Revisiting Classics - 7

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Salaam Bombay is Mira Nair's most definitive film. It is unrivalled to me till today in explaining what Bombay (sorry it still is Bombay to me) and what the Bombay life on the street is all about. The film is not the usual feature film so to speak but an experiment and an extension of a workshop. It is unmatch-able in everything one can think in terms of film making. The location (it captured Bombay in a different context), the casting (nobody got so realistic), the music (the magic of L. Subramnaiam) and an ensemble foreign crew and yes finally, Raghubir Yadav's performance. It is a quite simply a potpourri of it all.

Salaam Bombay starts with this little gem called Shafiq Sayed who literally captivates you with his subdued performance. At the end of the film when all is lost and he rests on a verandah and the camera pans to his face its a mix of hopelessness, emotions running high, the harangue he has been through and it is what the film is all about. My favourite Roger Ebert says about the film; that at the end it seems the Bombay street kids do well on the streets and not in a confined space. Shafiq's performance simply rivets you and leaves you in pain and a lot of anguish. He feels let down and yes he is let down in numerous occasions and yet he continues to fight and hold on to small things which are so precious. His mother has turned him down, the place where he gets to work (the circus crew) has let him down, his ragtag friend Chillam (Raghubir Yadav in a stellar performance) has let him down, his sudden love Solah Saal (Chanda Sharma) has let him down and the world around him is a sworn enemy. Yet he continues to fight and remain true to integrity and trust. 

The other brilliant performance comes from Rahghuvir Yadav. His character (Chillam) is the opposite of Shafiq Syed's character. Hopeless, miserable, drug addict and everything in between and yet his chemistry with Chaipau (Shafiq Syed's character) is so wonderful and works at so many levels. 

The third big pivot is the city which is so ruthless and unforgiving. It is a mess and will leave no holds barred to punish you and even wrong you. Yet the children of the kids will continue to enjoy little moments that the city gives them. The robbery at the Parsi Baba house is so sweetly captured yet the odd act is dark and is slap on the face for the moral police. There are several scenes which are shot in a disguised format and are extremely candid moments which are captured through the brilliance of the camera work. 

Mira Nair and Sooni Taraporevala are simply amazing in developing the screenplay and the central plot of the film which evolved from a workshop with the street kids. The plotline is dark and terse. There are no messages and there is no hope and yet there is a genial camaraderie that helps these street kids sail through. The movie is not for the faint hearted and needs a lot of time to absorb and will leave you high and dry. But these line from Ebert sums up Salaam Bombay so well: 

"In that respect Salaam Bombay! is quite different from Pixote, the 1981 film about Brazilian street children. Although the two films obviously have much in common, the children of Pixote exist in an anarchic and savage world, while those in "Salaam Bombay!" share a community, however humble."Roger Ebert, Salaam Bombay!, rogerebert.com

And finally, do not miss the cameo from Irrfan Khan; yes he features in a less than a minute role but those eyes even for that brief time haunted you.  

Salaam Bombay streams on Mubi. Go watch. 

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