Salaam Bombay
1988
Mira Nair's first feature is an acclaimed drama depicting the desperate lives of homeless children in one of India's poorest cities. Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is a 10-year-old country boy forced to live on his own in the streets of Bombay after his family tosses him out. While he hopes to earn 500 rupees for his mother and return .. Read more
| Starring | Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal, Chanda Sharma, Raghuvir Yadav |
|---|---|
| Director | Mira Nair |
| Genres | Drama, Indian Cinema |
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Salaam Bombay
Mira Nair's first feature is an acclaimed drama depicting the desperate lives of homeless children in one of India's poorest cities. Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is a 10-year-old country boy forced to live on his own in the streets of Bombay after his family tosses him out. While he hopes to earn 500 rupees for his mother and return home, the all-consuming job of staying alive quickly makes that dream an unlikely reality. He develops the street-smarts needed to survive in the seedy world of prostitutes, drug addicts, thieves, and other homeless children, but the harrowing experience takes an extremely heavy emotional toll on him. Krishna, however, remains determined to raise the money to return home.
| Starring | Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal, Chanda Sharma, Raghuvir Yadav |
|---|---|
| Director | Mira Nair |
| Studio | ARROW FILMS |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, Indian Cinema |
| Language | Hindi |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 23 Mar 2009 Production year: 1988 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Dickensian in its empathy with the poor, uncompromising in its realism and ambitious in both scope and technique, Mira Nair's debut feature is one of the most arresting studies of street life ever made. Shot on location after numerous workshops had drawn together a cast made up mostly of homeless children, the tale of a runaway's assimilation into the dangerous world of petty crime, drugs and prostitution draws on all Nair's documentary experience. But it also demonstrates her skill in coaxing a performance of disarming naturalism from Shafiq Syed as the 11-year-old whose display of courage prevents the film from becoming too painful or sentimental.
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The streets of Bombay teem with children begging, dealing, sleeping rough, surviving. Working on a scale that would... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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19 out of 20 people found this review helpful
Top movie
This is not Bollywood infact you couldn't get further from it.
A young boy who ends up living in an underground world of drugs and prostitution when he leaves home for the city, has his dreams shattered. The film has many touching moments and many harsh realities of life in Bombay.
Anyone studying Indian cinema knows this is a classic and will remain so as it is fresh, demanding and thought provoking. Rent it today! -
Most recent members' review
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19 out of 20 people found this review helpful
Top movie
This is not Bollywood infact you couldn't get further from it.
A young boy who ends up living in an underground world of drugs and prostitution when he leaves home for the city, has his dreams shattered. The film has many touching moments and many harsh realities of life in Bombay.
Anyone studying Indian cinema knows this is a classic and will remain so as it is fresh, demanding and thought provoking. Rent it today! -
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Mira Nair's first feature is an acclaimed drama depicting the desperate lives of homeless children in one of India's poorest cities. Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is a 10-year-old country boy forced to live ... -