'Bombay Velvet' - Rich In Texture, Synthetic In Feel

Ranbir Kapoor with his snazzy hairstyle and charming persona effortlessly gets into the skin of Johnny Balraj. Similarly, Anushka Sharma essays the part of Rosie Noronha with natural ease. Together, they make a wonderful pair. Unfortunately, the script only skims through their romance and hence you don't feel strongly about them.

Karan Johar, making his acting debut in this film as the shady Kaizad Khambatta, is good. He gives a fairly composed and restrained performance but, in the overall scheme of things, he is never intimidating.

The few characters who shine are Satyadeep Mishra as Chiman, who plays Johnny Balraj's friend and accomplice; Manish Chaudhary as Jimmy Mistry, the Editor, and Siddhartha Basu as Romi Patel, a shrewd politician.

Kay Kay Menon, as the ambiguous, investigating police officer, and Vivaan Shah, as Johnny's driver, are wasted.

What peps these characters in this period saga are the costumes and their hairstyles. These are so reminiscent of the time and help in transporting the audience to that era.

Visually, with sepia tone frames and minute detailing of the sets, the era is well-captured. The streets, the tram lines, the over-crowded chawls, the telephone instruments and the dock yard transports you to Bombay, which is now lost to modernisation.

The background score along with the music matches the tempo of the narration, but with most of the songs having the same style and beat, the overall effect is monotonous and boring.

By and large, "Bombay Velvet" excels in its genre, but fails to leave an impact.

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