Review of Salaam Bombay! (1988) by Ceph J — 10 May 2009

In the wake of Slumdog Millionaire, I watched 1998's Salaam Bombay again to see how it compares. Both depict poor orphans on the streets of Bombay (now called Mumbai). Slumdog got director Danny Boyle a well-deserved Oscar while Bombay got Mira Nair huge respect as a documentary maker making the leap to directing movies. While Slumdog "hollywoodizes" i.e. shows hope for the kids as potential millionaires or successful gangsters, Bombay is more depressing because there's no easy advancement from the ghettos for these incorrigible kids.

The story is actually a type of "Oliver Twist" in Bombay. Shafiq Syed plays an abandoned child trying to sell tea in Bombay to make enough money to find his way home. He meets pimps, prostitutes, drug addicts, he takes an interest in a young girl being groomed to be a virgin to sell to the highest bidder, abusive cops, bullies, a cruel hag, and no one else that will motivate you to book a flight to visit the city. I found Syed too restrained as a young actor and seems to be reading his lines while taking instructions on camera. The movie is told in somber tones but the cinematography is vivid enough that you can appreciate the rich diversity this city offers. Also, kudos to the costume designer because the Indian costumes look fantastic. I loved the editing but the screenplay is standard story telling and always lags behind the images.

India has a vast history and always makes for interesting movie story-telling. David Lean's "A Passage To India" and 2007's "Before The Rains" are highly recommended for those of you interested in Indian culture. Slumdog Millionaire and Salaam Bombay are excellent bookends to orphans struggling in Bombay...I mean Mumbai.