Bombay (film)

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This article is about the film. See Bombay (disambiguation) for other uses.

Bombay
Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Produced by	Mani Ratnam S. Sriram
Written by	Mani Ratnam Umesh Sharma
Starring	Arvind Swamy Manisha Koirala Tinnu Anand Nasser Sonali Bendre Prakash Raj
Music by	A. R. Rahman
Cinematography	Rajiv Menon
Editing by	Suresh Urs
Distributed by	Aalayam
Release date(s)	April 7, 1995
Running time	141 mins
Country	India
Language	Tamil
IMDb profile

Bombay (1995) is an award-winning Tamil feature film drama directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala, with music composed by A. R. Rahman. The film met with a strong reception upon release.

The film is centred on events, particularly during the period of December 1992 to January 1993 in India, and the controversy surrounding the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Increased religious tensions in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) led to riots. Shekhar (Arvind Swamy) is the son of traditional Hindu parents. He is studying journalism in Bombay and returns to his village where he comes across Shaila Bano, (Manisha Koirala), a Muslim schoolgirl. The story revolves around their relationship in the midst of religious tension.

The film caused huge controversy upon release in India and abroad, for its depiction of inter-religious relations. Well received critically and commercially, it was screened at many international film festivals including the Philadelphia Film Festival in 1996 where it was an audience favourite.

The film was banned in Singapore, Pakistan and Malaysia upon release.

In July 2005, a book on the film was published by BFI Modern Classics, looking at the film's production, the several issues it covered, and its impact upon release in India and abroad.^[1][2]

It was subsequently dubbed in Hindi and Telugu.

[edit] Plot

Shaila Bano is shocked to see Shekhar following her

Shekhar (Arvind Swamy) is the son of traditional Hindu parents in a seaside village. A journalism student studying in Bombay, Shekhar visits back home to see his family. On one of his return trips, he lays eyes on Shaila Bano (Manisha Koirala). Initially shy, Shaila seeks to distance herself from Shekhar, but after frequent run-ins, and days of pursuit, Shaila begins to like Shekhar. Eventually, they both fall in love.

A marriage proposal is vehemently opposed by the lovers' fathers. Shekar's father refuses to accept Shaila as his daughter-in-law, telling Shekhar to find another partner, whilst Shaila's father announces the need for an immediate marriage between his daughter and a Muslim man. Shekhar's father says if the two ever get married, he will cease talking to his son. Shekhar reacts angrily to his father's refusal to accept Shaila, and so leaves, back to Bombay. Shaila, under increasing pressure from her father, escapes from the village and joins Shekhar. At first, Shaila is overwhelmed by the city, having relocated for the first time from rural surroundings to a city life. However, with time she adapts to her new lifestyle. The two get married. The newlyweds move into a new apartment.

A few months later, Shaila becomes pregnant and gives birth to twins, Kabir Narayan and Kamal Basheer. The twins are raised in both religions. Shekar continues to work as a journalist, whilst Shaila works at home, looking after the children. For six years, the family live in Bombay, settling in well, and begin the process of repairing relations with their respective families. The relatives visit the family in the city for the first time in over half a decade, and are overjoyed to see their two grandchildren.

Meanwhile, in India, religious extremism launches each community against the other, causing a wave of Hindu/Muslim riots that leave hundreds dead in Bombay. Targets of violence from both sides, Shaila and Shekhar worry increasingly over the safety of their children, who do not have a fixed religion. They are constantly under threat. The growing tension threatens to bring tragedy to the family and during this tensed situation they loose their children and the parents of Shekhar and Shaila gets burnt in their house.

But at the end of the movie, it picturises that the riots come to an end and both Hindus/Muslims join hands together as one nation. Moreover, Shekhar and Shaila get their children back.

[edit] Awards

The film has won the following awards since its release:

1996 Political Film Society (USA)

• Won - Special Award - Bombay - Mani Ratnam

1996 National Film Awards (India)

• Won - Best Editing - Suresh Urs

1996 Filmfare Awards South

• Won - Filmfare Best Music Director Award (Tamil) - A. R. Rahman

1995 Filmfare Awards (India)

• Won - Best Film (Critics) - Bombay - Mani Ratnam
• Won - Best Performer (Critics) - Manisha Koirala

[edit] Music

Bombay: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The original soundtrack features score and 6 songs composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics in the Tamil language by Vairamuthu.

Track listing:

1. "Antha Arabi" (5:16) – A. R. Rahman, Remo Fernandez
2. "Poovukku Enna" (5:51) – Noel, Anupama,
3. "Uyire Uyire" (7:22) – Hariharan, K. S. Chitra
4. "Kuchi Kuchi" (5:09) – Hariharan, Swarnalatha
5. "Kannalanae" (5:57) – K. S. Chithra
6. "Bombay Theme" (5:16) – A. R. Rahman

The track "Bombay Theme" from the soundtrack is an instrumental orchestral piece composed, arranged and conducted by A. R. Rahman. It was recently featured in the soundtrack and score of the Nicholas Cage film Lord of War, released in 2005. It has appeared on several compillation CDs since the film's release including on Volume 5 of the chill-out compilation Café del Mar, released in 1998. It also appeared on a French TV commercial for Volvic starring Zinedine Zidane in 2000. The soundtrack also found success in its dubbed versions.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Bombay at the Internet Movie Database
• Bombay film review by James Berardinelli (1996)
• Bombay Lyrics & Notations