Bombay Boys

Director : Kaizad Gustad
*ing: Naseeruddin Shah, Tara Deshpande, Naveen Andrews, Rahul Bose, Alexander Gifford

Released in : December, 1998

WARNING:  This film deals with a mature subject.   Planet Bollywood strongly recommends that it should not be seen by children under the age of 18.

Reviewed by: Tanmeet Kumar
tanmeet@indolink.com

out of 
After becoming sick and tired of all the NRI bashing going on in Bollywood these days, I am happy to see Kaizad Gustad's Bombay Boys. While most would argue that the film is way too explicit for the Indian audience, the film concentrates on the trauma of life in one of India's own cities. Instead of preaching about how NRIs are alcoholic devils with no respect for Indian values and traditions (Need proof? Go see Pardes or the more recent farce Aa Ab Laut Chalen), Bombay Boys concentrates on how the same problem is evident in today's youth in India. The film concentrates on the experiences of three NRIs in Bombay. Naveen Andrews plays the New York bred actor Krishna, looking for fame and fortune in Bollywood and soon to be appearing in Z - grade filmmaker and mobster Mastana's (Naseeruddin Shah) film, Mumbai Banditos. Alexander Gifford plays Xerxes, a homosexual musician from London needing to find himself in the big city. Rahul Bose completes the group as Australian NRI Ricardo Fernandez, who comes to Bombay looking for his long lost brother Roger. Throw in Mastana's sexy moll and starlet Dolly (Tara Deshpande) who crosses paths with Ricardo and a homosexual landlord who lusts after Xerses, and you have Bombay Boys, an interesting two hour satire on how to survive India's biggest city.

Sounds interesting? Believe me, it is. Gustad flirts with fire as he includes many controversial scenes never seen before on the Indian screen. Xerses meets another gay man in a bar who takes him home to engage in a little sex play, which is rather graphically portrayed. An intense kissing session between Dolly and Mastana is also included among the film's highlights. To earn money, the three start stripping for the deprived women of Mumbai. Countless bad words and offending expressions are thrown into the film as well as scenes of drug use and drinking. My verdict? I love the film. Gustad has guts. Bombay Boys is a step ahead for Indian cinema. Belonging to a class of controversial films such as Bandit Queen, English August, and the recently released Fire, Bombay Boys is a message to all Indians to move with the times and start developing into a modernized country with 20th century values. While I am not totally for the modernization of India (I believe that there is value in tradition), I feel that Indian society needs to become more open minded. On that note, Bombay Boys is also a warning for Indians to salvage their culture. Instead of concentrating on NRIs and the problem with Indians becoming too "Americanized", society should look around them and see the debauchery present. Crime, drugs, and diseases are running rampant on the streets. Poverty stricken people are dying by the score. Save yourselves before it's too late. Bombay Boys is a film with a message.

Drowning in pop culture and it's need to be "hip", Bombay Boys includes some fantastic performances. While Gifford and Bose perform well, the show stealers are most definitely Tara Deshpande, Naseeruddin Shah, and Naveen Andrews, in that order. After performing well in Bombay Boys, Oscar winner The English Patient, and the Meera Nair's Kama Sutra, Naveen Andrews graduates into a class of his own. His portrayal of Krishna is perfect as the struggling actor waiting for his big break. Naseer, as usual, performs with perfection and is absolutely amazing as the psycho Mastana. The biggest surprise comes in the form of sexy and beautiful Tara Deshpande, who is absolutely mind blowing as Dolly, Mastana's alcoholic mistress and Ricardo's lover. The girl has spunk, ripping her lover's shirt open in public and paying lip service to Mastana while drowning herself in drink. Tara Deshpande will become big, mark my words. Doing the role of Dolly was a good thing for her sagging career (Two flops called Bada Din and Is Raat Ki Subha Nahin, both art films with Marc Robinson and Nirmal Pandey). Only her third film and this actress has performed exceptionally well in a role that most actresses would giveanything for. Dolly is a character of substance and is portrayed very well by Tara. Kaizad Gustad's direction is very notable also. The soundtrack, featuring Jaaved Jafferi, Raajeshwari, Anaida, Robert Miles, and many others, is a must buy also. Bombay Boy's is a step ahead for Indian cinema. One of the hits of 1998 is a must see.