Bombay Talkies (2013)

'Bombay Talkies' is an evocative journey into hundred years of Hindi cinema through four short stories.

Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh

The short film begins with Avinash (Saqib Saleem), a young man, bursting into his house. He awakens his father and pushes him against the wall declaring that he is homosexual. He leaves his parents house, distraught and heartbroken but ready for a new start. He passes a girl at a train station singing "Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh." Gayatri (Rani Mukherjee) is married to Dev (Randeep Hooda). Gayatri, who works for a magazine meets Avinash, the new intern. Avinash informs her that he's gay and is shocked to see that it doesn't shock her. They gradually become very close. On his birthday, Gayatri invites Avinash home for dinner. That evening, Gayatri tells Dev that Avinash is gay. Dev seems shocked.

During dinner, Avinash and Dev find that they both share a love for old Hindi films and music. Avinash leans over Dev to look at something on the table and Dev visibly reacts. The next day, Gayatri leaves for some work. Avinash goes to her house to meet Dev. He gives him a CD and then invites him to come out. (A funny play on "coming out of the closet.") Avinash takes Dev to meet the little girl who sings "Lag Jaa Gale." Dev is shocked. He pays the girl a lot of money and asks her what she plans on doing with it. She says she will buy food for her brothers and sisters. He asks her if she's lying. She curtly replies that she isn't, and telling lies is bad.

By this point, Avinash is sure that Dev is gay but hasn't come out of the closet. The next day he meets Gayatri who happily informs him that she and Dev had amazing sex the last night. Avinash is disappointed and angry, knowing fully well that he is the reason for Dev's good mood.

He goes to meet Dev at work. He admits that he took the one hour journey between the offices just to meet him. Dev is embarrassed and asks him to leave. Avinash reaches over to hug him sensually, alarming Dev. Dev loses his temper and begins to beat Avinash up. Avinash leaves Dev, and goes back home. The beating he received from Dev triggers memories of his own father beating him up upon discovering his sexuality.

Dev visits him to apologize. He seems torn and after hitting Avinash again and throwing him against the cupboard, he kisses him. Again, Dev begins to hit Avinash. Avinash loses his temper and throws Dev out.

Avinash then goes and tells Gayatri that her husband kissed him. Gayatri is infuriated and doesn't listen to anything else Avinash has to say and goes home. Dev enters and tries to kiss her, but she pushes him away and begins to wipe her face. She tells him that she now knows that the there's nothing wrong with her but with him and that he is the reason their marriage failed. She says she's glad she's free now and informs him that their relationship is over.

In the final scene we see Avinash sitting on his bed, upset. We see Dev beside the young girl who is singing, Gayatri has kicked him out. And we see Gayatri putting on make up. The film ends on an ironical note. The young girl asks Dev for money and he says that he doesn't have any. She says that he's lying. He replies that he isn't, and lying is bad, mirroring her words from earlier. The irony being, that his whole marriage and life was a lie.

Star

The story is an adaptation of Satyajit Ray's short story "Patol Babu, Film Star". A failed actor (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is struggling to make a living after his father’s death. He wants every work should come home to him to offer him work. One day he meets his master's spirit and learns the lesson of life that work is not God's Gift and one only gets it when one tries. In a turn of events he stumbles upon his last chance to prove himself to the world and more importantly, to his daughter (this last point is adapted from Ray's another short story, "Pterodactyl-er Dim").

Sheila Ki Jawaani

A 12 year old boy (played by Naman Jain) aspires to be a Bollywood dancer. His father however wants him to be a football player. The boy is a Katrina Kaif fan and loves dancing to "Sheila Ki Jawani." During a TV interview he hears Katrina Kaif talk about breaking conventions of society and following dreams regardless of the obstacles that come in ones way. He is encouraged by what he hears from his idol. In his parents absence, he dresses up like 'Sheila' and performs for himself and his sister.

One day he is caught by his parents and is rebuked for his inappropriate behavior. Meanwhile, his sister wants to go on a School trip but is refused Rs. 2000 by their father because he had spent funds on the son's football training. She is rather disappointed that the parents are so focused on his football training while he doesn't even enjoy football. It is then that the brother comes to his sister's rescue and offers to perform to collect money for her trip. They then decide to organize a small ticketed event at an old garage, where the boy dances to his favorites.

Murabba (Fruit Preserve)

Vijay (Vineet Kumar Singh) is from a small town in UP. The story begins with Vijay traveling to Mumbai to fulfill his ailing father's desire. His father (Sudhir Pandey) desires that Vijay meet Bollywood superstar Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, offer and feed him homemade 'murabba' and bring the remaining half for his father. Vijay's father believes that doing so will bring comfort to him and in turn lengthen his life. Vijay is shown struggling to get personal audience with Mr. Bachchan. Hungry, frustrated and penniless, Vijay even takes up an odd job in Mumbai. Eventually, after much struggling and convincing Mr. Bachchan's security guards, he gets to meet Mr. Bachchan personally. Amazed at Vijay's determination and dedication towards his father Mr. Bachchan happily obliges Vijay. He eats half of Vijay's homemade murabba. Satisfied and victorious Vijay now sets on his return journey by train.

On his way back he is shown narrating his experiences to fellow passengers. Meanwhile, a co- passenger maliciously breaks the glass jar containing the murabba eaten by Mr. Bachchan while another co-passenger inadvertently squishes it. Disappointed and heartbroken, Vijay has no option but to replace the piece of murabba somehow.

He decides to buy a new glass jar and some murabba. He reaches home with the murabba and offer it to his father. The father however is able to detect that something went wrong; his asks his son, where he broke the glass jar? In response, Vijay narrates the truth to him. It is then that the father narrates his own story to Vijay. Just as he had asked Vijay to meet Mr. Bachchan, his grandfather had asked his father to meet Mr. Dilip Kumar, a Bollywood superstar of his times.

His grandfather had handed over a jar of honey to his father and had asked that Mr. Dilip Kumar dip his finger into the jar. However, the jar of honey caught ants by the time it reached Mr. Dilip Kumar and the actor refused to dip his finger into it. Vijay's father had then replaced the jar of honey, dipped his own finger into it and taken it back to his father. Unsuspectingly, Vijay's grandfather ate honey from the jar for years to come and lived a long life. The movie ends with Vijay's father contemplating how life takes a full circle.