Where are Salman Khan, the Bachchans and Deols in ‘Apna Bombay Talkies’?

Zee Media Bureau New Delhi: With Hindi cinema turning a century old on May 3, 2013, there is a wave of excitement in every cine lover. However, some people have been put off by one major flaw of the makers of ‘Bombay Talkies’. With 20 Bollywood biggies sharing screen space for a single anthem – ‘Apna Bombay Talkies’ - that celebrates the 100 glittering years of Hindi cinema, heavy criticism is haunting the social media timelines and chat rooms off late regarding the song. What is infuriating these people? It’s the ominous omission of iconic celebrities – who made Bollywood what it is today. Even though the film – which hosted a world premiere over the weekend in Mumbai – drew in much appreciation for its four directors, the release of ‘Apna Bombay Talkies’ failed to garner good opinion. The filmmakers roped in Juhi Chawla, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Rani Mukherji, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sridevi, Ranbir Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Imran Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh to celebrate 100 years of Hindi cinema, but iconic legends like Dilip Kumar, the Bachchans, Salman Khan, the Deols, Jeetendra, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn and Kajol – to name a few - are notably missing. The absence of such legendary actors – who have delivered power-packed smashing hits during their days – has not gone unnoticed, with people highly criticising this move on the part of the filmmakers. Columnist Shobhaa De said “Not a single shot of Salman Khan in parade of Bollywood Greats ‘Bombay Talkies’? His absence registered more than several presences.” “Why is Ranveer Singh in ‘Bombay Talkies’ song? He’s done two films! Where are Amitabh, Rekha, Hema, Dharmendra? They represent B-town. Not Ranveer,” one fan ranted. “They picked actors like Sonam Kapoor, whose only contribution to Bollywood has been a handful of flop films. Imran Khan is a step above, but just barely,” another fan wrote. “If they were focussing on Bollywood dynasties, then surely the Deols, Sunny and Bobby, needed presence; Hema Malini and Dharmendra needed screen space, as did the Bachchans. This is ridiculous,” another added. Composed by Amit Trivedi, the song has been choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. Well that leaves us speechless!