Salaam Bombay (1988) - my view

You can love it. You can hate it. But you certainly cannot ignore it.

The exciting story of the young boy 'Chaipau' (tea boy), eking out a living in the sleazy streets of Mumbai, where the drains are free to crawl onto the streets, the half naked street children play around their simple games, the hungry leers of the men are met by skin show of the prostitutes. Contrastingly, the same dirty streets house the huge statues of 'Ganapathi Bappa' during the festival, which is celebrated with fervor more intense than any national festival, in Mumbai.

Thatz Mumbai. And this is the story of Mumbai, through the eyes of a street urchin.



The story runs thus....

Krishna is a boy on the street, working as a tea delivery boy. He sleeps on the streets, and eats whatever he gets. But is generous enough to share his small earnings with some of his other street friends, which includes a drug peddler Chillum (Raghuvir Yadav). He has a past. Like the thousands of children on the streets. They were not born that way, isn't it?

But what makes him special, is his dream. Now, whatz special in dreaming? Especially in MUMBAI, the city of dreams???

He has a dream, which he pursues to accomplish. He works, and saves his money to collect Rs 500, which would be enough to let him into his house in his village.

In a tiff, he would have burnt his brother's motor bike. His mother would have left him at a local circus to earn that money before he can come back. Due to the turn of events, he loses the link with the circus, making his way to Mumbai. He starts working as a tea boy for a small tea stall. As the story begins to make its way from his sand strewn road side sleeping place, to the infamously busy Bombay railway stations, and also through the creaking doors of the prostitutes' houses, it carries with it a narrative about the triangular love story between a ten year old girl, Chaipau (alias Krishna) and a sixteen year old beautiful girl, destined to be a prostitute.

Then there are the drugs, the booze, and a burglary. Chaipau is taken away by the police on a night, from a rain washed street. But interestingly, it is not for that burglary.

Does that kindle your curiosity?? Wait. There's more.

A jail break and a murder.

Amidst all these is the subtle humor of the Dickensian characters, which keeps you amazed all the way.



What I liked about the movie....

Bombay had always fascinated me. The numerous movies about the emotional coldness of the Mumbai contrasting against the warmth of the close Marathi knit community, the ruthless gangsters contrasting against the best police force in the country, the highest number of rich men contrasting against highest number of slum dwellers, had me interested in this strange phenomenon called Bombay.

I was always interested in people. The responses of the varied minds to the more varied stimuli, their beliefs, and their life.

But Bombay? Hey, hold on. I was never sure if I was ready to handle din and noise. Am not sure if I can handle it now, too.

Curtsey, a Bangalorean friend of mine who quit his software job and came back, just because he could not handle the crowd of the local train ;-).

Imagine my surprise to find Salaam Bombay video, in the Public Library of Minneapolis!!!

The movie does not glamorize anything. It rips out the facade painted to it by the bollywood, and throws at you, the unmade up story of the streets. No hero-heroines, occasionally vacationing, singing on the Swiss Alps, where as living in dilapidated houses with flaking walls. No gun trotting gangsters with birds' nest on their chins.

Bombay. Direct!!!



The hype...

Salaam Bombay, after having won awards at the Cannes Festival, had been nominated for the Academy Awards, in 1988.



The audience...

This movie is not for you if you have cooed at romantic comedies. This movie is not for you if you are looking out for a quick 'fill-the-gap' movie. This movie takes you down and dirty, right amidst the real life characters. Watch it if you have it in you, to gulp down the occasional bitterness dished out to you.





Till then,



Salaam Bombay....salaaaam Bombaaay!!!



with warm regards,

Teju