34 reviews
With "That Girl in Yellow Boots", Anurag Kashyap moves into what is known as the International art-house circuit. Films here are generally about weird out of place characters stuck in emotional turmoil. Generally sexuality or the abuse of it is the undercurrent theme of most of these films. Most characters are depraved and yet seemingly deep. Most importantly most of it is about people who you will never meet or never know in real life. The situations and locations in the films will be so out of place that you will trouble identifying with almost all of them. These films are bold and more often than not for the sake of being bold.
"That Girl in Yellow Boots" is all of the above. Shot extensively well it tells a poignant story of an English girl Ruth (Kalki Koechlin) who is illegally in India. She is searching for her father who left her and her mother a long time ago. To sustain herself and pay the bribes to the authorities she works in a massage parlor where she also earns a quick thou on every hand job she does. To add to this dreary existence is a cocaine addicted boyfriend (an unknown Prashant Prakash) and a Kannada gangster (a brilliant Gulshan Devaiya last seen in Shaitan) looking to get his money back.
Many other world weary characters come and go. Like the annoyingly loquacious massage receptionist who keeps flirting on the phone (a superb Pooja Swarup), an old fatherly figure (Naseeruddin Shah) who only comes to the parlor for a good clean massage and a slimy inspector who keeps turning up and demanding money (for what reasons we are never told).
Amidst all of this the film becomes a list of interlaced seemingly disconnected scenes of either Ruth massaging (read pleasuring) someone or searching for her father by finding his namesake who has the same occupation as her father.
The film pretty much has a solid Kalki in every frame. She lights up at every opportunity that brings her nearer to her father and at the same time makes you realize her frustration as someone who is constantly meeting expectations of strangers. It is a wonderfully dark role and Kalki's silence at most times speaks volumes.
Anurag Kashyap as usual frames each shot with much care but one can't help but wonder that he seems to have blurred the line between shocking us through realistic characters in extraordinary situations and shocking us for the sake of shocking.
So in the end you might end up questioning why such unnecessarily outrageous, vulgar and sexually charged up tones are present in almost all representations in this grim mystery. Why is it that the boyfriend is such an extreme figure trying to rehabilitate himself by chaining himself to a window? Why is the gangster called Chitiappa, so that the C word can be repeated again and again? and not to mention the art decor house that Ruth lives in which seems overtly engulfed with decay. Or for that matter the shocking ending which folks would have seen coming half way through the movie (though not the identity of the person in question) I guess Anurag constantly is trying to break the barrier of how politically incorrect he can get with his movies and if the price to pay is a storyline or disconnected characters, then so be it. What he does not realize is that audience will only remember this for the shock value and not some artistic vision that the International Art-house Circuit often enjoys.
But to his credit, there is one thing that the film does prove that Anurag Kashyap can handle complex emotional subjects with amazing control and not create something that could have easily slipped into a depressing and ugly snooze fest. In the end, TGIYB would be remembered as one of the also made for a director who would eventually be counted as one of the all time greats for Indian Cinema.
Final Recommendation That Girl in Yellow Boots is worth a watch but to film freaks who like to be shocked and are looking for the discerning stuff esp. for fans of Gaspar Noe and Lars Von Trier. For other enthusiastic fans of the multiplex movies (read Shaitan, Dev D etc. ) this may not be the shoe they want to try on. Fans of commercial fare like Wanted and Dabangg might as well stay miles away from this lest they get nightmares.
"That Girl in Yellow Boots" is all of the above. Shot extensively well it tells a poignant story of an English girl Ruth (Kalki Koechlin) who is illegally in India. She is searching for her father who left her and her mother a long time ago. To sustain herself and pay the bribes to the authorities she works in a massage parlor where she also earns a quick thou on every hand job she does. To add to this dreary existence is a cocaine addicted boyfriend (an unknown Prashant Prakash) and a Kannada gangster (a brilliant Gulshan Devaiya last seen in Shaitan) looking to get his money back.
Many other world weary characters come and go. Like the annoyingly loquacious massage receptionist who keeps flirting on the phone (a superb Pooja Swarup), an old fatherly figure (Naseeruddin Shah) who only comes to the parlor for a good clean massage and a slimy inspector who keeps turning up and demanding money (for what reasons we are never told).
Amidst all of this the film becomes a list of interlaced seemingly disconnected scenes of either Ruth massaging (read pleasuring) someone or searching for her father by finding his namesake who has the same occupation as her father.
The film pretty much has a solid Kalki in every frame. She lights up at every opportunity that brings her nearer to her father and at the same time makes you realize her frustration as someone who is constantly meeting expectations of strangers. It is a wonderfully dark role and Kalki's silence at most times speaks volumes.
Anurag Kashyap as usual frames each shot with much care but one can't help but wonder that he seems to have blurred the line between shocking us through realistic characters in extraordinary situations and shocking us for the sake of shocking.
So in the end you might end up questioning why such unnecessarily outrageous, vulgar and sexually charged up tones are present in almost all representations in this grim mystery. Why is it that the boyfriend is such an extreme figure trying to rehabilitate himself by chaining himself to a window? Why is the gangster called Chitiappa, so that the C word can be repeated again and again? and not to mention the art decor house that Ruth lives in which seems overtly engulfed with decay. Or for that matter the shocking ending which folks would have seen coming half way through the movie (though not the identity of the person in question) I guess Anurag constantly is trying to break the barrier of how politically incorrect he can get with his movies and if the price to pay is a storyline or disconnected characters, then so be it. What he does not realize is that audience will only remember this for the shock value and not some artistic vision that the International Art-house Circuit often enjoys.
But to his credit, there is one thing that the film does prove that Anurag Kashyap can handle complex emotional subjects with amazing control and not create something that could have easily slipped into a depressing and ugly snooze fest. In the end, TGIYB would be remembered as one of the also made for a director who would eventually be counted as one of the all time greats for Indian Cinema.
Final Recommendation That Girl in Yellow Boots is worth a watch but to film freaks who like to be shocked and are looking for the discerning stuff esp. for fans of Gaspar Noe and Lars Von Trier. For other enthusiastic fans of the multiplex movies (read Shaitan, Dev D etc. ) this may not be the shoe they want to try on. Fans of commercial fare like Wanted and Dabangg might as well stay miles away from this lest they get nightmares.
- kaustubh-rajnish
- Sep 3, 2011
- Permalink
I started watching this movie just to pass my time. I hadn't read any review or had any expectations.
The film brings out the true state of the existing conditions in India. Of many of which I myself have seen in real life. Though many people claim that it is not so bad.
The storyline is very genuine and believable and you soon get caught up in the twists.
The main character Ruth is very convincing. It is very difficult to predict what will happen next in the story.
I loved the female who manned the massage desk. Her telephone conversations were so entertaining and true to life.
The ending was totally unexpected. I had tears in my eyes.
The film brings out the true state of the existing conditions in India. Of many of which I myself have seen in real life. Though many people claim that it is not so bad.
The storyline is very genuine and believable and you soon get caught up in the twists.
The main character Ruth is very convincing. It is very difficult to predict what will happen next in the story.
I loved the female who manned the massage desk. Her telephone conversations were so entertaining and true to life.
The ending was totally unexpected. I had tears in my eyes.
- sanjay-patole
- Nov 5, 2011
- Permalink
I consider myself a big fan of Anurag Kashyap and think Gulaal to be one of the best movies made in Bollywood. In that perspective, I think this movie doesn't live up to expectations and is quite avoidable.
The movie does well in taking you through the Mumbai underbelly from the eyes of an illegal foreign immigrant and inspires images from Shantaram. However, the story is too loose. If it was intended to be a mystery/ thriller, it doesn't have enough pace and coherence. It just keeps jumping back and forth b/w Kalki giving customers hand shakes and randomly following leads to locate her father.
The best sequence in the movie is Kalki narrating her father's death to the gangster when he comes for a massage. The revelation at the end of the movie is shocking and disgusting but there is no build up to it which would make it sort of an inevitable end. It comes as if it's there in order to shock you rather than being the purpose of the story all along. The extremely unconvincing and weak performance of Kalki's father is the weakest link in the movie.
The subject and the first 40-50 minutes are promising and this movie could have been much more. The last 20-25 minutes are a dampener, if you don't give too much thought to the shock/ disgust aspect of the end.
To conclude - Just about an average, "art" movie that might appeal to you because of its "boldness" and being out of line with "societal norms". But very average story line, acting and direction.
The movie does well in taking you through the Mumbai underbelly from the eyes of an illegal foreign immigrant and inspires images from Shantaram. However, the story is too loose. If it was intended to be a mystery/ thriller, it doesn't have enough pace and coherence. It just keeps jumping back and forth b/w Kalki giving customers hand shakes and randomly following leads to locate her father.
The best sequence in the movie is Kalki narrating her father's death to the gangster when he comes for a massage. The revelation at the end of the movie is shocking and disgusting but there is no build up to it which would make it sort of an inevitable end. It comes as if it's there in order to shock you rather than being the purpose of the story all along. The extremely unconvincing and weak performance of Kalki's father is the weakest link in the movie.
The subject and the first 40-50 minutes are promising and this movie could have been much more. The last 20-25 minutes are a dampener, if you don't give too much thought to the shock/ disgust aspect of the end.
To conclude - Just about an average, "art" movie that might appeal to you because of its "boldness" and being out of line with "societal norms". But very average story line, acting and direction.
- jain-anirudh
- Oct 4, 2011
- Permalink
Steve Jobs, the 'ex' CEO of Apple Inc. once said, "It isn't consumers' job to know what they want." This mantra fits well for the new age cult filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who has drawn a strong line between the mainstream and the parallel with all his movies as a director or a writer. Following those words, made them respected names in their arenas.
His latest offering That Girl In Yellow Boots, co-written by Kalki, is "socially" not intended for the audience we see in this country. God knows how he arrived at the concept of this movie...may be after getting intoxicated and sunken into the pervert sex stories? After scripting this idea and actually materializing it into a feature film needs gutsy balls. Said it. Indian producers are obviously not that ballsy to produce it, only if they get time and money from puke-like sugar candies and silly remakes. So valid is the irony of this filmmaking: 13 days to shoot the entire film and 2 years to release it! Coming upon the movie, Ruth Edscer (played by Kalki) in her metaphoric Yellow Boots is trapped in labyrinthine Mumbai, in search of a man who she hasn't seen since childhood and he also happens to be her father. In this quest, she comes across men of all kind- some "Men is Dog" kind at foreigner's registration office, a generous Diwakar (Naseeruddin Shah) at the massage parlor with the name "Aspaspa" where she works without a permit, his druggie boyfriend Prashant (Prashant Prakash), gang-man Chittiappa (Gulshan Devaiya) are some to mention. The numerous male characterization sets layers for the story to proceed: Makarand Deshpande as post master, Ronit Roy as a humble but unhelpful policeman, Piyush Mishra as a rickshaw-wallah and also Rajat Kapoor.
Fixed with the plot, the film runs for around 1hour 30 minutes with each frame mellowed with dark creativity of arts and lights (reason: low production this time, may be) adds a charm to the kind of the tale it is paced to tell. Rajeev Rai's camera work with some guerrilla technique shots, trademarks the Anurag Kashyap kind of filming. Editing by Shweta Venkat and the parallel storytelling carves to enter the dark psyche of the protagonist. The debut music director Naren Chandavarkar grips harder onto the film with the background score- a striking folk genre sung by Shilpa Rao to portray the lead Ruth.
Performances of almost every character, as they appear on the screen, hits hard - be it Makarand Deshpande only for seconds or Naseer Saab in all his short appearances. The other support Prakash and Chittiappa are worth watch. And to find a humor in this dark tale, there is Maya as the manger of Aspaspa, played by Puja Swaroop. Kalki is thrilling as Ruth, speaks with silence and her eyes.
Kashyap, as always, asks his audience to feel the movie rather than to enjoy it. And, once you are sunken into the concept he pictures here, you are shocked with its disturbing climax. With the Indian Censor Board passing this concept and National Film Development Corporation producing it, I see some maturity in them and expects the same from the audience. Digest this. Have Gelucil. No puking.
An urge to the Bollywooders: If a director, known for his critically acclaimed work, risks it with his future on stake and has balls enough to throw an idea beyond the scope of Bollywood that producers will never risk, isn't it your job as a part of liberal cinema lovers to see the bar rising just at the cost of a movie ticket and some time? Like. Dislike. Your say. Ideas need to be projected.
His latest offering That Girl In Yellow Boots, co-written by Kalki, is "socially" not intended for the audience we see in this country. God knows how he arrived at the concept of this movie...may be after getting intoxicated and sunken into the pervert sex stories? After scripting this idea and actually materializing it into a feature film needs gutsy balls. Said it. Indian producers are obviously not that ballsy to produce it, only if they get time and money from puke-like sugar candies and silly remakes. So valid is the irony of this filmmaking: 13 days to shoot the entire film and 2 years to release it! Coming upon the movie, Ruth Edscer (played by Kalki) in her metaphoric Yellow Boots is trapped in labyrinthine Mumbai, in search of a man who she hasn't seen since childhood and he also happens to be her father. In this quest, she comes across men of all kind- some "Men is Dog" kind at foreigner's registration office, a generous Diwakar (Naseeruddin Shah) at the massage parlor with the name "Aspaspa" where she works without a permit, his druggie boyfriend Prashant (Prashant Prakash), gang-man Chittiappa (Gulshan Devaiya) are some to mention. The numerous male characterization sets layers for the story to proceed: Makarand Deshpande as post master, Ronit Roy as a humble but unhelpful policeman, Piyush Mishra as a rickshaw-wallah and also Rajat Kapoor.
Fixed with the plot, the film runs for around 1hour 30 minutes with each frame mellowed with dark creativity of arts and lights (reason: low production this time, may be) adds a charm to the kind of the tale it is paced to tell. Rajeev Rai's camera work with some guerrilla technique shots, trademarks the Anurag Kashyap kind of filming. Editing by Shweta Venkat and the parallel storytelling carves to enter the dark psyche of the protagonist. The debut music director Naren Chandavarkar grips harder onto the film with the background score- a striking folk genre sung by Shilpa Rao to portray the lead Ruth.
Performances of almost every character, as they appear on the screen, hits hard - be it Makarand Deshpande only for seconds or Naseer Saab in all his short appearances. The other support Prakash and Chittiappa are worth watch. And to find a humor in this dark tale, there is Maya as the manger of Aspaspa, played by Puja Swaroop. Kalki is thrilling as Ruth, speaks with silence and her eyes.
Kashyap, as always, asks his audience to feel the movie rather than to enjoy it. And, once you are sunken into the concept he pictures here, you are shocked with its disturbing climax. With the Indian Censor Board passing this concept and National Film Development Corporation producing it, I see some maturity in them and expects the same from the audience. Digest this. Have Gelucil. No puking.
An urge to the Bollywooders: If a director, known for his critically acclaimed work, risks it with his future on stake and has balls enough to throw an idea beyond the scope of Bollywood that producers will never risk, isn't it your job as a part of liberal cinema lovers to see the bar rising just at the cost of a movie ticket and some time? Like. Dislike. Your say. Ideas need to be projected.
- thepuccacritic
- Aug 29, 2011
- Permalink
It really is a tough movie to watch. And not just because it switches languages, but because of the theme of the movie. You have a daughter searching for the father. So be prepared for a story that does drag and is not really filled with much excitement. No pun intended, especially considering on how she makes money and tries to get information out of people (again no pun intended with this either of course).
So while on a mission we can see certain things in society, how she is being treated, how she behaves, what she has to do and to what lengths she is willing to go for the truth. You can say that there is feminism in there, but the important thing is, an individual trying to get to the bottom of things ...
So while on a mission we can see certain things in society, how she is being treated, how she behaves, what she has to do and to what lengths she is willing to go for the truth. You can say that there is feminism in there, but the important thing is, an individual trying to get to the bottom of things ...
You can simply HATE or LOVE Anurag Kashyap Movies but you can't just Ignore it,
this movie has just blown my mind,
Movie passes through many events which are hard to Resist, but in modern society we go through it thoroughly, if you don't believe me watch news daily.
the people who don't like experimental and Dark Version films may not enjoy this film much,
Kalki Koechlin's Acting was stunning & gripping, 👌👌 She plays a character named "Ruth Edscer" a British woman who comes to India, to search her father.
the whole movie is above our imagination. this movie was completely ahead of that time-period.
i enjoyed it totally, i give it 9/10 Stars
Thank you. 😉👍
- anuragvijay-12887
- Jul 5, 2020
- Permalink
Anurag Kashyap ("Water") delivers another stunningly controversial masterpiece with "That Girl In Yellow Boots". True to form as one of India's leading modern indie filmmakers, this film will bedazzle and shock you. Kashyap takes us on a colourful and dangerous journey through the underbelly of Bombay experienced through the eyes of Ruth (Kalki Koechlin).
Kalki Koechlin (winner, best supporting actress Filmfare, "Dev. D") co wrote this sizzling script with Kashyap. Every character is remarkably fleshed out from Ruth herself to the thugs running drug rackets and the girls and their clients in the massage parlour. The growing reality of the size of the sex trade in India inspired Kashyap to conceive of this story and to collaborate with Koechlin on the script. ..
Kalki Koechlin (winner, best supporting actress Filmfare, "Dev. D") co wrote this sizzling script with Kashyap. Every character is remarkably fleshed out from Ruth herself to the thugs running drug rackets and the girls and their clients in the massage parlour. The growing reality of the size of the sex trade in India inspired Kashyap to conceive of this story and to collaborate with Koechlin on the script. ..
Anurag Kashyap Cinema is different, daring & fascinating. 'Black Friday', which was the best film of it's time, left me spell-bound. 'Dev D', according to me, was a terrific portrayal of Devdas, which deserved more success commercially. 'Gulaal', though far from his best, yet it left an impression. With 'That Girl in Yellow Boots', he takes his cinema to a different level. This is his darkest film to date. It's a difficult film, where no-character, comes across as clean, including the protagonist.
What I find commendable, is Kashyap's knowledge of going-out-of-the-box. He chooses themes many filmmakers don't choose to execute, and yet he delivers films that truly have something going for them. 'That Girl in Yellow Boots' ranks amongst his bravest attempts to date. Also, Kashyap successfully churns out Incredible Performances, from it's talented cast.
'That Girl in Yellow Boots' Synopsis: A British woman faces challenges while attempting to locate her father in India.
The protagonist, Ruth, played superbly by Kalki Koechlin, is a persuasive personality. Her journey of finding her father, comes along-with a lot of challenges, that are sometimes hard to watch. Also, her relationship with her troubled boyfriend, who screws up big time, is absorbing.
Kashyap & Kalki's Screenplay is daring & difficult. However, despite it's dark/depressing theme, the Husband-Wife duo manage to deliver captivating moments in the goings-on. But, I would love to add that, the Climax, falls flat and is not convincing enough. The true identity of Ruth's Father, disappoints & leaves you in mixed-emotions.
Kashyap's Direction is straight-forward. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are appropriate. Performance-Wise: Kalki delivers a superb performance as Ruth. The Under-Rated Actress is believable all through. Naseeruddin Shah is as usual. Gulshan Devaiya as the twisted Chittiappa, does a Tour-De-Force. The actor is absolutely stunning, and this is a performance, that easily ranks amongst the best of 2011. Prashant Prakash is first-rate. Pooja Swaroop is hugely impressive. In cameos, Ronit Roy, Makrand Deshpande, Shiv Kumar Subramaniam & Piyush Mishra, are noticeable.
On the whole, Despite a patchy ending, 'That Girl in Yellow Boots' is a well-made film, with Incredible Performances working on it's advantage.
What I find commendable, is Kashyap's knowledge of going-out-of-the-box. He chooses themes many filmmakers don't choose to execute, and yet he delivers films that truly have something going for them. 'That Girl in Yellow Boots' ranks amongst his bravest attempts to date. Also, Kashyap successfully churns out Incredible Performances, from it's talented cast.
'That Girl in Yellow Boots' Synopsis: A British woman faces challenges while attempting to locate her father in India.
The protagonist, Ruth, played superbly by Kalki Koechlin, is a persuasive personality. Her journey of finding her father, comes along-with a lot of challenges, that are sometimes hard to watch. Also, her relationship with her troubled boyfriend, who screws up big time, is absorbing.
Kashyap & Kalki's Screenplay is daring & difficult. However, despite it's dark/depressing theme, the Husband-Wife duo manage to deliver captivating moments in the goings-on. But, I would love to add that, the Climax, falls flat and is not convincing enough. The true identity of Ruth's Father, disappoints & leaves you in mixed-emotions.
Kashyap's Direction is straight-forward. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are appropriate. Performance-Wise: Kalki delivers a superb performance as Ruth. The Under-Rated Actress is believable all through. Naseeruddin Shah is as usual. Gulshan Devaiya as the twisted Chittiappa, does a Tour-De-Force. The actor is absolutely stunning, and this is a performance, that easily ranks amongst the best of 2011. Prashant Prakash is first-rate. Pooja Swaroop is hugely impressive. In cameos, Ronit Roy, Makrand Deshpande, Shiv Kumar Subramaniam & Piyush Mishra, are noticeable.
On the whole, Despite a patchy ending, 'That Girl in Yellow Boots' is a well-made film, with Incredible Performances working on it's advantage.
A Gripping story that follows a female protagonist .. She is a foreigner in India trying to find her father. This film is not for the faint hearted as it will leave you with an impact and shock. The performances are top-notch from Kalki Koelchi, Kumud Mishra , Gulshan Deviaah and Nasserrudin Shah.
This is a dark neo noir thriller made primarily in the Mumbai underbelly and in shady massage parlours.
Ruth(Kalki Koechlin) arrives in India at the registar's office seeking a visa while looking for her father who has left England abruptly years earlier. Ruth later works as a masseuse in a seedy massage parlor in the heart of Mumbai. This is not Cinderella finding a golden slipper or a charming prince; instead it is a dark and sad view of human nature. We meet Ruth's coke-head drug dealing boyfriend and a long line of low life's populating the massage parlor and its' surroundings.
The directors' eye for detail is strong and the acting is fine overall, but the story is a typical melodrama, never really developing into anything memorable. Ms. Koechlin as Ruth is the only reason for watching this film, she is much better than the material she is working with here, definitely an actress to look for in the future.
The directors' eye for detail is strong and the acting is fine overall, but the story is a typical melodrama, never really developing into anything memorable. Ms. Koechlin as Ruth is the only reason for watching this film, she is much better than the material she is working with here, definitely an actress to look for in the future.
- nandita-nehru
- Dec 31, 2011
- Permalink
During the film, we realized who the father could be, but unfortunately, they made an even sadder outcome, I liked it very much, the film seems to be a real portrait of India and reflects the machismo, incestuo and pedophilia existing in all corners of the world, disgusting, disgusting, revolting... The girl is beautiful, an excellent actress, I felt attachment, pity, and represents many women, disgusted by these scrotum males...
- RosanaBotafogo
- Jul 4, 2020
- Permalink
- sribornagain-394-460163
- Jun 12, 2012
- Permalink
There are certain masked aspects of society which when revealed reflect the filthy side of otherwise laminated societal structure. That Girl in yellow Boots revolves around one such aspect of society which will shock the audience and they will question their foundation. But one need to have a strong belly to digest the film even though all knows whatever depicted is brutally real. This movie which was not getting producer since its inception finally rescued by NFDC thus making its presence felt in International film festival circuits. With a US distributor on board the film will be getting an International release and it deserves that.
Anurag Kashyap collaborated with his wife Kalki Koechlin to write the script of this dark slice of life film. Like Dhobi Ghaat the film revolves around few protagonists but similarity ends there. While the former dealt with softer side of relationships TGIYB reflects the darker side of human nature which is hidden beneath sophistication. Anurag Kashyap knows the darker side of metros like no other director and after exploring Delhi in Dev D the director chose Mumbai and its by-lane to tell the story of Ruth (Played by Kalki) of Indo-British origin. She comes to India in search of her father, who has left the family when she was 5 years old. There are few other characters surrounding Ruth's life. Sid is her boyfriend whose fiend is preoccupied with his d*ck and drugs and the other man Divakar (played by Naseeruddin Shah) who comes for leg massage from Ruth everyday and has a fatherly affection towards her. Amidst her life in the massage parlor Ruth saves money which she uses on search of her father. While digging on the truth some twisted shocking facts comes out which changes the way Ruth perceives few people and things.
Anurag Kashyap keeps his script simple this time with imagery over powering the narrative as the objects in each frame symbolizing something or the other. It is through Ruth's eyes the pervasive man's nature in a metro is laid under a scanner. The "Yellow" color symbolized the psychedelic state of Dev's mind in his earlier masterpiece Dev D. In this movie Yellow symbolizes aberration. It reflects something which is twisted and off-path from societal normal functioning. The clumsy looking yellow boots radiates the confused state of Ruth's mind the way she is vulnerable and hard towards Sid because of whom she looses 57000. The yellow boots also symbolizes the uneasy state of Ruth's existence as she becomes restless in search of her father, perturbed about getting her Visa which is delayed due to evergreen redtapism, edgy about her feelings as she watches Osho but then feel disturbed in getting laid only to satisfy her BF with a hand job. Kashyap is a maverick director who is simply genius in his direction and here also he is simply flawless in execution. All the characters came to live with his finer sense of camera angles, lights and color. He uses the shades of yellow to highlight different state of Ruth. Through Divakar,Sid,local goon Chuttiyappa (brilliantly played by Gulshan Devaiyya who was earlier seen in Shaitan) he tried to hint upon certain Grey shades of society-Grey in terms of optimism as well as negativity. With able support from Shweta Venkat in editing department and Kashyap's patent Rajeev Ravi in camera the director creates the perfect setting needed for the realistic thriller. Most of the time one cant predict the next frame thus showing the brilliance of Venkat's editing. Appreciation would remain incomplete without mentioning Washinq Khan's flawless set design and Shubra Gupta's costume. Naren Chanravarkar and Benedict Taylor's music is easy on ear and in tune with the narrative. Amongst the actor Kalki is in brilliant form as the lady in search of her father. She raises her own bar with this film and look forward to such finer works by her. She should also be given credit for weaving the story which is indeed shockingly real for Indian masses. Language is real and bold but one is witness to such cuss words in Delhi Belly so hopefully it will not come as shocker accept for hand job sequences. Naseeruddin Shah surrenders himself to Mr Kashyap and renders a spontaneous performance. Prashant Prakash's is simply brilliant in his debut film and is an actor to look for. Gulshan Devaiyya rocked as KC in Shaitan and here was at his menacing best as Chutiyappa.Pooja Swaroop excels as blabbering Maya. Divya Jagdale and Shiv Subramaniam did a good job in their respective roles. There are also fine actors like Piyush Mishra, Markand Deshpande, Ronit Roy in one off sequences.
Anurag Kashyap improves himself with each film and through every film he elevates the level of Indian cinema to the next step. TGIYB is one such thriller which will not crash the BO but will surely be remembered in the history of Indian cinema for its brilliance. The film is real, hard, shocking and for a selective audience. If you are a lover of independent cinema then go for this one and you won't be disappointed.
Anurag Kashyap collaborated with his wife Kalki Koechlin to write the script of this dark slice of life film. Like Dhobi Ghaat the film revolves around few protagonists but similarity ends there. While the former dealt with softer side of relationships TGIYB reflects the darker side of human nature which is hidden beneath sophistication. Anurag Kashyap knows the darker side of metros like no other director and after exploring Delhi in Dev D the director chose Mumbai and its by-lane to tell the story of Ruth (Played by Kalki) of Indo-British origin. She comes to India in search of her father, who has left the family when she was 5 years old. There are few other characters surrounding Ruth's life. Sid is her boyfriend whose fiend is preoccupied with his d*ck and drugs and the other man Divakar (played by Naseeruddin Shah) who comes for leg massage from Ruth everyday and has a fatherly affection towards her. Amidst her life in the massage parlor Ruth saves money which she uses on search of her father. While digging on the truth some twisted shocking facts comes out which changes the way Ruth perceives few people and things.
Anurag Kashyap keeps his script simple this time with imagery over powering the narrative as the objects in each frame symbolizing something or the other. It is through Ruth's eyes the pervasive man's nature in a metro is laid under a scanner. The "Yellow" color symbolized the psychedelic state of Dev's mind in his earlier masterpiece Dev D. In this movie Yellow symbolizes aberration. It reflects something which is twisted and off-path from societal normal functioning. The clumsy looking yellow boots radiates the confused state of Ruth's mind the way she is vulnerable and hard towards Sid because of whom she looses 57000. The yellow boots also symbolizes the uneasy state of Ruth's existence as she becomes restless in search of her father, perturbed about getting her Visa which is delayed due to evergreen redtapism, edgy about her feelings as she watches Osho but then feel disturbed in getting laid only to satisfy her BF with a hand job. Kashyap is a maverick director who is simply genius in his direction and here also he is simply flawless in execution. All the characters came to live with his finer sense of camera angles, lights and color. He uses the shades of yellow to highlight different state of Ruth. Through Divakar,Sid,local goon Chuttiyappa (brilliantly played by Gulshan Devaiyya who was earlier seen in Shaitan) he tried to hint upon certain Grey shades of society-Grey in terms of optimism as well as negativity. With able support from Shweta Venkat in editing department and Kashyap's patent Rajeev Ravi in camera the director creates the perfect setting needed for the realistic thriller. Most of the time one cant predict the next frame thus showing the brilliance of Venkat's editing. Appreciation would remain incomplete without mentioning Washinq Khan's flawless set design and Shubra Gupta's costume. Naren Chanravarkar and Benedict Taylor's music is easy on ear and in tune with the narrative. Amongst the actor Kalki is in brilliant form as the lady in search of her father. She raises her own bar with this film and look forward to such finer works by her. She should also be given credit for weaving the story which is indeed shockingly real for Indian masses. Language is real and bold but one is witness to such cuss words in Delhi Belly so hopefully it will not come as shocker accept for hand job sequences. Naseeruddin Shah surrenders himself to Mr Kashyap and renders a spontaneous performance. Prashant Prakash's is simply brilliant in his debut film and is an actor to look for. Gulshan Devaiyya rocked as KC in Shaitan and here was at his menacing best as Chutiyappa.Pooja Swaroop excels as blabbering Maya. Divya Jagdale and Shiv Subramaniam did a good job in their respective roles. There are also fine actors like Piyush Mishra, Markand Deshpande, Ronit Roy in one off sequences.
Anurag Kashyap improves himself with each film and through every film he elevates the level of Indian cinema to the next step. TGIYB is one such thriller which will not crash the BO but will surely be remembered in the history of Indian cinema for its brilliance. The film is real, hard, shocking and for a selective audience. If you are a lover of independent cinema then go for this one and you won't be disappointed.
- rangdetumpy
- Dec 20, 2011
- Permalink
Emily, a troubled British girl, embarks on a dark journey in the slums of Mumbai to find her long lost father. She'll learn a lesson that could be useful for us too: sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Ignorance about people, places, ideas. The world isn't our playground.
Brilliant script, good acting but definitely not for everyone.
Brilliant script, good acting but definitely not for everyone.
- borgolarici
- Jan 19, 2021
- Permalink
- silvan-desouza
- Mar 23, 2014
- Permalink
Truly an achievement for Indian cinema...Anurag Kashyap, the writer of films WATER and SATYA and director of films, Black Friday, Dev D, gulaal has given a good film... This film is not your typical bollywood song/dance love story. This is independent Indian cinema... Overall the film is told well, but it could have been better.... I still prefer Anurag Kashyaps BLACK Friday and Gulaal (For its poetic touch)....
This man is the future of Indian cinema along with this filmmaker named Dibakar Bannerjee...Other great filmmakers include Vishal Baradwaj (Maqbool, Omkara), ashutosh Gawarikar (Lagaan, Swades, Jodhaa Akbar) and Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par, Rang De Basanti, Dhobi Ghat)....
Watch this film if you want to see cinema from India BEYOND bollywood
This man is the future of Indian cinema along with this filmmaker named Dibakar Bannerjee...Other great filmmakers include Vishal Baradwaj (Maqbool, Omkara), ashutosh Gawarikar (Lagaan, Swades, Jodhaa Akbar) and Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par, Rang De Basanti, Dhobi Ghat)....
Watch this film if you want to see cinema from India BEYOND bollywood
- chirag-shah86
- Aug 22, 2011
- Permalink
A gritty script backed by bold and brilliant performance by Kalki. Gulshan's character also needs a mention, he's emerging out to be a matured actor.
I loved those random unconnected appearances of powerful actors like Piyush Mishra, Makrand Deshpande, Ronit Roy & Rajat Kapoor; they alongwith Naseeruddin's character very finely & subtly divert u from your expectations or predictions...
Backed by brilliant camera-work and music, we're left surprised that a movie shot on handycam can have such a mesmerizing effect... A few scenes and sequences leave a mesmerizing effect... Kalki's smoking scene with traffic lights in background; The whole 'Chhitiyapa' ki entry wala sequence are just brilliantly executed... Ending leaves you with a fine food for thought! AK has that effect that we can't just ignore; can't just afford to miss a second in the movie... AK is definitely the GOD of the Indian new wave...
I loved those random unconnected appearances of powerful actors like Piyush Mishra, Makrand Deshpande, Ronit Roy & Rajat Kapoor; they alongwith Naseeruddin's character very finely & subtly divert u from your expectations or predictions...
Backed by brilliant camera-work and music, we're left surprised that a movie shot on handycam can have such a mesmerizing effect... A few scenes and sequences leave a mesmerizing effect... Kalki's smoking scene with traffic lights in background; The whole 'Chhitiyapa' ki entry wala sequence are just brilliantly executed... Ending leaves you with a fine food for thought! AK has that effect that we can't just ignore; can't just afford to miss a second in the movie... AK is definitely the GOD of the Indian new wave...
- hardeep-pathak
- May 14, 2012
- Permalink
Kalki and gulshan were amazing , their delivered their best performance and movie was good not bad , not the best by anurag but it was worth watching
Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin are the real geniuses behind this movie! Superb writing, direction & acting. Loved it so much! The concept was fresh for Indian Audiences. The dialogues are unapologetic which sometimes do make you feel uncomfortable. Gulshan Devaiah's comedic timing was bang on. What an amazing debut! The songs and the music give the movie are very unique feel. Hats off to Varun Grover for that. The twist was revealed so boldly! Of watched again you could actually see the foreshadowing that was quite evident. Very unique, very engaging! Loved it a lot!
- shkamath-01355
- Jul 26, 2020
- Permalink
This is ourstanding-ly bad. Just absolutely woeful it really is. Your Bombay accent won't save this film. The rest of the world want happy endings, no the rest of the world want better movies, better stories and better quality than this. There's a lack of chemistry and connection which is apparent early on. You hope some revealing skin and are left disappointed as some sort of a back story comes in the third act. Nothing fits with Bombay, there's no logic and nothing is interesting I wasn't even fooled with the seductive looks of the lead role. I cannot believe I was subjected to this utter trash.
- mattfrancis-03963
- Jun 19, 2021
- Permalink
One of the key protagonists of New Age Indian Cinema,Anurag Kashyap returns with his another unusual film with a strange title THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS, which has already won critical acclaim in many film festivals abroad. As per his reputation of a daringly different film- maker, Anurag gives you exactly what was expected from him, a path breaking, bold and disturbing, realistic film which mainly calls for a strictly adult viewing.
With his own stylish shot taking techniques and sequences, this time Anurag goes into the filthy world of a local massage parlor of Mumbai, where you are offered pleasure services, a little more than just a massage. In clear words, here is something which you have never seen before in an Indian mainstream movie ever. And to be precise you can easily call it 'A Soft Porn' too served in the name of New Age Indian Cinema to the audience, minus the visual depiction of the term.
Here I really don't mean that it's a bad film. THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS is undoubtedly, a perfect example of a powerful controversial cinema which takes into the dark real world of oral sex, drug addiction and child abuse. It is a journey of a girl who is in search of both her own self and her lost father, who she thinks, is the only person in the world still loving her.
The film starts off sarcastically, revealing the silly work ethics of a government office dealing with foreigners in a real stupid manner and then it moves into a different world of drugs, sex and love all of a sudden. The director even takes you into Pune's OSHO Commune with the girl enquiring about her father, who has written a letter to her recently from there and he also shows a glimpse of OSHO's discourse running on a TVin one of the film's sequences. However the director's purpose of using this reference remains unclear and confusing. Keeping in mind the funny remarks made by his characters over the copyright issue of the commune, it looks like Anurag wanted to highlight the deteriorating state of the movement, fast heading towards an un-required commercialization.
Anyway, returning to the film, overall it just remains a fine out of the box attempt for me, which sadly never makes a rock solid impact on the viewer even with its shockingly disgusting climax. In fact if you are an avid lover of the world cinema, then the chances are that you might guess the climax much before it comes in front of you on the screen.
Moreover, it becomes repetitive in the mid and also doesn't give you the main story idea of the writer very clearly. The script basically starts emphasizing on the girl's search for her father after almost one hour and until then the director keeps on showing the related sequences about her good clients, her drug addict boy friend, a south gangster and the girl sitting at the massage parlor's reception talking endlessly on her phone. And the sad part is that most of these characters remain half baked on the screen, unlike a Anurag Kashyap film.
Besides there are many known friends of Anurag doing their very short cameos in the film just as a courtesy, such as Piyush Mishra, Rajat Kapoor, Makrand Deshpande and Ronit Roy, which doesn't really serve any purpose.
In terms of technical production, it is a superb project and in terms of performances its a winning stroke from Kalki Koechlin as the confused girl. But I didn't find the film connecting with the audience at an emotional level. At the most, it simply can be called a never before kind of Indian Film with some highly sexual gestures, taking away the actual limelight from the film itself and its main theme. It no doubt stuns you in its final moments but you don't walk out of the hall highly impressed. The film actually lacks the conflicting drama, which the subject really demanded and therefore in the end it remains a rather bold but less satisfying project from Anurag Kashyap .unexpectedly. Further, co-written by Kalki and Anurag together, TGIYB seems to be more a Kalki's film than a Anurag Kashyap's brainchild. She is wonderful as The Girl in Yellow Boots, but how many times she will go on repeating herself in such psycho kind of roles, that's my question to the girl? Prashant Prakash as her boy-friend is naturally impressive and Gulshan Devaiya shows off his inner talent, even in an under-written role of a disturbed don.
On the whole, with TGIYB, Anurag certainly takes the wave of New Age Indian Cinema a few steps ahead, but still I cannot rate the film as one of his best efforts till date in any case. However, if you only consider the boldness in its open sexual content, then it surely is a path- breaking attempt by the off-beat director in Indian Cinema, unarguably.
Summing up, I want to end this review raising a few questions in front of all film-makers following this trend of experimental, new age cinema, which came to my mind while watching THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS .. "Does a new age movie or an experimental film, always supposed to be written around Sex and Perverts? "Do we always need to make such movies around Unusual Sex, Child Abuse, Lesbians, Eunuchs and Gay characters?" and "Is New Age Cinema only dependent and concerned about such repeated subjects only?"
Just give it a thought?
With his own stylish shot taking techniques and sequences, this time Anurag goes into the filthy world of a local massage parlor of Mumbai, where you are offered pleasure services, a little more than just a massage. In clear words, here is something which you have never seen before in an Indian mainstream movie ever. And to be precise you can easily call it 'A Soft Porn' too served in the name of New Age Indian Cinema to the audience, minus the visual depiction of the term.
Here I really don't mean that it's a bad film. THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS is undoubtedly, a perfect example of a powerful controversial cinema which takes into the dark real world of oral sex, drug addiction and child abuse. It is a journey of a girl who is in search of both her own self and her lost father, who she thinks, is the only person in the world still loving her.
The film starts off sarcastically, revealing the silly work ethics of a government office dealing with foreigners in a real stupid manner and then it moves into a different world of drugs, sex and love all of a sudden. The director even takes you into Pune's OSHO Commune with the girl enquiring about her father, who has written a letter to her recently from there and he also shows a glimpse of OSHO's discourse running on a TVin one of the film's sequences. However the director's purpose of using this reference remains unclear and confusing. Keeping in mind the funny remarks made by his characters over the copyright issue of the commune, it looks like Anurag wanted to highlight the deteriorating state of the movement, fast heading towards an un-required commercialization.
Anyway, returning to the film, overall it just remains a fine out of the box attempt for me, which sadly never makes a rock solid impact on the viewer even with its shockingly disgusting climax. In fact if you are an avid lover of the world cinema, then the chances are that you might guess the climax much before it comes in front of you on the screen.
Moreover, it becomes repetitive in the mid and also doesn't give you the main story idea of the writer very clearly. The script basically starts emphasizing on the girl's search for her father after almost one hour and until then the director keeps on showing the related sequences about her good clients, her drug addict boy friend, a south gangster and the girl sitting at the massage parlor's reception talking endlessly on her phone. And the sad part is that most of these characters remain half baked on the screen, unlike a Anurag Kashyap film.
Besides there are many known friends of Anurag doing their very short cameos in the film just as a courtesy, such as Piyush Mishra, Rajat Kapoor, Makrand Deshpande and Ronit Roy, which doesn't really serve any purpose.
In terms of technical production, it is a superb project and in terms of performances its a winning stroke from Kalki Koechlin as the confused girl. But I didn't find the film connecting with the audience at an emotional level. At the most, it simply can be called a never before kind of Indian Film with some highly sexual gestures, taking away the actual limelight from the film itself and its main theme. It no doubt stuns you in its final moments but you don't walk out of the hall highly impressed. The film actually lacks the conflicting drama, which the subject really demanded and therefore in the end it remains a rather bold but less satisfying project from Anurag Kashyap .unexpectedly. Further, co-written by Kalki and Anurag together, TGIYB seems to be more a Kalki's film than a Anurag Kashyap's brainchild. She is wonderful as The Girl in Yellow Boots, but how many times she will go on repeating herself in such psycho kind of roles, that's my question to the girl? Prashant Prakash as her boy-friend is naturally impressive and Gulshan Devaiya shows off his inner talent, even in an under-written role of a disturbed don.
On the whole, with TGIYB, Anurag certainly takes the wave of New Age Indian Cinema a few steps ahead, but still I cannot rate the film as one of his best efforts till date in any case. However, if you only consider the boldness in its open sexual content, then it surely is a path- breaking attempt by the off-beat director in Indian Cinema, unarguably.
Summing up, I want to end this review raising a few questions in front of all film-makers following this trend of experimental, new age cinema, which came to my mind while watching THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS .. "Does a new age movie or an experimental film, always supposed to be written around Sex and Perverts? "Do we always need to make such movies around Unusual Sex, Child Abuse, Lesbians, Eunuchs and Gay characters?" and "Is New Age Cinema only dependent and concerned about such repeated subjects only?"
Just give it a thought?
Filled with marvelous performances, original (I mean not clichéd) story and wonderful screenplay!
You start watching this movie and you realize that you know the place the movie is happening in. So much accustomed to the cinema plot that you think it is a normal movie. But, wait Anurag Kashyap has some serious thrills for you!
Kalkin Koechlin surprises me with her performance and jaw-dropping thespian characteristic. I watched this after ZNMD and I was taken aback by her splendor!
You must watch this if you are looking for a story and are not easily offended by bold topics like hand jobs and masseuses!
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO WAY!
Language: Strongly vulgar and massive use of Hindi expletives! Sex: No (References, YES) Nudity: Yes Violence: Little, but manageable!
You start watching this movie and you realize that you know the place the movie is happening in. So much accustomed to the cinema plot that you think it is a normal movie. But, wait Anurag Kashyap has some serious thrills for you!
Kalkin Koechlin surprises me with her performance and jaw-dropping thespian characteristic. I watched this after ZNMD and I was taken aback by her splendor!
You must watch this if you are looking for a story and are not easily offended by bold topics like hand jobs and masseuses!
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO WAY!
Language: Strongly vulgar and massive use of Hindi expletives! Sex: No (References, YES) Nudity: Yes Violence: Little, but manageable!
That girl in yellow boot is so dark a film that you may not think it is a bollywood film. Anurag Kashyap may be titled the dark lord of Indian cinema. He is just fantastic in the direction and writing with is wife kalki. Kalki done a great job with her role, all other actors are perfect for their roles. Cinematography and background score are great. In the story it portrays a girls story how she come to mumbai to find her father, how she have to deal with the problems come in her way. Even the films comedy is dark. But undoubtedly a must watch film for those who like dark thrillers and a true film lover. Looking forward to other projects of Anurag Kasyap.
- pallabbaruah
- Sep 16, 2011
- Permalink