When Mira Nair’s moving tribute to the resilience of Bombay’s street children was first seen in 1988, it drew comparisons with François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows for its unflinching depiction of a deprived young boy’s struggle against the odds. Twenty-odd years later, the point of reference has changed. Now Nair’s film is “the original Slumdog Millionaire”.
Like Slumdog, her film has a homeless young protagonist battling to survive by his wits on the city’s teeming streets: here the young hero is 10 or 11-year-old Krishna (played by Shafiq Syed) who comes to Bombay after being abandoned by the travelling circus that has been his home. There he gets a job as a tea boy (anticipating Slumdog’s chai wallah), a chaipau delivering tea and bread to the inhabitants of a fetid corner of the city’s red-light district. And, again anticipating Slumdog, he befriends a girl whose virginity goes up for sale to the highest bidder.
Unlike Slumdog, however, Salaam Bombay! doesn’t sweeten its depiction of poverty with feelgood fantasy, but Nair does nevertheless convey the energy and vitality that here co-exists with extreme deprivation.
With a background in documentary filmmaking, Nair shot Salaam Bombay! entirely on location, after first conducting workshops among Bombay’s real-life street children and using their true stories as the basis for her screenplay. This, too, is how she found her young star, the remarkable Syed.
Just as Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (Les Quatres Cent Coups) won the Best Director award at Cannes in 1959, and just as Slumdog Millionaire has been garlanded with prizes, Nair’s gritty and compassionate movie met with well-deserved kudos, winning the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 1988.
Following this success, Nair went on to direct a string of acclaimed movie, both in India and the West, including Mississippi Marsala, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, Vanity Fair and the magical Monsoon Wedding, but you could argue that Salaam Bombay! remains her greatest achievement.
Released 30th March
François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is being re-released in UK cinemas on 10th April.
I have seen Salaam Bombay 10 years ago and I think it does truly reflect the life of the street children out there. I have adopted two orphaned children from India in 1992 and 1996 – one girl and one boy. Whilst there I have been to the shantytowns myself. I have seen extreme poverty and despair first hand. It was a harrowing experience, which I will never forget. I get very emotional when I watch Salaam Bombay as it brings back memories. I think of my beautiful son and daughter who could have ended up like the characters in the film. I have seen Slumdog Millionaire only recently and it instantly reminded me of Salaam Bombay. Having received so many Oscars I expected much more from this film and must say I was a bit disappointed. And yes that’s right Nair’s film is “the original Slumdog Millionaire – which should have received all these Oscars back then !
I’ve seen both films and would argue that Slumdog Millionaire, packs a real memorable and emotional punch that Salaam Bombay lacks. Maybe it’s the modern take with the vibrant colours and music that do it for me, but absolutely believe Slumdog is the better movie. Having been out to Mumbai recently and having stayed close to the airport and therefore some of the slums (jupad patti), you really feel for the way these people live. It’s truly shocking in this modern day that people lack the basics.
Interestingly I did hear from some of the locals that they have been offered alternative accomodation, so that the government can develop this prime-land. They simply don’t want to move, and are happy with their lives. Amazing, but I can see the attraction of sticking to what you know, and where you feel safe.