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Salaam Bombay! [DVD] [1988]
 
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Salaam Bombay! [DVD] [1988]

DVD ~ Shafiq Syed
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal, Chanda Sharma, Raghuvir Yadav, Anita Kanwar
  • Directors: Mira Nair
  • Writers: Mira Nair, Sooni Taraporevala
  • Producers: Mira Nair, Gabriel Auer
  • Format: Anamorphic, PAL
  • Language English, Hindi
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Cinema Club
  • DVD Release Date: 16 Jun 2003
  • Run Time: 109 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000065UH1
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 47,275 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Meera Nair's Salaam Bombay was her first film, and one of only three Indian films nominated for an Oscar (the others being Mother India and Lagaan). The deceptively simple documentary style hides a meticulously planned feature in which nothing is left to chance. Real street kids play the leads alongside veteran actors, such as Nana Patekar and Shaukat Azmi, as we follow Chaipau, the urchin who wants to save his 500 rupees to "go home", and his encounters with prostitutes, thugs and drug addicts among whom he finds love and companionship. The story avoids sentimentality by endowing the characters with humanity while never romanticising their plight.

Nair eschews the obvious "city of contrasts" theme, presenting only the view from the street, shooting in real locations of Grant Road and its environs. This is one of the greatest presentations of Bombay to date, comparable across genres to Raghu Rai's photography or Vikram Chandra's fiction.

On the DVD: Salaam Bombay on DVD includes a compelling scene-by-scene commentary, in which Nair discusses the problems of location shooting, training the children and the impact of the film on the lives of so many of its characters. The film is in Hindi with English subtitles. --Rachel Dwyer

Special Features

  • Director’s Commentary

DVD Technical Information:

  • Video Aspect Ratio (feature): 16:9 anamorphic
  • Main Soundtrack: Hindi (Mono)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Disc Format: Single sided, single layer – DVD 5
  • Feature Length: 109 mins approx.
  • Colour PAL


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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
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 (11)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic portrayal of a very real struggle through poverty, 2 Jun 2002
By F. Kurji "Fatim Jumabhoy" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is an amazing film which highlights the desperation of many children living in poverty in India. Mixing themes of prostitution, crime and poverty, the film invokes deep sympathy and concern from even the most hard hearted of viewers. Seen from the eyes of a young boy, the infamous 'chiller room' scene will definitely make you cry. A must see - this film moves away from the glitz of bollywood and shows the daily struggle of so many caught in the poverty trap
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Life of Street Children in Bombay, 13 Nov 2006
By Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Salaam Bombay! [DVD] [1988] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
Mira Nair shows the realities of living on the streets in Bombay where children sleep under bridges and sell tea to the prostitutes in brothels as they try to earn money to live from day to day ... Primarily, the film revolves around Krishna, a young boy of 11 years, who left his village to work on the streets of Bombay to earn 500 rupees to pay back his brother, whose bicycle he destroyed. He becomes part of a group of kids who hang out together and look out for one another ... They associate with drug dealers and prostitutes. While the film does show how drugs can destroy lives and how young innocent girls are lured into prostitution there is also a truthfulness and innocence which is conveyed ... The film depicts how the kids survive amidst poverty and how they manage to create a sustainable lifestyle with some semblance of happiness and a wonder for life despite having next to nothing in a material sense.

One of the best extra features on this DVD is the commentary by the director. Mira Nair provides insights into how many of the unique scenes were shot. She discusses particular angles and views used by the camera to capture the pure honesty of this lifestyle. She also describes difficulties encountered and how they were resolved, the major one was meeting the budget, the other was was getting big name actors and actresses for the key roles. Fortunately the subject matter was of such importance, a large British studio Filfour agreed to help fund the project if Ms Nair could raise 51% of the budget herself. Another plus was, the subject of the film was deemed a "governement film" and therefore she received funds as well as access to areas which otherwise would be denied, such as the children's home where street kids were taken after arrested. Ms Nair managed to get a popular male stage actor who had never done films to play one of the lead roles and to her delight, he has since become one of India's most famous leading male film actors. She also snared a popular female television soap opera star to play the female lead ...

One of the most unusual but appealing elements in this film is how Ms Mair used actual street children to be the key actors in the film. She held auditions and made selections then held seven week long workshops where they learned their parts via pictures of scenes which they memorized. Another captivating aspect of this film is how real streets with shop keepers and shoppers were filmed along with the real train station and the natural activities which fit the storyline of the film. This film is a magnificent study of a way of life that few people can imagine but it is all too common in poverty stricken areas of the world. Through this film, Mira Nair has brought the attention of the world to the plight of homeless children in India. She has made a great contribution to improving their lives on many levels. Due to her efforts, trusts have been established in Bombay and other major cities to educate and assist these children. The film itself is a mix of documentary and fiction which captures the intimate details of their reality in vivid color, detail, and honesty. This is a most highly recommended film. Erika Borsos {pepper flower}
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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A FILM NOT SOON FORGOTTEN..., 24 Nov 2002
By Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Salaam Bombay! [VHS] [1988] (VHS Tape)
This is a superb film that gives the viewer a bird's eye view into the plight of India's urban street children. It is done through the experience of young Krishna, an illiterate, country bumpkin of a boy, who is abandoned by his mother at a circus and told not to come home until he has five hundred rupees for having broken something that belonged to his brother. While Krishna is on an errand, the circus packs up and leaves town, and he is left alone to fend for himself.

Krishna uses his last few rupees to travel to a city, which by luck of the draw turns out to be Bombay. Thrust into the life of the street children of Bombay, living among the pimps, hustlers, drug addicts, prostitutes, and throw away children that proliferate in India's urban settlements, a modern day jungle, Krishna struggles to survive. His resourcefulness holds him in good stead. He quickly develops some street smarts and forms attachments. He struggles to earn and save money, so that he can return home to his mother and the family whom he misses, only to be duped in the end by one whom he had trusted. His story breaks one's heart, as he learns some hard lessons in life.

This is a gritty look into the underbelly and plight of Bombay's poor street children, who call the gutters of its filthy urban streets home. It is filled with the sights and sounds of this urban nightmare. An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, this highly acclaimed film allows the viewer a peek at another culture, only to find that basic human needs and desires are universal.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Others have written excellent in depth reviews so ill keep mine short.

Firstly, watch it. Read more
Published on 27 April 2007 by Dan

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking, real, touching, mind-provoking, artistic, documentary, brilliant
In 1988 Mira Nair directed "Salaam Bombay" is a film about street children of Bombay. It's a story about a 10 year old boy Krishna (Shafiq Syed) who comes to Bombay from a small... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2006 by A reader

4.0 out of 5 stars Plight of the Street Children at its depressing best
I saw this movie almost 18 years back while in college when i had not lived in bombay long enough to appreciate the setting for this movie. Read more
Published on 5 April 2006 by Anand Srinivasan

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and depressing
This is very far from a feel good film- in fact it's downright depressing. But then not everything in life is rosy. The film presents a struggle through poverty. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2005 by Sam Hispam

5.0 out of 5 stars Great realistic cinema
I too thought this film was wonderful & very moving. I loved the scene when Manju passed her 20 rupees to Shafiq after their gruelling days work. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars An authentic, spell-binding, incendiary tour de force
"Salaam Bombay!" represents a quality and integrity in film-making that is all too hard to find elsewhere. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars An eclectic, evocative and wholly outstanding collection
Composed by renowned South Indian recording artist L. Subramaniam, the "Salaam Bombay!" soundtrack features an invigorating blend of jazz and traditional Indian styles... Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A lifechanging, heart wrenching story , - grab the hankies!
When I first saw this film it had a profound affect on me and the rest of the cinemagoers who saw it. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite movies ever!
Very touching. Unlike any movie I've seen before. Highly recommended.
Published on 27 Mar 2000

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