Bombay Velvet a nostalgia trip to ‘60s: Anurag Kashyap

“What is the history of Bombay? Why don’t we see the real city in our old movies?” were the questions that troubled Anurag Kashyap and inspired Bombay Velvet, a cinematic rewind to the swinging sixties.

“I wanted to create the nostalgia, the era. There is a whole history behind how the city was made. You find that world online but don’t see in our old movies,” Anurag told in an interview.

“The land scams today have their root in Bombay of that era. There was smuggling of gold and silk and the city had a great tabloid culture. British hangover was still there, alcohol was banned, there was bootlegging. How many know that Mohammad Rafi was a great jazz singer in Konkani?.” 

Set against this backdrop of glamour, crime and deceit, the film is a passionate love story, starring Ranbir Kapoor as an ambitious street fighter and Anushka Sharma as a jazz singer. Director Karan Johar plays the main antagonist, a media mogul Kaizad Khambata. Anurag says the film, particularly Anushka’s character, is a tribute to Lorna Cordeiro, a jazz singer, who ruled the night clubs with her silky voice in the ‘60s. Produced by Phantom and Fox Star Studios, Bombay Velvet releases tomorrow.