Blog Posts by Kunal Guha

A still from Shor in the city

Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Nikhil Dwivedi, Pitobash Tripathi, Senthil Ramamurthy, Zakir Hussain

Directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK

Rating: ** 1/2

Films about Mumbai have always thrived on stereotypes and will continue to do so. But despite the cliches, 'Shor in the City' manages to bring it together, tickling and terrorizing you in equal proportion. And Shor's biggest merit is that it doesn't forcefully weave the parallel stories that light up the screen (down with Kukunoor!). The characters may spill over from one to the other but don't necessarily become game-changers for the neighbouring plot.

So let's get to the root of the shor. The film is divided into three parallel stories being narrated in snatches during Mumbai's noisiest time of the year- the ten-day celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi (the best way to maximise the tittle?). The first is a 'dark' tale (not a pun on the complexion) of Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy), a US-returned businessman who wants to set up a

It's not business, it's personal, particularly for our beloved B'wood biggies. Muck squirted on beta Ranbir on 'Koffee with Karan' and daddy refuses to act in Karan's next. Then, one is familiar with this unsaid (and obvious) pattern in failed Bollywood relationships: the two can't be co-stars in the future, won't be seen at social or promotional events together and would be glad to skip even attending the premiere of each other's movies. So, the break-up is more like a social media exercise. And did you wonder why Shahid and Kareena weren't cast as a pair again despite being a superhit onscreen jodi? Well, it could have something to do with them parting ways off-screen just before the release of Jab We Met and also that's when Kareena met Saif. Or are we over-editorialising this?

Another classic case-study is Bollywood's own bad boy, Salman Khan. You

Shagird director, Tigmanshu Dhulia backs Nana despite his peculiar ways as he offers 'good suggestions' to improve the film

Nana Patekar in Shagird

Nana Patekar is not new to this branch of cinema that is trigger-happy. Having played an encounter cop in the past, in Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Shagird', he returns in a slightly twisted avatar, as a corrupt cop with a sense of humour. Difficult to digest? Well, wait for May 13 for the film's release to find out how it translates on the screen. Meanwhile, in an exclusive for Yahoo! India, Dhulia takes us through his journey of filming his latest and yes, putting up with Bollywood's most idiosyncratic actor, Nana.

What triggered the idea to write Shagird and what helped you in completing this script from scratch to final draft?
I had never done a thriller before and I wanted to do it very badly. I had a plot that required a character who was approximately the same age as Nana and of his fitness level as well. Luckily, he liked the script and then I tried to make the