MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 1,128 this week

Bombay (1995)
"Bumbai" (original title)

7.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.7/10 from 3,503 users  
Reviews: 21 user | 3 critic

A Hindu man and a Muslim woman fall in love in a small village and move to Mumbai, where the have two children. However, growing religious tensions and erupting riots threaten to tear the family apart.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (story), 1 more credit »
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 100 titles created 28 Nov 2011
 
a list of 100 titles created 1 month ago
 
a list of 116 titles created 03 Jan 2011
 
a list of 60 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 101 titles created 11 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Bombay (1995)

Bombay (1995) on IMDb 7.7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Bombay.
9 wins. See more awards »

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Parineeta (2005)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

The lifelong romance between Lolita (Balan) and Shekar (Khan) is upset by the arrival of another man.

Director: Pradeep Sarkar
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Sanjay Dutt
Silsila (1981)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A story of love lost and found, but twisted by society's demands and conventions to appear as adultery.

Director: Yash Chopra
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri
Shree 420 (1955)
Musical | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Wearing torn Japanese shoes, English trousers, a red Russian cap, and a Hindustani heart, orphaned Ranbir Raj comes to Bombay to make his fortune. He pawns his gold medal, gambles with the ... See full summary »

Director: Raj Kapoor
Stars: Nargis, Nadira, Raj Kapoor
Pyaasa (1957)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Unemployed Vijay is the youngest in his family consisting of his widowed mom, and two brothers. His passion is poetry - frowned upon by his brothers - who want him to find gainful ... See full summary »

Director: Guru Dutt
Stars: Mala Sinha, Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman
Veer-Zaara (2004)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

The story of the love between Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian, and Zaara Hayaat Khan, a Pakistani...a love so great it knows no boundaries...

Director: Yash Chopra
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji
Lamhe (1991)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A story of precious MOMENTS...moments of passion...ecstasy... and love...

Director: Yash Chopra
Stars: Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Waheeda Rehman
Prem Rog (1982)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Manorama, the daughter of a rich, orthodox family is married off, leaving her childhood friend Deodhar and his secret love for her, in despair. When tragedy befalls her, and traditions seem unfair, Deodhar must fight for what's right.

Director: Raj Kapoor
Stars: Shammi Kapoor, Nanda, Tanuja
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Yashvardhan Raichand lives a very wealthy lifestyle along with his wife, Nandini, and two sons, Rahul and Rohan. While Rahul has been adopted, Yashvardhan and Nandini treat him as their own... See full summary »

Director: Karan Johar
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol
Waves (2001)
Musical | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

After a difficult romance in a class-divided society, the love birds find out marriage is not what they thought it would be.

Director: Mani Ratnam
Stars: Madhavan, Shalini, Swarnamalya
Bommarillu (2006)
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Siddu is the son of an over-protective business man. Every decision of his is made by his father, which leads him into frustration. He half-heartedly agrees to become engaged to a rich ... See full summary »

Director: Bhaskar
Stars: Siddharth, Genelia D'Souza, Prakash Raj
Guide (1965)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A Guide falls in love with a married woman, then is jailed for forgery and stealing money from her.

Director: Vijay Anand
Stars: Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Leela Chitnis
Ijaazat (1987)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Mahendra is in love with Maya and would like to marry her. But Maya is a woman of the 20th century, who does not believe in marriage, but would like to continue having a relationship. ... See full summary »

Director: Gulzar
Stars: Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah, Anuradha Patel
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arvind Swamy ...
Shekhar Mishra Narayan
...
Shaila Bano
Tinnu Anand ...
Shakti Samaj Leader
Akash Khurana
...
Shekhar's father (as Nazar)
Kitty
Master Harsha
Master Hriday
Sonali Bendre
Nagendra Prasad ...
(as S. Nagendra Prasad)
Ratnakar
Prakash Raj
M.V. Vasudeva Rao ...
(as Vasudeva Rao)
Rallapalli ...
(as Raallapalli)
Deesh Mariwala
Edit

Storyline

Based on true incidents, a south Indian Hindu man falls in love with a Muslim woman--taboo in the small village from which they hail. They marry against family wishes and move to Mumbai, where he works as a reporter for a large daily newspaper. Eventually, the couple has twin boys. The rest of the film is set during the December 1992-January 1993 period when the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy raised religious tension in Mumbai and other parts of India, which sparked rioting and violence. The couple is separated from their children, and the fathers of both parents are killed when their home is burned by rioters. A reporter is shown interviewing politicians from both factions as well as the police. An underlying moral of thinking of oneself as an Indian rather than a Hindu or a Muslim is prevalent throughout the latter part of the film. The family is finally reunited after much searching through hospitals, morgues, and shelters. But the violence has left indelible impressions ... Written by Munesh Makhija <mmakhija@trc.tellabs.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

hindu | muslim | twins | hijra | controversial | See more »

Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

25 July 1998 (Japan)  »

Also Known As:

Bombay  »

Filming Locations:


Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on true events occurring in December 1992-January 1993. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Ye Maaya Chesave (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

"Bombay Theme"
Composed by A.R. Rahman
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

By Far One of the Best Hindi Films I've Seen
7 November 2003 | by (Los Angeles, USA) – See all my reviews

This is a truly beautiful film. The story is essentially this: a Hindu man and a Muslim woman from a small village in India fall in love and decide to marry. The villagers disapprove of this marriage to the point that they are ready to incite a riot. Given the circumstances, the man and woman elope to Mumbai (Bombay.)

Everything is okay there, and the two have twins, Kamal Bano and Kabir Narayan (the names are a mix of Hindu and Muslim, to represent their heritage.) The grandfathers (while still in the village) naturally argue with each other and vow to make the children Hindu (or Muslim, depends on who wins.) Suddenly, the 1993 riots erupt, and the whole family is caught in the middle. The twins are almost burned alive, but they survive thanks to police intervention. Both grandfathers show up in Bombay (out of concern for their children and grandchildren) and continue to compete there.

When another riot ensues, and the Hindu grandfather (and grandson) are approached by a group of Muslim men, the Muslim grandfather arrives in the nick of time and tells the men "He is my brother." Later in the film, one of the twins is separated from the other and is taken in for about a day by a member of the "hijda" community (this is a community in India that is essentially composed of eunuchs or hermaphrodites, but they wear women's clothing.) In a conversation with one of the twins, the "hijda" says "Religion is a way to God." The child asks him, "Then why are all of these people killing each other?" To this the man replies, "I have no idea. And I've been thinking about it for a long time."

You don't necessarily have to be Indian to appreciate this film, but I think it helps. The underlying message is that "We (as residents of India) should be Indians first and Hindu/Muslim/whatever second. The film also conveys the message of tolerance and humanity. It is really an excellent film.


16 of 17 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Hindi Movie? davens
This Movie is great jonasjobbar
amazingly balanced movie mani_ratnam
Should I Buy/Rent this? Skagurl910
Who is the female dancer in Humma Humma? kathyselden
'Bumbai' and 'Bombay' are two different movies SidVader87
Discuss Bombay (1995) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?