Bollywood Calling

2001
6.3| 1h41m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 23 November 2001 Released
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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An alcoholic, cancer-ridden American film-maker decides to produce a Bollywood movie.

Genre

Drama, Comedy, Music

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Director

Nagesh Kukunoor

Production Companies

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Bollywood Calling Audience Reviews

Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever
Beanbioca As Good As It Gets
Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.
BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.
braddugg One of the most under rated and understated films that showcases the hypocrisy of Indian Cinema with unabashed bravery.This is a fine film that has wonderful script and has some fine actors to enact the parts. Om Puri as Subramaniam and Navin Nischol as Manu Kapoor stand out. The others have given wonderful performances too. The writing was superb, the character of Kajal portrayed by Perizaad Zorabaian was etched out beautifully. It has a modern outlook and thwarts the hypocrisy too. Damn, she was one courageous woman who did that role, perfectly well. Pat Cusick played the role of Patrick Stormaire with a poise of mockery and dignity. It's a rare case for Bollywood and a one to watch. Above the performances lies the script and yet, the acting has taken the film to a different live. Look at Om Puri shouting in typical South Indian Accent as "Balls, Balls, I want more Balls" when shooting a song sequence. There are such fine moments of splits and wonderful moments of courage too. This is added to a touch of emotion and it's all blended well into a wonderful film.The departments of cinematography, editing play a lesser role as the film in itself is a kind of spoof on the way Bollywood films are shot and some shots are so laughable that they create a hilarious feeling. This is one of the better films of Nagesh Kukunoor and I rate it as one of the finest films made on Bollywood itself. Never before was the Bollywood film making thrashed as it did happen in Bollywood Calling. It's a 4/5 for this film. If anybody wants to have some good laughs at the way films are made in Bollywood, this is certainly a competent choice.
bob the moo A washed up American B-grade actor finds out he only has months to live and to make matters worse his career is floundering at best. When he is offered the opportunity to appear in a Bollywood film he accepts and is flown over. However the way things work in Bollywood are very different to Hollywood.This film is a gentle mocking of Bollywood productions, it looks at how an outsider would see the things that go on and the type of film making there. The plot is no more than the production of a new Bollywood film and the subplots of cancer, love and reconciliation are put to the sidelines for the most part. Instead we can a good try at a Bollywood version of The Player with all the internal antics laid bare.For the most part this is quite amusing. The main criticism of this is that it always goes for the easy targets – the ego of the big actor, the dance numbers, the shouting and OTT facial expressions. However the ultimate message that these films are entertainment and shouldn't get ahead of themselves is good. The mocking is often funny in a `smile' sort of way but it never made me laugh out loud. But as an affectionate spoof it works quite well.The cast are OK – Omi Puri is especially good value as the besieged director/producer, however all the cast are funniest when overplaying in the Bollywood film itself. Some are caricatures but most are very good.Overall it will amuse those who have seen several Bollywood films as it is quite true and many digs are spot on. However for those looking for a comedy this is probably not funny enough to satisfy.
berkeleysanjay The script carries the day and with OM Puri and Navin giving superb performances, the movie endeared itself.Reminded me a bit of "The Player" by Altman (insiders view of Bollywood). The seriousness of Bollywood and the irony of the "Chalta hai status quo attitude of the mainstream movies in India" is portrayed truthfully and in a thought provoking way. To hear dialogues of the movie being repeated by people I talked with, shows a universal appeal. I would say it is a "must see" for the "Industry People" of the Bollywood".Most of all, the success of Lagaan and films like these may make Bollywood evaluate itself and take itself less seriously and evolve past the personalities based movies to issue based ones.
m_madhu i watched bollywood calling with a huge level of anticipation and expectation. after his brilliant debut film, hyderabad blues, this was supposed to be a return to roots for nagesh kukunoor and a movie in a similar style. the intention was there, but the effectiveness was definitely missing.where hyderabad blues succeeded in making the viewer totally identify with the protagonist, b.c fails. the spoofs on bollywood are way too cliched and the same have been done many times better in local theatre and on the small screen. furthermore, quite often b.b itself descends into the style that it attempts to parody. a disasterous effort.om puri stands out with some terrific performance, but the lead actor pat cusick is totally clueless, his acting is woodenfaced and silly. bollywood calling is sadly a disappointment and the attempted cliches just dont click.the movie fails to generate more than a couple of laughs and sadly those scenes were already shown in the trailers. almost everybody who i saw it with was disappointed. the b-grade low budget touch that came off wonderfully in h.b totally fails here and the ridiculous production values are just plain annoying.we expected more nagesh.a disappointing 4!!