Bollywood Calling is a ticket to get a sneak peek behind the iron walls of Bollywood. This movie unearths of what lies beneath the glossy magazines - the Jykell and Hyde effect, the newcomers struggle, the punctuality, the casting couch, the double standards and more importantly the larger than life image of super stars.As usual in all of Kukunoor's movie, the script rules the roost. Om Puri's performance is worth mentioning. Navin Nischol plays the role of ageing actor to the perfect T (reminds you of your parents favourite actor). Perizad shows definite potential. Pat Cusick is alright.There is only one song in the movie which gives the flavour of South Indian songs back in the 80's.Though Bollywood Calling is a comedy the tone is definitely dark. With corporate culture seeping in, I hope that changes all that.I watched this movie when it was first released and believed that Kukunoor deserves much more. Post Iqbal and Dor, there is sudden renewed interest for Kukonoor's movie which is a positive sign. I am happy for Kukunoor for what he has done for himself today.

Bollywood Calling is a great introduction into Indian cinema. It's not a typical Indian movie, but its story is of the creation of a typical Bollywood potboiler. The film is enjoyable on a number of levels, and the more one knows about Indian culture, Indian movies, and filmmaking in general, the more fun it becomes.

A washed up American B-grade actor finds out he only has months to live and to make matters worse his career is floundering at best. When he is offered the opportunity to appear in a Bollywood film he accepts and is flown over. However the way things work in Bollywood are very different to Hollywood.This film is a gentle mocking of Bollywood productions, it looks at how an outsider would see the things that go on and the type of film making there. The plot is no more than the production of a new Bollywood film and the subplots of cancer, love and reconciliation are put to the sidelines for the most part. Instead we can a good try at a Bollywood version of The Player with all the internal antics laid bare.For the most part this is quite amusing. The main criticism of this is that it always goes for the easy targets – the ego of the big actor, the dance numbers, the shouting and OTT facial expressions. However the ultimate message that these films are entertainment and shouldn't get ahead of themselves is good. The mocking is often funny in a `smile' sort of way but it never made me laugh out loud. But as an affectionate spoof it works quite well.The cast are OK – Omi Puri is especially good value as the besieged director/producer, however all the cast are funniest when overplaying in the Bollywood film itself. Some are caricatures but most are very good.Overall it will amuse those who have seen several Bollywood films as it is quite true and many digs are spot on. However for those looking for a comedy this is probably not funny enough to satisfy.

i watched bollywood calling with a huge level of anticipation and expectation. after his brilliant debut film, hyderabad blues, this was supposed to be a return to roots for nagesh kukunoor and a movie in a similar style. the intention was there, but the effectiveness was definitely missing.where hyderabad blues succeeded in making the viewer totally identify with the protagonist, b.c fails. the spoofs on bollywood are way too cliched and the same have been done many times better in local theatre and on the small screen. furthermore, quite often b.b itself descends into the style that it attempts to parody. a disasterous effort.om puri stands out with some terrific performance, but the lead actor pat cusick is totally clueless, his acting is woodenfaced and silly. bollywood calling is sadly a disappointment and the attempted cliches just dont click.the movie fails to generate more than a couple of laughs and sadly those scenes were already shown in the trailers. almost everybody who i saw it with was disappointed. the b-grade low budget touch that came off wonderfully in h.b totally fails here and the ridiculous production values are just plain annoying.we expected more nagesh.a disappointing 4!!