Sunday, July 17, 2016

Bombay Talkie - Movie Review

More from the Ismail Merchant collection I got as a gift from Sumana. 'Bombay Talkie' is about a British author Lucia Lane (Jennifer Kendall) who visits India to research Bollywood. She stays at her friend Hari's (Zia Mohyeddin) house. Hari is a writer, poor as writers go, and hates the super star actor Vikram (Shashi Kapoor) whom he considers illiterate and less worthy. But Vikram is getting all that Hari doesn't.

Lucia falls in love with Vikram and they have a roaring affair. Vikram is married to Mala. It would have been easier if Lucia fell in love with Hari who also loves her. But Lucia, harbinger of bad luck, falls in love with Vikram and vice versa. Hari, Mala, Vikram. Lucia and even the producer of Vikram's next film get messed up thanks to this one decision. It ends with Hari killing Vikram who finally gets over Lucia.

Jennifer Kendall is a wonderful actress. Movie meanders all over. No second viewings.

But I learned about the writer Ruth Prawer Jhabwala who apparently is the only one to have won both the Booker Prize and an Oscar. She wrote 12 novels and 23 screenplays.  

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