Madhur Bhandarkar tried his hand at commercial cinema with Trishakti (1999) and Aan (2004), but found his personal niche in the genre of hard hitting exposés of little known aspects of contemporary urban Indian society. Chandni Bar (2001) followed the piteous travails of girls who work in bars, Satta (2003) revealed a viciously corrupt political arena and Page 3, which won the National Award for the best film of 2005, laid bare the ugliness that lies beneath the glitter of high society. In his latest offering, Corporate, which comes with the tagline “Paisa, Power and Politics” Bhandarkar takes his camera into the boardroom and exposes the ruthless machinations that infuse the glitzy corporate world. Bhandarkar has announced that Page 3 and Corporate form the first two of a trilogy, the next in line being Traffic Signal that will showcase the underbelly of Mumbai – the ordinary people who throng traffic signals every day. 

The corporate world has been used as the battlefield for social and family drama repeatedly by television soaps ever since Shridhar Kshirsagar’s Khaandaan captivated the nation in 1985. But if memory serves me right, the only film that looked into this world with any depth was Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug (1980). This is a world populated by wealthy power-hungry people who can stoop to unimaginable depths to get their ‘bottom line’. Corporate too explores the corrupt nexus between business and politics and reveals vicious race that unscrupulously undercuts rivals and removes obstacles in the quest for more wealth and more power. The film concludes with the message that underneath power and success lies a complete lack of human, moral and ethical values.

As in Page 3, Bhandarkar throws in a plethora of characters who float in and out. Again, as in Page 3, a number of issues are touched on -- how awards are rigged, how competitor’s deals and counter-deals are sabotaged, how corporate espionage take place, how women are bought and sold, why NGOs are funded and nurtured, how corruption and infidelity are a way of life in this world. Set in board-rooms, five-star hotels, restaurants and bars, luxury high-rise apartments, lavish parties, award ceremonies, the fast-paced narrative is helped along by a voice-over by Bhandarkar protégé, Atul Kulkarni, and a group of subalterns – gossipy chauffeurs and peons – acting as social commentators much in the way they did in Page 3.

In between the many players in the Sehgal versus Marwah battle, there is Nishigandha Dasgupta, a top executive in the Sehgal industry with high aspirations and a hunger to reach the top. Motivated more by love than by personal ambition, Nishi is a key player in this game of one-upmanship played by the two corporate rivals. Blindly trusting her benefactors, she ruthlessly plots and bribes her way to gain the upper-hand for her company. Moral codes are broken, power, avarice, envy, surface and eventually Nishi becomes a pawn in this brutal game where nothing is sacrosanct and no one plays by any rules. Loyalty and responsibility are alien concepts. The only thing that matters is the ‘bottom line’ and if any sacrifices have to made en route, so be it.

Bhandarkar’s ensemble cast lives up to the high expectations of this film. Kay Kay Menon seems to be a bit of a miscast as the ambitious corporate wheeler-dealer Ritesh Sahani who repeatedly fails in his pursuit of success. But Kay Kay is as good as only he can be given any role, especially at the end when he realizes the extent of betrayal he has been induced into becoming a part of. Rajat Kapoor is excellent as the unscrupulous business-tycoon Vinay Sehgal, who will go to any length to climb his way up the corporate ladder. Raj Babbar underplays his role and is effective as the soft-spoken, god-fearing, family-oriented, yet equally corrupt and ruthless businessman, Dharmesh Marwah. Harsh Chhaya is excellent as the shrewd but principled business executive. As are Sandeep Mehta as the lusty CEO and Vinay Apte as the corrupt and lecherous politician. Bharat Dhabolkar, Lilette Dubey, Minissha Lamba and Sameer Dattani are good in their bit roles as minor actors/spectators in the drama that unfolds in this fast paced film. 

The surprise package of the film is Bipasha Basu essaying a role earmarked for Aishwarya Rai. She is competent as the ruthless, ambitious, yet vulnerable, business executive whose failure stems from allowing herself to be ruled by her heart rather than her head. Replacing her sex siren image with that of simple sophistication, she portrays the conflicting emotions her character has to go through with a natural ease, proving there is more to her than her body beautiful. 

Weaknesses? Several. The film follows the kaleidoscopic structure Bhandarkar introduced in Page 3. The camera sweeps back and forth between the conversations and interactions between a large number of characters and allows the plot to unfold through the montage that ensues. The overall effect is a fragmented and sometimes confusing narrative. The endemic problem with this structure is that it presents us with a myriad of surface images, and doesn’t really delve into the core issues it takes up – that of morality, ethics, conscience versus ambition and hunger for power and money. The moral vacuity of the rich and the powerful, and deadly ramifications of their underhanded deals on the general public is summarily dealt with. The message Page 3 ended with is repeated here, that in this world there are no permanent friends or enemies, but the feel of déjà vu all over again takes way the punch. The chosen subject matter of corporate politics had the potential for a far more scathing and incisive attack than Bhandarkar makes. 

Another weakness of Bhandarkar’s roving camera format is that characters don’t have the scope to evolve into well rounded personae. As a result we are presented with a number of clichéd stereotypes: the old fashioned god-fearing yet ruthless industrialist; the new yuppie womanizing version of the same; the corrupt and lecherous politician; the exploitative multinational corporations; and the exploited women who populate this world helping the men in their evil machinations. The movie is supposed to come out with a strong statement about the new Indian professional woman: liberated, ambitious, successful, and strong. But this is just a veneer. The women still play supportive roles to the men, whether as wife, mistress, colleague or employee and there is nary an empowered woman in the scene. The icon of this ‘new woman’ Nishigandha, still remains the ideal Indian woman beneath her sophisticated exterior. She is emotional, needy, dependent, and unprofessional as she undermines her own achievements to let her lover get the accolade. She is always ready to make any sacrifice for this man who she trusts to come to her rescue, blind to the fact that he is no knight in shining armor. If she can so easily allow herself to become a victim, what is the value of the empowerment that she has apparently earned through hard work and determination?

Despite these flaws, directorially, the film proves Bhandarkar’s ability to tell a compelling story. The first part of the film may seem alien to people who have not had a first hand experience of the corporate world and its jargon. Constant references to PSUs, divestment, privatization, multinationals, pesticides and regulation, cola wars, buying and selling shares are generously thrown around to create authenticity of the world of boardrooms, but it can get in the way of engaging the average viewer. However, as the narrative moves to its denouement, the pieces eventually fit in as the montage crumbles and takes new shapes. The gripping climax leaves one aghast, though unsurprised, at the turn of events. 

Music does not play a large role in a film like this, and is adequate. Predictably, some songs have been added gratuitously to please viewers looking for a diversion from boardroom politics. Cinematography is good. Apparently, Bhandarkar has done a lot of research, spoken with high ranking executives of large companies, and gathered all relevant information to make sure he creates an authentic corporate world. Summing up, Corporate lacks the dramatic intensity of Chandni Bar, Satta and the appeal of Page 3, but is a well made and interesting film. It is unlikely that it will appeal to the rural belt or to those looking for pure entertainment. But for anyone looking for serious cinema, albeit encased in a glamorous shell, or just for something off the beaten track, Corporate is definitely worth a watch. And for the fans of the Bhandarkar School of Filmmaking, after Corporate, there is Traffic Signal waiting around the corner!