Bombay (1995)

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

Director:

Mani Ratnam

Writers:

Mani Ratnam (story/screenplay), Umesh Sharma (dialogue)

Stars:

Arvind Swamy, Manisha Koirala, Nassar

Top Rated Indian Movies #82 | 12 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arvind Swamy	...	Shekhar Narayanan Pillai
Manisha Koirala	...	Shaila Bano
Nassar	...	Narayanan Pillai (as Nazar)
Kitty	...	Basheer
Master Harsha	...	Kabir Narayan
Master Hriday	...	Kamal Basheer
Prakash Raj	...	Inspector Kumar
Tinnu Anand	...	Shakti Samaj Leader
Akash Khurana	...	Muslim leader
Sonali Bendre	...	Dancer in the song 'Humma Humma'
Nagendra Prasad	...	Dancer in the song 'Humma (as S. Nagendra Prasad)
M.V. Vasudeva Rao	...	(as Vasudeva Rao)
Ratnakar
Rallapalli	...	(as Raallapalli)
Deesh Mariwala

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

hindu | children | muslim | love | twin | 

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Tamil Hindi

Release Date:

10 March 1995 (India)

Also Known As:

Bombaim

Filming Locations:

Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aalayam Productions, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (A.B.C.L.), Jhamu Sughand Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This controversial movie is inspired from true events that revolve around the events during the period of December 1992 to January 1993 in India, and the controversy surrounding the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. After the subsequent demolition on 6 December 1992 there were increased religious tensions in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) that led to the Bombay Riots.

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Goofs

The latter part of the film takes place during 1992, but in a scene set a few years earlier, Shekhar is wearing a Colorado Rockies shirt. The Rockies were established in 1993.

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Alternate Versions

There is a dubbed version of this movie in Hindi/Urdu, with Hindi/Urdu songs.

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Connections

Referenced in Megacities (1998)

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Soundtracks

Humma Humma
Sung by A.R. Rahman, Swarnalatha and Suresh Peeters {Tamil}
Sung by A.R. Rahman, Swarnalatha and Remo Fernandes {Hindi}
Composed by A.R. Rahman
Tamil lyrics by Vairamuthu
Hindi lyrics by Mehboob

User Reviews

Piece de resistance!!

Wallah! What a movie. Shakes and stirs u till the final moment. I saw it and was amazed at how naturally ManiRathnam captures emotions and brings the whole theatre alive with Superlative Direction, Excellent Music, Super dialogues,etc.....!! Truly worth watching!!