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Shor in the City: Movie Review
Gaurav Malani, TNN | Apr 28, 2011, 02.00pm IST The entire story of Shor happens over a span of just 11 days. Yet the film seems somewhat stretched, sporadically slow and remains silent on storytelling for its major runtime, until it makes substantial noise in its penultimate moments.
NRI Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy) has just shifted base in Mumbai but is traumatized by frequent extortion threats. Sawan (Sundeep Kishan), an aspiring cricketer, is in desperate need of big money to bribe the selection committee. Tilak (Tusshar Kapoor) is into the bootlegging business and yet honest enough to make genuine 'copies' of bestsellers. His friends, small-time crooks Ramesh (Nikhil Dwivedi) and Mandook (Pitobash), stumble upon a bag of arms which, directly or indirectly, changes each of their lives irreversibly.
The major problem with the film is that it takes a little too long to come to the point. The establishment of the character-conflicts is prolonged, till late in the second half. By then you are well-acquainted with their problems so the buildup just seems unnecessary, making the narrative monotonous to an extent.
Sendhil Ramamurthy's plot seems straight out of a 90s potboiler and never goes beyond being a regular revenge drama. Sundeep Kishan's track gets repetitive. The ethical improvement of Tusshar Kapoor driven by his half-baked romance with wife (Radhika Apte) goes completely tangent to the central plot. Lessons on Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist by his wife change his perception in life. And come to think of it, he never knew she was literate.
Having said that, the treatment to the scenes by writer-directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, still, has its moments of glory. The film has a smart and subtle sense of humour and scenes are never over-amplified through sound or edit effects, retaining the minimalistic feel. Picture a paradoxical scene over a Bandstand kinda backdrop, where a couple has a verbal spat while other pairs are indifferently indulged in casual caressing. Brilliant! Another funny scene is when Pitobash literally scares the shit out of a guy with his newly possessed gun. The bomb explosion scene, in the first half, has its hilarious and thrilling moments.
Despite having three individual tracks, the storytelling is neither episodic nor hyperlinked and remains unconnected till the climax. In fact, the climactic bank robbery is able to connect only two tracks while Sendhil's story remains detached with the entire event. But at the larger picture, the film is not merely about how the characters are correlated through an event but how the city of Mumbai (which is a central character per se) changes the lives of each irrevocably. By the end, the ways of the city compel the right guy to take the wrong path, the wrong guys to take the right, while the incorrigible continue to remain irreparable.
The beauty of the film essentially lies in its smartly handled climax. Abhay seeks vengeance, Tilak gains redemption, Sawan gets fortunate, Ramesh's life shifts tracks and the baddies get a taste of their own medicine. Set on the backdrop of the 11-day Ganesh Chathurti festival, the title ( Shor in the City ) smartly symbolizes that the excessive external festivities noise is much ado about nothing as compared to the hollow inner sentiments.
Sendhil Ramamurthy is persuasive as the troubled NRI who decides to settle scores. Tusshar Kapoor suits his character and plays his part well. Nikhil Dwivedi, despite being restrained, has a strong screen presence and is especially impressive in the concluding reels. Getting the best one-liners and playing to the gallery, Pitobash is the scene-stealer, though he goes a little overboard as the film progresses. Sundeep Kishan plays his part convincingly. Amit Mistry continues to show his flair for comedy. Preeti Desai is as unnecessary to the film as much as Sendhil Ramamurthy's solo topless scene. She fails to register. Radhika Apte is marred by weak characterization. Amongst the female leads, Girija Oak is remarkable and exudes raw sex-appeal.
Like the city, the film has its ups and downs. But Shor undoubtedly is a sound cinema. Worth a watch!
NRI Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy) has just shifted base in Mumbai but is traumatized by frequent extortion threats. Sawan (Sundeep Kishan), an aspiring cricketer, is in desperate need of big money to bribe the selection committee. Tilak (Tusshar Kapoor) is into the bootlegging business and yet honest enough to make genuine 'copies' of bestsellers. His friends, small-time crooks Ramesh (Nikhil Dwivedi) and Mandook (Pitobash), stumble upon a bag of arms which, directly or indirectly, changes each of their lives irreversibly.
The major problem with the film is that it takes a little too long to come to the point. The establishment of the character-conflicts is prolonged, till late in the second half. By then you are well-acquainted with their problems so the buildup just seems unnecessary, making the narrative monotonous to an extent.
Sendhil Ramamurthy's plot seems straight out of a 90s potboiler and never goes beyond being a regular revenge drama. Sundeep Kishan's track gets repetitive. The ethical improvement of Tusshar Kapoor driven by his half-baked romance with wife (Radhika Apte) goes completely tangent to the central plot. Lessons on Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist by his wife change his perception in life. And come to think of it, he never knew she was literate.
Having said that, the treatment to the scenes by writer-directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, still, has its moments of glory. The film has a smart and subtle sense of humour and scenes are never over-amplified through sound or edit effects, retaining the minimalistic feel. Picture a paradoxical scene over a Bandstand kinda backdrop, where a couple has a verbal spat while other pairs are indifferently indulged in casual caressing. Brilliant! Another funny scene is when Pitobash literally scares the shit out of a guy with his newly possessed gun. The bomb explosion scene, in the first half, has its hilarious and thrilling moments.
Despite having three individual tracks, the storytelling is neither episodic nor hyperlinked and remains unconnected till the climax. In fact, the climactic bank robbery is able to connect only two tracks while Sendhil's story remains detached with the entire event. But at the larger picture, the film is not merely about how the characters are correlated through an event but how the city of Mumbai (which is a central character per se) changes the lives of each irrevocably. By the end, the ways of the city compel the right guy to take the wrong path, the wrong guys to take the right, while the incorrigible continue to remain irreparable.
The beauty of the film essentially lies in its smartly handled climax. Abhay seeks vengeance, Tilak gains redemption, Sawan gets fortunate, Ramesh's life shifts tracks and the baddies get a taste of their own medicine. Set on the backdrop of the 11-day Ganesh Chathurti festival, the title ( Shor in the City ) smartly symbolizes that the excessive external festivities noise is much ado about nothing as compared to the hollow inner sentiments.
Sendhil Ramamurthy is persuasive as the troubled NRI who decides to settle scores. Tusshar Kapoor suits his character and plays his part well. Nikhil Dwivedi, despite being restrained, has a strong screen presence and is especially impressive in the concluding reels. Getting the best one-liners and playing to the gallery, Pitobash is the scene-stealer, though he goes a little overboard as the film progresses. Sundeep Kishan plays his part convincingly. Amit Mistry continues to show his flair for comedy. Preeti Desai is as unnecessary to the film as much as Sendhil Ramamurthy's solo topless scene. She fails to register. Radhika Apte is marred by weak characterization. Amongst the female leads, Girija Oak is remarkable and exudes raw sex-appeal.
Like the city, the film has its ups and downs. But Shor undoubtedly is a sound cinema. Worth a watch!
Director duo Raj-Krishna initiated their Bollywood outing with a thoroughly amusing yet unmemorable 99 (Kunal Khemu [ Images ], Cyrus Broacha [ Images ]). Traces of them being great storytellers weren't missed in the terror-comedy. 
Chaos is metaphoric in the madness of their daily business, and the sadness and thanklessness and the eccentric pleasure in doing the insane. At one instance, one dynamic player (Mandook) just decides to blow up a bomb because he hasn't seen things exploding live, and yes, they go ahead.
But above all, Pitobash Tripathy's city cheapster, wannabe cool act deserves all the shining glory. He is so terrifically convincing, you beg for more of his screen-time.
4/5 stars
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