Salaam Bombay
It was many years ago, when I was in 2nd year BSc and we had just come back from our summer holidays, I and Satya were talking about the movies we had seen, he spoke about the movie ‘Salaam Bombay’ which is about life of children on the streets of Bombay (now Mumbai). I got to see the movie only last night and I am not been able to sleep. The last scene is when Chaipau is winding the string around a top and he cries… and then after a few minutes swallows his sorrow and just sits there.
Its 5:00 in the morning and I am looking at my son, sleeping peacefully and I am feeling very emotional.
Its takes a lot to hurt a child, they fall down, they jump up again, with all energy, and they carryon, they fall again, they jump up again to carry on, they are full of positive energy. The final scene in the movie is the only time the boy cries and you know that he has finally reached his limit, but he swallows his sorrow, and with that goes his childhood, his innocence, his trust in the world and his desire to earn Rs.500 and going back to his Bijapur, near Bangalore..
I did not watch this movie, but I could feel the sorrow from your description.
If I remember, the movie was quite dark and depressing. It shows the dark side of life of street children in Mumbai.
Salaam Ajay for your emotive expressions!!!
@Niranjan’s comment – like 🙂
I very vividly recall the discussions that we used to have about that movie Salaam Bombay. It was in our first year in A3. Lakshman was the one who had seen the movie and used to keep repeating one dialogue from the movie 😀
Sadly, I have not had a chance to see the movie yet. But the recent one – Slumdog millionaire is a good one too – dark no doubt, but with a silver lining. The kind of stories that I like…
I watched Slumdog Millionaire in the US, a bit because I was curious and mostly because I knew colleagues would expect me to have an opinion since I was the only Indian in the team.
I am not the type that would feel upset at how India was portrayed, as some are, so I went in hoping to enjoy the movie. Sadly, I couldn’t feel much of an emotional connect at all. Perhaps, that is just my mindset? But I remember walking out disappointed with Slumdog
Haven’t watched Salaam Bombay. I form, I realize, the middle of the road, blockbuster-popcorn kind of audience movie studios must have their business models centered on exploiting. Comic book heroes, stylistic martial arts will do. No blood and gore. Don’t try to make me think too much, and definitely don’t show me the artistic, dark side of anything. A friend forced me to watch the film Munich once, and despite obviously good acting I didn’t enjoy the experience. After what Ajay has written, I doubt I would watch Salaam Bombay ever. It would hurt me too much
@Satya – Somehow I am quite sure It was you who mentioned watching this movie, and you mentioned the lines where there this kid sitting on the footpath and speaking while people are crossing the road. Well, may be I confused you with Lakshman.