Bombay

An Indian drama. Shekhar is a young man from a village, studying journalism. Back home he sees a girl and follows her. Shaila Banu is Muslim, Shekhar is Hindu. Neither family accepts it; the fathers will not even speak to each other. The two run away and settle in Bombay. They marry in the city, have two sons and make a small flat their home. Years pass and a building is destroyed. That event at another end of the country turns into fighting in Bombay; the neighbourhoods split and neighbours turn on each other. From there the film covers two waves of rioting. The streets burn, shops are marked, and two children are lost in the crowd. What the narrative is interested in is not religion but family: two grandfathers stand at the centre. Neither accepted the marriage for years; when the violence begins they have to stay in the same house. It is based on real events and caused argument on release; some sections were cut in negotiation with the censor board, and the film drew both threats and praise in India. The music is by A. R. Rahman, and the songs became widely known apart from the film. Arvind Swamy plays Shekhar and Manisha Koirala plays Shaila Banu. Prakash Raj and Nassar are in the cast. Mani Ratnam wrote and directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes Indian films that take a political subject inside a popular narrative. Who it is not for: anyone expecting balance; the film wants a peaceful conclusion and was criticised for blurring who was responsible.