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.

This latest film by Nagesh Kukunoor (Hyderabad Blues, Rockford) is definitely worth a watch! It is about a B-grade Hollywood actor who, dying from cancer and with his career spiraling downward, takes up an offer to act in a Bollywood movie (in Hyderabad) as a last ditch effort to resurrect his career. The entire movie focuses on how adhoc the movie-making process is in Bollywood; how the stars are revered and nobody really cares two hoots about quality and production values! For instance there is no script! The screenplay is written a few pages at a time the day before the shoot! There isn't much insider stuff in the movie, so it is watchable for non-filmi people too.Om Puri has done an excellent job! It makes you wonder if all you need is a great actor and the movie will carry itself! Nagesh Kukunoor has come a long way from his previous ventures. There still are a few flaws in the screen flow - you can see some patchy sequences in places - but a vast improvement over Hyderabad Blues! And he has to learn to use music effectively in the movie. There is almost no music in the movie except where absolutely necessary! You know how we all believe there is too much background music in Indian movies; he over-compensated for it by using too little music! The story is light-hearted and almost trivial, unlike typical Bollywood movies with a "strong social" theme; the jokes are funny but not hilarious! Maybe that's why it didn't fare well at the box office.The bottom line: It is funny and reasonably well-made. The actors all did a great job. Easy-going movie, doesn't play with your emotions a lot! Worth a watch.

Hyderabad Blues was an experimental film that got lucky, Rockford was a pathetic filmmaking exercise and Bollywood Calling is finally a bonafide movie.It has maturity, good plot lines, well-developed characters, humor and realism (though a little exaggerated at times). Even though it seems like a movie for a niche audience (people who are interested in the filmmaking aspect of movies), it's not just about that - it's a regular movie for regular audience.It's a better-made movies than most of the junk we see lately. Watch it - it's fun! BTW, Om Puri is extremely funny. I've always seen him poor and dying but this role is particularly refreshing!

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!!