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Topic: Corporate - The Reviews (Read 454 times)
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Mihir
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Corporate - The Reviews
« on: July 13, 2006, 04:28:15 AM »
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Please post only reviews of the film here.
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Mihir
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Re:Corporate - The Reviews
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2006, 04:28:39 AM »
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Corporate Review
By Taran Adarsh, July 6, 2006 - 23:11 IST
Rating: 3/5
Madhur Bhandarkar continues to walk on a tight-rope, balancing masala [AAN, TRISHAKTI] and thought-provoking films [CHANDNI BAR, SATTA, PAGE 3] consistently. Ironically, the noteworthy films in his repertoire have been those that dared to tackle an issue that hadn’t been explored on Hindi screens before: CHANDNI BAR and PAGE 3.
Madhur now peeps into the glitzy world of corporate identities in his new outing CORPORATE. Like CHANDNI BAR and PAGE 3, CORPORATE works for one solid reason: It brings to light the nitty-gritty of a world that most commoners never knew of. Battles fought in ostentatious and swanky offices aren’t known to the majority and it is this aspect that can be rightly termed as one of the USPs of the enterprise.
But the real strength of the film lies in narrating a dynamic story. The best of ideas evaporate into thin air if entrusted to inept, inexperienced storytellers. Thankfully, Madhur narrates CORPORATE in the most simplistic fashion so that the common man can decipher the games corporate entities play to stay at the top. Besides, CORPORATE is as hard-hitting as CHANDNI BAR or PAGE 3. Beneath a strong storyline is an underlying message that makes you think.
In a nutshell, CORPORATE is an astounding successor to Madhur’s earlier achievements!
Aristotle had once said, ‘The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows.’ A century later, it could be rephrased as, ‘The secret of business is to know what the other person knows, and a little more.’
Welcome to the world of Corporates. A battlefield of power-hungry people. A world filled with deceit and corrupted minds. Where wealth, fame and success are fought over. And rules don’t exist.
CORPORATE tells the story of two leading industrialists in the food sector, led by Vinay Sehgal [Rajat Kapoor], Managing Director of Sehgal Group of Industries and Dharmesh Marwah [Raj Babbar], Managing Director of Marwah International P. Ltd. Powerful, ambitious and relentless.
While there are many diligent people working for these companies, there is also Nishigandha [Bipasha Basu], a businesswoman with high aspirations and hunger to move to the top. She is at the centre of all the action.
When the market opens up to international players, competition gets fierce. And the battle for supremacy begins. Moral codes are abandoned and ethics are forgotten as these two bitter rivals embark upon a deadly game of monopoly.
Success and prestige take precedence over everything else. Good is no longer good enough. And people are driven to the brink of insanity. All in the name of business. If the war was just between two companies then their battles should’ve remained behind the scenes. Unfortunately, its implications have an impact on the common man.
This film peeps into the mindset of the powerful people and attempts to find out what makes them tick. It explores the nexus between the corporate world and the political and follows the trail of sex and corruption that hides behind a glittering and glassy exterior.
The initial portions of CORPORATE and also the power games that the high and mighty indulge in may seem like Greek and Latin for the Hindustani junta. Madhur tries to be as real as possible while laying the cards on the table. Yet, there are several characters in the narrative that you identify with instantly. Like the scheming politician or the lecherous CEO of a company, who has sex on his mind all the time.
If you don’t gather a powerful impression of the first half, it doesn’t really come as a surprise, but Madhur reserves the best for the post-interval portions. It is in the second hour that CORPORATE does a somersault and turns into a story that the commoners can identify with. The twist in the tale -- when Bipasha is used as a pawn in the game -- sends a shiver down your spine. The razor-sharp developments thereafter, right till the climax, come as a shocker and open your eyes to a world that’s a complete sham.
Directorially, Madhur Bhandarkar enters an alien territory yet again. Besides exposing the glitzy world of corporates, the film works primarily because the emotional twists and turns in the plot involve the common man. It’s in the post-interval portions that Madhur shows his competence, as a writer [screenplay: Madhur, Manoj Tyagi] first and as a storyteller subsequently. The impact the film makes from the pre-climax onwards proves that Madhur has only bettered the art of narrating a good story.
There’s not much scope for music [Shamir Tandon] in a subject like this, but the three tracks are quite tuneful. 'O Sikandar' and 'Lamha Lamha Zindagi Hai' are appropriate and only take the story forward. Cinematography [Mahesh Limaye] is of standard. The background score [Raju Singh] is in sync with the theme. Dialogues [Aje Monga, Manoj Tyagi] are sharp.
The film has a plethora of characters, but the one who breathes life into her role and emerges trumps is Bipasha. She is competent in the first hour, but watch her take rapid strides as an actor in the second half, more so towards the finale. After Tabu [CHANDNI BAR], Raveena [SATTA] and Konkona [PAGE 3], Madhur taps the hitherto untapped potential of Bipasha this time around, making you realize that there’s more to Bipasha than just being a glam-doll.
Kay Kay too comes into form in the second hour, especially during the twist in the tale. The supremely talented actor exhibits his vast range yet again. Rajat Kapoor is excellent as the shrewd industrialist. Raj Babbar underplays his part beautifully. Harsh Chhaya is first-rate. Sandeep Mehta [as the lusty CEO] is an actor to watch. Vinay Apte is superb as the corrupt minister. Achint Kaur is dependable. Bharat Dabholkar does a fine job. Lillete Dubey deserved a better role.
Minissha doesn’t get any scope. Sameer Dattani barely gets one scene, but is a silent spectator in the remaining three scenes. In fact, both Minisha and Sameer look completely forced in the screenplay. Payal Rohatgi is alright.
On the whole, CORPORATE works for its gripping drama towards the second half. At the box-office, the film is targeted at the metros and the multiplex audience in particular and has all it takes to keep its target audience completely satisfied. For the producers, the moderately-budgeted film has already proved a profitable proposition and for its distributors, the merits coupled with the open week will see the film growing from strength to strength thanks to a strong word of mouth.
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ugender
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Re:Corporate - The Reviews
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2006, 10:10:25 AM »
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i watched this movie
i feel that the script could have been much more better.
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Deger
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Re:Corporate - The Reviews
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2006, 07:28:07 AM »
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Corporate: Smart and gripping
Sukanya Verma
Rediff.com
July 07, 2006 18:35 IST
When leading industrialist houses vie for the PSU (public sector unit) pie, it is a battle for profit. Principles are abandoned, manipulative tactics take over and inhabitants of the corporate world get down and dirty. It is these citizens that Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate takes an unsettling look at.
Corporate does not involve you immediately. It is alien territory, for some, and you have to pay keen attention to what its protagonists are talking about. Not only do they mean business, they talk business too. Unless you are the kind who religiously reads financial news, follows the stock markets or studies economics, it will take some time before you grasp the lingo.
The plot is widely laid out. Once the technicality of the subject is cottoned on, there are a lot of interlinked issues Bhandarkar rakes up -- like the nexus between greedy politicians and industrialists, the impact of multinational players in the market, shady workings of this trade and questionable ethics.
Over the years, with theme-oriented films like Chandni Bar, Satta and Page 3, Bhandarkar has developed a characteristic style. He picks a section of society, then hunts down everything that is directly or indirectly responsible for its supposed deterioration.
Here, corporate rivalry between Vinay Sehgal (Rajat Kapoor) and Dharmesh Marwah (Raj Babbar), Managing Directors of their respective companies -- Sehgal Group of Industries and Marwah International Private Limited -- forms the crux of the plot.
Marwah is a fanatically religious, superstitious, family guy who wears a different gemstone every day going by the daily forecasts of his spiritual guru. Sehgal is a doughnut-eating, gym-going, stylish guy with a soft spot for foreign businessmen and secret meetings with tarts.
Despite several failed attempts to do business overseas, Sehgal, on his wife's (Achint Kaur) behest, asks brother-in-law Ritesh (Kay Kay Menon) to come aboard. Girlfriend Nishigandha Dasgupta (Bipasha Basu), also a top executive in Sehgal's organisation, is only too happy to have him as a colleague. Nishi is an award-winning go-getter who sports Allen Solly suits and designer watches, and casually resorts to deceitful tactics if necessary. Bribing, stealing and spying are all part of a day's work for her.
But, since Corporate cannot be only about comfortably corrupt businessmen, it introduces a sense of till-now-misplaced conscience in Nishi's character. When Sehgal goes ahead with a deal adverse to public interests, Nishi develops cold feet.
With the ongoing debate on whether aerated drinks, reportedly containing pesticides, should be banned, Corporate is relevant. There are times when it digresses from the core issue to make unnecessary digs at a popular coffee-loving filmmaker's mannerisms.
Unlike Page 3, Bhandarkar mostly refrains from employing sex-related shock value in Corporate, except on a couple of occasions. Again, unlike Page 3, the director enhances the film's production values, giving it an elegant look, if not entirely glossy. And, just like Page 3, where drivers discussed the debauched lifestyles of their bosses, Corporate has a pair of office assistants and bodyguards taking pot shots at their lords and their mistresses.
Music is not imperative to the narrative here. Even so, Shamir Tandon's melodies nonchalantly play in the background without disrupting the pace.
A film like Corporate demands strong presence to hold the viewer by the collar. The cast emerges powerful enough to do the needful. Bipasha is consistently impressive, conveying an array of emotions ranging from tough and confident, to feminine, vulnerable and tender. She fits well into her suit and the skin of her character.
One is accustomed to seeing Kay Kay Menon in intense or chilled-out avatars. Here, he is rather passive, to the extent of being a spineless loser. And there are times when you just think of him as confused.
Rajat Kapoor's suave dynamism and cool demeanour makes him the perfect candidate to play a Gucci-clad rascal. And Raj Babbar suitably underplays the eccentric nature of his Marwah. As the thirty party politician who reaches out to every hand under the table, Gulabrao (Vinay Apte) is hilarious and believable.
Finally, there is a proposed romantic track between Minissha Lamba and Sameer Dattani, which never takes off beyond an invitation for coffee. Except for making pretty props, there is no need for these bright younglings in the movie.
With its urban premise, intricate dialogue and stark realism, Corporate might not be a box office smash. It's still a smart, gripping, honest film. And that should count for something.
Rating: 3/5
http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2006/jul/07corp.htm
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Re:Corporate - The Reviews
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2006, 01:54:44 PM »
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Page 3, Part 2
Mayank Shekhar
FILM: CORPORATE
DIRECTOR: Madhur Bhandarkar
ACTORS: Bipasha Basu, Rajat Kapoor
Rating * *
*****Speechless! ****Too good! *** Not bad at all! ** Ho-Hum! * Fuh-get-about-it
The phenomenon may not have been universal to the rest of India. But I clearly recall growing up in a middle-class home in the ’80s, when the word “business” as a profession didn't have a healthy, positive ring to it. As children, we were meant to concentrate on studies, get into schools and colleges. If all went well, the natural progression was a career in medicine, engineering or civil services. Many cousins or uncles of mine, I suspect, must have sacrificed an entrepreneurial spirit; unable to buck a safe, set trend.
The word 'corporate', as a fairly broad-based culture that channels individual excellence toward productivity, profit and private enterprise, in lieu of high rewards and high-life, entered the Indian lexicon only as late as the early ’90s. This is when business schools turned into finishing schools, a place every parent would've loved to enroll his child into.
Given the film's title, Bhandarkar perhaps intended to expose the extent to which such slick-seeming, private, corporate firms can go to protect their bottom-line. (Kids, stay away from the black-tie robber barons; become doctors, engineers or whatever else you want to do). Except, he forgot to inform us, among other things, that his film is set in the ’70s.
Two Mumbai-based giant food-processing firms, 'Sehgal Group of Industries', and 'Marwah Group of Industries' (you see my point), are warring against each other. They first lock horns over a sensitive disinvestment deal. Wherein a state-owned unit is up for sale, and the tender and contract is in the hands of a local minister. He chooses the traditional Marwah (Raj Babbar), over the trendy Sehgal (Rajat Kapoor; saving grace) for a lump-sum, quick kickback. Having lost round one; Sehgal kicks back with a new drink product. The idea of which is stolen from the main competitor by their top executive (Basu; calm and confident), in a manner that makes corporate espionage look a fairly easy, sleazy job. The drink is contaminated; the company goes ahead with the launch nonetheless. Rival Marwah attempts to win round three, with the expose.
Of course, the brainless backdrop appears a two-product paan-shop economy; two-entrepreneur business environment; one-trader stock exchange; and a government between New Delhi's North Block and Mumbai's Mantralaya that'd make a three-penny banana republic seem a First World market: So much for realism.
Reality does occasionally bite through the film though, especially in the rivetting final few minutes, when the management's mess hits the ceiling, and back-room murkiness is taken to new levels.
The impact is but marred by an incredible imbalance between the story-line, screenplay (Manoj Tyagi, Bhandarkar) and the scale of the subject at hand.
Throughout, you are left stunned by the simplicity of the take. Which can read no better than an indictment of upper-crust "capitalists" who bed the best women, wear the best clothes, and are otherwise corrupt, blood-sucking, profiteering beasts who survive only because of predictably caricatured politicians they've put into power. Especially, given the excitable obsession with decadent lives; sexual-mores; whores and pimps; were this 'Page 3, Part 2', the film could have perhaps passed muster.
My only issue with Corporate is that it is not Corporate!
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=10&articleid=77 20062334582877200623223234
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Re:Corporate - The Reviews
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2006, 01:55:15 PM »
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Corporate : Review
08th July 2006 22.00 IST
By Aparajita Ghosh
After exposing the underbelly of the glitterati in Page 3 , filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar now steps into the boardroom.
In his latest film Corporate , Bhandarkar takes a dig at the corporate world and exposes the depravity that has become an intrinsic part of the business culture in the times of cutthroat competition.
‘Corporate’ stars Bipasha Basu , Kay Kay Menon , Rajat Kapoor , Raj Babbar , Minissha Lamba , Sammir Dattani , Harsh Chaya and Lillete Dubey.
Through a simplistically told story of rivalry between two business houses, Bhandarkar brings to light the covert business tactics and the underhand ploys that are played in the game of one-upmanship between two industrialists. In the thick of this corporate tussle, Bhandarkar places the central character of his story – a smart and ambitious executive, played by Bipasha Basu.
The film has Rajat Kapoor and Raj Babbar playing two bitter rivals. Vinay Sehgal (Rajat Kapoor) and Dharmesh Marwah (Raj Babbar) are the MDs of their respective companies, Sehgal Group of Industries and Marwah International Private Limited.
While Sehgal is a stylish and modern entrepreneur, Marwah is a traditional, superstitious businessman who takes advices from his spiritual guru and wears gemstones to bring him good luck in business.
Nishigandha (Bipasha Basu) is a top executive working for Vinay Sehgal. She is clever, sly and often uses manipulation and deceit to get the work done.
Sehgal’s brother-in-law Ritesh (Kay Kay Menon) joins the company. Ritesh and Nishi are more than colleagues. They share love for each other.
Things gather pace after Nishi manages to steal a business plan from Sehgal’s rival Marwah. The plan is about a cola brand that Marwah plans to launch. To kill the competition at its very root, Sehgal launches a similar product before Marwah. But Marwah won’t take it lying low. He will hit back at Sehgal.
In the process, Nishi’s conscience is shaken as she sees basic moralities and ethics abandoned in the race for profits and one-upmanship. She also ends up paying a huge price for her ambition.
‘Corporate’ showcases the acting talent of Bipasha Basu. The actress, usually seen as a glamorous siren, has shed her typical image and given a performance full of subtle nuances. She brings in her character a right mix of toughness and vulnerability, cunningness and repentance.
Rajat Kapoor and Kay Kay Menon are two other actors who stand out. Rajat fits the role of a shrewd and guileful businessman to t. Kay Kay Menon speaks through his facial expressions. On the other hand, Raj Babbar underplays his character commendably. He convincingly plays the traditional, emotional businessman who, however, is not without moral corruption.
Minissha Lamba and Sammir Dattani have very brief roles in the film.
The first half of ‘Corporate’ is a bit of a drag, with all the business parlance and corporate lingo. The movie picks tempo after the interval and the story sort of reaches a crescendo with a moral lesson that perhaps one shouldn’t get involved in one’s job too seriously.
Although ‘Corporate’ is a well intended movie that deals with a subject that hasn’t often been told in Hindi films, but the movie eventually talks about the same business tactics and manipulations that even a layman might be aware of. And in doing so, the film actually reeks a bit of cynicism. The truth remains that there is more to the corporate world than just deceitful dealings and betrayals. At the end of the day, the film will have you believe that many of the executives in their well-preened suits and ties are morally bankrupt within.
If only this cynicism and angst can be compromised with, ‘Corporate’ emerges as a good movie that ought to be seen once.
http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20060708-4.html
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Re:Corporate - The Reviews
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2006, 01:56:20 PM »
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Bip’s sincerity shines through
Corporate
Cast: Sameer Dattani, Bipasha Basu, Minissha, Kay Kay Menon, Payal Rohatgi, Raj Babbar, Harsh Chhaya, Rajat Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Deepshikha
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
Rating:***
Madhur Bha-ndarkar has to be given credit for coming up with original ideas. One may find his execution fuzzy, but at least the ideas behind Chandni Bar, Satta, Page 3 and now Corporate are intriguing. He seems to be getting his own formula right gradually, and Corporate is a little more sophisticated than the other films. He still pays more attention to storytelling than visual quality, but one has come to expect a slightly crude, no-frills approach from Bhandarkar.
Corporate is about the rivalry between two business houses, eyeing the same leadership position in the aerated drinks and snack food market. Bhandarkar takes no sides – both Marwah (Raj Babbar) and Sehgal (Rajat Kapoor) are equally unscrupulous.
Nishigandha (Bipasha Basu) works for Sehgal with great loyalty, even if it means using unethical means to stymie the rival. The boss’s brother-in-law Ritesh (Kay Kay Menon) is her boyfriend and associate in a new project.
Bhandarkar has made the film to give ‘lesser mortals’ an idea of how things work in the corporate world, and like he had painted all of high society black in Page 3, here all the business suited executives come across as a bunch of ruthless, depraved people. From bribing bureaucrats, to pimping for politicians to hitting on women at work — they do it all. In Page 3, chauffeurs provided a running commentary from the working class point of view, in Corporate there are two peons cackling over office gossip.
There is the usual nexus with politicians — and in films, elections are always about to happen to makes things go according to the convenience of the script. A couple of real life episodes have been woven in to pique interest in the otherwise dry goings on in boardrooms — like the pesticides in colas scandal or stock market manipulations.
When things blow up, a scapegoat has to be found, and the big bosses cold-bloodedly sacrifice the weakest in the chain. Bhandarkar has chosen an effective cast, all of who carry suits well, but he has also filled in too many characters who do nothing to advance the plot or add to the drama. What, for instance, are Minissha Lamba and Samir Dattani doing but standing around looking nonplussed? Why the unnecessary character of the gay filmmaker (Manoj Joshi)?
Rajat Kapoor, Raj Babbar, Kay Kay Menon, Sandeep Mehta as slimy executives, Harsh Chhaya as a management guy with a conscience, executive Lillete Dubey as a wheeling-dealing journalist, Vinay Apte as a greasy politician, Achint Kaur as Seghal’s art patron wife (get it?) all do their parts well.
The film, obviously belongs to Bipasha Basu, who not just looks good, but also acts with startling sincerity, even though her character is not all that well-defined. Bhandarkar may create these strong women characters, but they also seem to act with their hearts rather than their minds — an ambitious career woman lets her man take credit for the work she’s done, or signs papers without looking at them. Looks like our cinema still has to wait for a female corporate honcho who gets and enjoys power, and is not left, literally, holding a baby!
http://www.deccan.com/Cinema%20Cinema/Cinema%20CinemaDescription.asp#B ip’s%20sincerity%20shines%20through
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