The film is an all-out comedy revolving around the virgin status of Debashish Chatterjee (Rahul Bose) and how he is desperate to lose it. Debashish – Debu Chatterjee is 32, employed in an advertising agency, is upwardly mobile but is beset with a strange problem. He is still a virgin. Debu’s state of virginal bliss has assumed serious proportions and is threatening to take over Debu’s very functioning. He needs to find a cure to his problem. Fast. Hope comes in the form a gentleman who calls himself ‘Baba Hindustani’. The Baba promises to cure Debu’s sexual problems.

An ecstatic Debu pays a visit to Hotel Piccadilly where the Baba operates. At the hotel, Debu meets Nitin Kapoor, a small time filmmaker. An affable sort of fellow, Kapoor and Debu get along instantly. The Baba on his part is quite a colorful character. He gives Debu a bottle of strange colored pills, telling him his problem will be over in a week’s time. A week lapses but Debu’s virginity remains unchanged.

Things come to a head when Debu gets conned by Kapoor and the Baba. Kapoor, who is weathering a storm in his career, unwillingly asks the Baba to bail him out of his crisis. On the Baba’s advice, Kapoor films Debu doing some physical exercises and then uses the same visuals in his film as a man performing sexual intercourse. Debu of course is oblivious to all this.

Debu, on his part, has come to terms with his fate and his virginity. Just at this point, Kapoor’s film releases and becomes a huge success. Ironically, Debu, still a virgin, now becomes a ‘Sex Star’. It is at this point that Sonali Verma, a journalist comes into Debu’s life. She wants to interview him and though Debu refuses, she bails him out of jail when he is arrested. She even puts him up in her house when he gets thrown out of his own.

Through a passage of time, Debu finds a soul mate in Sonali and soon they fall in love. It is then that Debu realises there is more to a relationship than sex. In his quest lo lose his virginity, he won love. And by then, a guilt ridden Baba and Kapoor land up at Sonali’s house and ask Debu for his forgiveness.

Love fosters many emotions, magnanimity being one of them. Debu forgives Baba and Kapoor and life goes on for him and Sonali. But does he succeed in losing his virginity? Yes, he does lose his virginity. The film has been written and directed by Anant Balani and the cast includes Rahul Bose, Perizaad Zorabian, Saurabh Shukla and Vijay Raaz. Life would be so uninteresting if it weren't peppered with the cameo characters that abound in it. People come, people go but the self carries on and, with it carries on life.

Zorabian, as the investigative journalist has little else to do but flutter eyelashes in the overall context of the film but she manages to do just that - and how! She is, however, more than a notch above the Bollywood bimbette brigade. To be fair, she has the makings of a good actress and will in time give some of the others a run for their money. The film ends on a happy note but not before Balani has ensured that a slice of Mumbai's life is captured perfectly on screen. And like Chatterjee says 'there are no rules in Bombay. So, anything is possible'. Indeed it is… and thank God it is.

The innovative, unusual and bold lyrics throughout the album by Milap Zaveri deserve a special mention. Mumbai Matinee breaks most music rules of Bollywood and to good effect. Those interested in hatke stuff must surely give this a try. The squeamish should stay away.

The music is available over Times Music

Loot Gaye - Saswati
MD: Anand Raaj Anand
Ly: Dev Kohli

Loot gaye by newcomer Saswati conveys what it was perhaps meant to- a lilting lighthearted heroine full of fun- fairly good execution but weak voice reminiscent of the late-aap jaisa koi meri zindagi mein aaye girl Nazia hassan. Anand Raj Anand’s music and Dev Kohli’s lyrics.

Tu - Kunal Ganjawala
MD: Farhad Wadia
Ly: Milap Zaveri

Tu the second number sounds like an extension of Jhankar beats but is in keeping with today’s trend in music - pop goes sentimental plus recitational - songs such as these must be singularly easy to sing as they are just chanted - probably a good situational song but does nothing for the listener.

Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dostm - Abbey, Sukhreen
MD: Bappi Lahiri

The next Mumbai se aaya mera dost has Abbey and Sukhreen giving voice is the fun song by Bhappi lahiri reprogrammed –sure to become hit in the Bombay circuit at least - this promises to be a dance and festival song for all occasions like the original.

Yeh Hai Mumbai - Sonu Nigam
MD: Farhad Wadia
Ly: Milap Zaveri

You – Shaan
Shame - Chorus, joe alvares
MD: Farhad Wadia

Sex Is Good - Farhad Wadia, KK
MD: Farhad Wadia

Shame and Sex is good are class apart. Wonder how these two numbers will be received here but both make for good listening with very creative rendering. Are we competing with the west here? We are definitely good when required.

The slower version of Tu again reminds one of Jhankaar beats. Yeh hai mumbai comes visiting again this time with Sonu Nigam in a different avatar - this peppy numbers makes your feet tap as it moves- one wonders what place this song has in the film. Interesting composition and a beautiful use of percussion mark it out from the other numbers.

Producer: Pritish Nandy Communications
Director: Anant Balani
Starring: Rahul Bose, Perizaad Zorabian, Anusha, Asrani, Saurabh Shukla and Vijay Raaz
Music: Anand Raj Anand and Farhad Wadia
Lyrics: Dev Kohli and Milap Zaveri
Singers: K.K, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Saswati, Kunal Ganjawala, Abbey, Sukhreen, Joe Alvares and Farhad Wadia
Audio On: Times Music
Number of Songs: 8
Released on: July, 2003