CORPORATE

Corporate..Until today, that word conveyed to me pictures of men clad in Raymond suitings sitting around an oval conference table discussing incomprehensible things. But today, after watching the movie of the same name, I know that there's something more to it than the outward glamour. Not even in my wildest dreams could have I imagined that the real corporate world is something like this. A murky world where money and power is all that matters, where love and friendship doesn't even come to the picture.

Madhur Bhandarkar is certainly one of the finest among the new age bollywood filmakers, who are not bothered about the usual song and dance bollywood melodramas. We need these kind of films, which have more than a touch of realism in it. And for the kind of reserach that he has done for the making of this film, he has to be given a pat. This is evident in every small scene in the film. His hard hitting approach really strikes a chord with the audience. He has cleverly taken a jab at some of the corporate giants, most notably the venerable pesticide producer 'Coca Cola'. And, we should never forget that these are the times when Coca Cola is the main sponsor of many big releases and major stars themselves star in their ad campaigns.

The story revolves around 2 corporate giants, Sehgal Group of Industries and Marwah Industries. What i liked the most in the film is both the MDs of this organisations are shown as corrupt and power hungry. In a normal bollywood film, you would have seen an ultra decent man as the head of one and a man with the worst possible qualities as the head of the other. But here, both of the men outdo the other in treachery. The only thing that is in their mind is profit. For that, they are prepared to go to any extent. Even using a bollywood actress to seduce a minister and make him sign a deal in their favour. To imagine all these happens in India, really makes me hang my head in shame.

Kay Kay Menon is intensity personified on screen. This guy is the next big thing in hindi filmdom. Bipasha Basu delivers a controlled performance. I would rate this as the best performance of her career. This kind of roles suit her more than those umpteen skimpy dress clad ones. With this film, I was able to see her emote for the first time on screen.At the start, Rajath Kapoor gave an impression of a righteous person, but beneath that calm persona is a monster who loves money more than anything. Raj Babbar also played his part as a god fearing yet cunning man. Also worth mentioning are the guest appearances from ad guru Prahlad Kakkar and master lyricist Javed Akhthar.

So, all in all, Corporate is an enjoyable realistic film, from an industry notorious for its mushy love stories and reduntant themes. Way to go, Bhandarkar........

with love,

your crusader Praveen