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Salaam Bombay!

Play trailer Poster for Salaam Bombay! 1988 1h 53m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After destroying his older brother's motorbike in retaliation for his constant bullying, 11-year-old Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is sent to a traveling circus to earn money to pay for the bike's repairs, but soon winds up in the streets of Bombay's poorest slums. There, he befriends the drug dealer Chillum (Raghubir Yadav) and the beautiful young prostitute Sola Saal (Chanda Sharma), while trying to make enough money at a neighborhood tea stall to repay his debt to his family.
Salaam Bombay!

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Salaam Bombay! examines life in a part of the world many viewers have never visited -- but does so with enough compassion and grace to make them feel as if they have.

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Critics Reviews

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Derek Smith Slant Magazine Dec 12
Mira Nair brings a documentarian’s sensibility to her texturally rich narrative feature debut Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian 06/17/2021
4/5
What strikes you is not simply its energy and vitality and its Dickensian storytelling appetite, but its fierce unsentimentality. Go to Full Review Ted Shen Chicago Reader 09/29/2015
Like Hector Babenco's Pixote the film is unsparingly gritty, but with a woman's tenderness it also grants the characters an occasional moment of grace. Go to Full Review Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com May 8
B+
Unique in its screen energy and daring in its tonality, with Nair hoping to bring attention to a dire situation of living where life seems disposable. Go to Full Review Hilary Mantel The Spectator 04/09/2019
A warm and lively film, made by Mira Nair with only a handful of professional actors. Go to Full Review Jeff Simon Buffalo News 04/30/2018
Salaam Bombay! is an enormously moving and powerful film about life for children in the slums of Bombay. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kunal J @RT62947237 May 3 It brings out the other side of Bombay, beyond the glitz and glamour, and middle-class aspirations, with great sensitivity and human-touch. Each character is a part of the multi-faceted personality of the city. The movie doesn't compel you into an emotional trap, but rather makes you think and reflect without letting you too close to the characters as they "live" their dignity beyond the pity of the audience. Yet the movie doesn't fail to move you, or leave questions, and yet allows you a critical lense through which to see the harsh realities of an Indian metropolis. A truly great work of art which is brought alive by excellent direction, screenplay, camera work, and of course acting. See more 06/16/2020 Had this in my DVD stack for ages; glad lockdown gave me a chance to watch. The real-life locations are great and the child actors are very natural. Would like to hope the situation for the street children is better today. See more 03/30/2020 Masterpiece of Bollywood See more bhuvanesh b @fankaar 12/30/2018 Awesome movie! Much better than the trash film Slumdog Millionaire. See more 03/30/2016 Rarely has been captured the emotions of a child so real on film and for that Mira Nair, hats off! See more 10/24/2015 another tale of a street kid in the slums od Bombay (Mumbai) See more Read all reviews
Salaam Bombay!

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Cast & Crew

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Mira Nair

Director

Shafiq Syed

Krishna

Hansa Vithal

Manju Golub

Aneeta Kanwar

Rekha

Raghuvir Yadav

Chillum

Chanda Sharma

Sola Saal

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Salaam Bombay!

Salaam Bombay! (1988) Salaam Bombay! (1988) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After destroying his older brother's motorbike in retaliation for his constant bullying, 11-year-old Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is sent to a traveling circus to earn money to pay for the bike's repairs, but soon winds up in the streets of Bombay's poorest slums. There, he befriends the drug dealer Chillum (Raghubir Yadav) and the beautiful young prostitute Sola Saal (Chanda Sharma), while trying to make enough money at a neighborhood tea stall to repay his debt to his family.
Director
Mira Nair
Producer
Mira Nair
Screenwriter
Sooni Taraporevala
Production Co
Mirabai Films, National Film Development Corporation of India, Film Four International
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Hindi
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 7, 1988, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 14, 2014
Runtime
1h 53m