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 #83 | 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:

year 1993 | year 1992 | 1990s | mumbai | bombay | 

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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

The album, Bahwee - Headnodders Volume 2, has a instrumental version of the song "Kehna Hi Kya". The song was titled "Bollywood". The album was released for a International audience.

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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 Lord of War (2005)

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Soundtracks

Bombay Theme
Composed by A.R. Rahman

User Reviews

By Far One of the Best Hindi Films I've Seen

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.