Films about poverty (especially childhood) are never the most joyful watches, but if they are made with love, commitment, and an eye for honesty, then they worth seeing. Acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair’s haunting and harrowing Oscar-nominated 1988 feature debut Salaam Bombay! is one of them.
Buy Salaam Bombay! (Criterion Collection)A difficult, documentary-like experience, the film tells the story of young Krishna (Shafiq Syed), who is cast out by his family after destroying his older brother’s motorbike in retaliation from his constant bullying. He is sent to a traveling circus to earn money for the bike’s repairs but suddenly finds himself on the streets of Bombay’s poorest and most dangerous slums. Befriending drug dealer Chillum (Raghubir Yadav), beautiful young street walker Solasaal (Chanda Sharma), and other homeless children, he tries to make enough money with a temporary job selling tea. Obviously, the job is filled with risks because they have to beg for money and evade the police.
Salaam Bombay! is a film that doesn’t warrant multiple viewings, not because it’s bad by any means, but because it is too depressing and filled with immense suffering. Nair pulls no punches when showcasing how terrible it is to be a child forced into nasty circumstances and desperate living. It feels like a film that doesn’t get made too often because the subject matter usually gets swept under the rug. You feel it more than you see it. It also has incredible acting by nonprofessional actors, especially the children. There is a scene where Krishna weeps for his lost innocence and dreams lost that is very heartbreaking. You’ve never seen child acting like this before. They’re not being adorable; they’re being real. You’ll never forget this film once you’ve seen it, at least once.
Being released this week by Criterion on 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions, the film should be a revelation to film lovers, new and old, at least deciding on your particular mood for grim cinema. The new 4K restoration was supervised by Nair herself and features commentaries by her and cinematographer Sandi Sissel. There are also supplements like a new conversation between Nair and composer L. Subramaniam; archival interviews with screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala and actors Syed, Aneeta Kanwar, Bernard Sissel, and Hansa Vithal; program about the Salaam Baalak Trust and its mission to support the street children of Mumbai, and trailer. There is also a new essay by film critic Devika Girish.
Again, if you’re in the mood for it, adding Salaam Bombay! to your collection should be worthwhile. It’s a frank film that feels quite rare but important.
Other notable releases:
I Know Where I’m Going! (Criterion): Powell and Pressburger’s beguiling romantic dramedy starring Dame Wendy Hiller as a headstrong young woman who travels to the Scottish Hebrides to marry a wealthy lord but gets stranded by harsh weather. Her plans are thwarted by a dashing naval officer (Roger Livesey) she encounters and falls for.
Airplane! 4K (Paramount): The still-hilarious and quotable 1980 disaster parody gets a brand-new upgrade for its 45th anniversary.
Dogma (Lionsgate): Kevin Smith’s controversial 1999 comedy stars Linda Fiorentino as Jesus’ last descendant who is enlisted by Rufus (Chris Rock), the unknown 13th Apostle, to stop two fugitive angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) from destroying humanity after they have been kicked out of Heaven.
American Psycho: Uncut Version (Lionsgate Exclusive): A new 25th anniversary edition of Mary Harron’s twisted, ’80s-set satire starring Christian Bale (in his breakthrough role) as Patrick Bateman, a rich and handsome New York yuppie who hides his psychopathic ego from everyone around him as he delves into his sick and violent fantasies.
