Shor in the City

"When the noise is deafening, can you really hear yourself?"

(If you can't hear it, you're OBVIOUSLY dead)

The whole movie is about a chaotic scenario that occurs during the Ganapathi Mahotsav in Mumbai. It's told in a multi linear narrative as there are mainly 3 stories happening the same time… But no attempt is made to forcefully intertwine the stories and that's one interesting and distinct aspect of the film.

All the characters are very well tailored… Undoubtedly Tusshar's best movie till date… But the actor who dazzles here is Pitobash Tripathy as the eccentric small-time goon Mandook, who steals every scene he's in… He is the epicenter of most of the chaos and his role is just a masterpiece…

It's surprising and disturbing and has a vein of rich, dark humor coursing through it. After the unforgettable comedy '99', directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK continue their great job with Shor. The script is crisp, tight and spattered with some smart, funny one-liners and is consistent till the end. There are many occasions to laugh out loudly especially the time bomb sequence. The movie also boasts a rivetingly smart climax.

In short, Shor in the City is a total buzz on!

And one note: Do wait till the end credits finish rolling... The surprises don't end with the film...

There has indeed been a lot of "shor" throughout 2011. The cacophony of corruption , the noise made by Anna Hazare against it , the cheer of India triumphing at the cricket world cup , the hullaballoo of the royal wedding , the euphoria surrounding Osama's death and not to forget the annoying IPL trumpet.

We are indeed living in noisy times. Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK get it right stating with the title itself.Mumbai in the last few years has ceased to be the dream city conjured up by Bollywood over the years. It has emerged into the city of the Slumdog , of Aamir , of Dhobhi Ghat and now as a noisy ,dirty and eccentric metropolis.

Three stories run parallely during the Ganpati festival. Each story deals with fringe characters desperate to make it into the mainstream. So we have petty criminals , foreign returned Indians and an out of favour cricketer. In Inarritu style they criss-cross each other's lives which culminates into the climax.

Hats off to the directors for the mood they lend to the film. The opening credits run amidst chaotic Mumbai streets where cars narrowly miss you. A sense of claustrophobia persists throughout along with intense , scorching heat. The bustling and crowded outdoors , the narrow dingy lanes , the deserted rooftops hardly give you any breathing space. The viewer is immediately overtaken by a sense of visual noise.

The sudden cuts coupled with edgy music and pedestrian language keeps the narrative tight. Again , hardly any breathing space anywhere. The performances blend into the story. Pitobash as Mandook stands out. Special mention for Tusshar (he's dropped the Kapoor) here for whom its been a long journey from Bore to Shor .

The 'shor' gets heightened as Tilak (Tusshar) who been married for a while now hardly even knows his wife. The story unfolds during the Ganesha festival with his idols dotting the city. But its almost as if God himself has been rendered helpless against the times. Is he just an excuse for another festival? While the ending may remind one of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver , its best left to the viewer to be the judge of it.

This is a film "full of sound and fury" Signifying existence in between -Sushovan Sircar for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

Completely Different Type of Movie In Bollywood.

DK and Raj Direction is Very Good.

Narrated 3 Different Story Lines and Intersected Those 3 Stories in the Climax is Very Good.

Technically Very Good Movie .

Could see Rawness in the movie .

Go Watch it if you are bored of routine Bollywood Movies .

Mumbai is not a mere city. It's a phenomenon. Paragon of diversity. Umpteen movies have explored its idiosyncrasies multitude of times that now any movie on Mumbai, honestly, looks the same. But somehow, I had a positive expectations from 'Shor in the City'.

Babel like concept of showing several loosely connected events happen in parallel, the characters fading in the chaos of the city. Three petty thieves trying to cash in every opportunity, one NRI trying to establish his own business, One struggling cricketer trying to get entry to the big stage. It's not an out-and-out comedy. So expectations to have lots of laughs is going to fall falter. Promising start. Unfortunately, lost me midway because of mundanity. The last 15 minutes was the saving grace for the initial tedium. Overall, a pretty average movie. Could have been so much better. Watchable. Some appreciable performances (the NRI part is good).

Shor in the city is one of the finest movies released in 2011 from the usual trash producing bollywood. The treatment is more like babel but mumbai as the location adds color to the story. It indeed lives as a character in the movie! Wonderful performances from everyone and the script is well executed. Its damn right funny at times and pretty intense when it has to be. The crooks, the mafia, tushar & radhika apte brings life to the story. The dialogs are hilarious and there is a small sweet melody which bleeds nothing but romance.

If you like Guy Ritche films or you just want to see something other than the usual run of the mill films, this would be a good choice.