Johnny Balraj, The Street-Fighter Ranbir Kapoor In Bombay Velvet". koimoi.com. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Bombay velvet Trailer Launch". International Business Times . 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "Bombay Velvet attracts Rs 20 cr worth brand associations". business-standard.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma launch 'Bombay Velvet' game in Mumbai". The Times of India. 11 May 2015. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Anurag Kashyap here. Ask me anything. (Begins 3 pm)". reddit. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  25. ↑ Bombay Velvet Screen Count, Runtime, Budget. Indicine.com. Retrieved on 19 May 2015.
  26. ↑ Chatterjee, Arunava. "Review: Bombay Velvet". Indiatoday. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  27. ↑ Hungama, Bollywood. "Bombay Velvet Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  28. ↑ Saha, Shubha. "Bombay Velvet – Movie Review". Mid Day. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  29. ↑ Bombay Velvet Opens To A Dull Occupancy At The Box Office. Koimoi.com (15 May 2015). Retrieved on 19 May 2015.
  30. ↑ Bombay Velvet Disaster: Dear Box Office, Why You So Cruel? – NDTV Movies. Movies.ndtv.com (15 May 2015). Retrieved on 19 May 2015.
  31. ↑ "MMA Mirchi Music Awards". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  32. 1 2 Mehta, Ankita (21 April 2016). "Ghanta Awards 2016: Sonam, Shah Rukh and Aishwarya nominated for worst performances; complete list of nominations". International Business Times, India Edition.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.