Salaam Bombay (Widescreen Special Edition) | Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal

Salaam Bombay (Widescreen Special Edition) | Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal | Definitely a classic

DVDs:

Salaam Bombay (Wid...

	Salaam Bombay (Widescreen Special Edition) Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal MGM (Video & DVD), 2003 average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

From director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), this "brilliantly achieved, stunning and powerful" (Los Angeles Times) film "burst onto the Indian cinema scene with the force of a tornado" (Time Out London)! Winner of the Caméra d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® in 1989, this riveting look at life on the hardened streets of Bombay went on to accumulate accolades and awards across the globe! Forced to leave his family at a very young age, Krishna lives on the streets with pimps, prostitutes, drug addicts and other homeless children. He earns very little money ? but it's more than most ? delivering tea so he can return home to his family. But his honest plan is foiled when his hard-earned money is stolen by his closest friend, forcing Krishna to follow in the footsteps of so many street children of Bombay?by turning to a life of crime.

for more information click here

Salaam Bombay

Former documentarist Mira Nair's angry, disconsolate, and deeply moving drama about poverty and child homelessness in India was shot on location and stars a cast of non-actors the director recruited from Bombay slums. Like De Sica and other Italian neorealists, Nair focuses with unblinking tenderness on the blighted lives of her protagonists, juxtaposing Krishna's squalid existence with the lush extravagance of the Bollywood musicals he so enjoys. Great performances, affecting imagery, and a heartbreaking plotline deservedly won "Salaam" worldwide acclaim.

for more information click here

Definitely a classic

I've never seen such unflinching honesty from a film-maker, or from an artist in any medium, now that I think of it. Excellent use of humor as well -- everyone should use humor. Powerful characters, spot-on performances, moving stories. I immediately felt this was filmed entirely on location, and I was right. It also felt like cheap hand-held cameras were used to capture the reality without glossing over it, so you can see the color and the beauty but also the seedy underneath at the same time. Such seeming contradictions are India. In the hands of tihs filmmaker, Bombay becomes a character too. The credits said 52 locations in 52 days, I think, so I'm sticking to my impression of cheap hand-held cameras. The movie is simply perfect. My attempts to predict the plot failed, and yet the plot unfolded so naturally from the characters that it isn't "plotted" at all. This movie is simply perfect, and I'm keeping my DVD to watch again. You can't buy it from me, so don't even try.

for more information click here

Definitely Not Bollywood

In much of the movie, it doesn't seem like they're acting, which is to say the performances are VERY believable. Some points in the story, however, seemed less than believable. Krishna stealing food while he's serving guests at a wedding - putting them in his shirt and no one giving a second glance? The boss not noticing them in his T-shirt when giving him his pay?

Or what about the little girl being sent to the "prison" camp? Orphanage? I found it hard to believe that her mother couldn't get her back, even though she was a prostitute (on the other hand, wackier things HAVE gone down in India - for another riveting story which details more than a few, check out the book "A Fine Balance").

The scenes where Krishna and the little girl are doing all they can to help his junkie friend get his "medicine" - powerful. The ending seemed a bit drastic, though the final shots spoke volumes without saying a word. I'd give this movie 4.5 stars. Well-worth watching, especially if you've got a taste for gritty street movies. It doesn't get much grittier than Bombay. In fact this is a beautiful movie in spite of its dark theme.

for more information click here

Exceptional work of art!

The music to Salaam Bombay spans the emotional spectrum from joyous to tragic, with every nuance between. This is the music that made Salaam Bombay one of, if not THE best film of the 20th century. It is timeless and magnificent.

Brilliant!

It is a tear jerker and a film everyone should watch at least once. A very powerful message. Walk away happy knowing the director adopted one of the homeless boys in real life and brought him up in the United States.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

products you might be interested in