Salaam Bombay!(1988)
Salaam Bombay! is a 1988 Hindi-language drama film directed by Mira Nair. The lead cast includes Shafiq Syed, Nana Patekar, and Raghubir Yadav. The story follows an eleven-year-old boy named Krishna who is abandoned in Mumbai's red-light district. He works as a tea boy and dreams of earning enough money to return home. The film was shot on real streets with non-professional actors, many of whom were homeless children. It won the Camera d'Or at Cannes and was nominated for an Academy Award. The film released in India on 6 October 1988.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Prime Video, JioHotstar
- Theatrical Release
- 23 September 1988
- Director
- Mira Nair
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 1h 53m
- Rating
- 5.4/10
Storyline
An eleven-year-old boy named Krishna breaks his brother's motorbike in anger. His mother sends him to work at a traveling circus to pay for the damage. He runs away to Mumbai, hoping to earn money and return home. But the streets of the red-light district trap him in a world of poverty, drugs, and violence.
“A child's cry in a city of chaos”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Salaam Bombay!
Cast reunions in this film: Nana Patekar & Raghubir Yadav (4 films together), and Nana Patekar & Anita Kanwar (2 films together).
Trivia
- The child actors were all real street kids from Bombay, not professional actors.
- Director Mira Nair lived in a Bombay slum for three months to research the film.
- It was the first Indian film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
- The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1989.
- The young lead, Shafiq Syed, was discovered by the crew while shining shoes at a traffic signal.
- Much of the dialogue was improvised by the non-professional cast based on their own experiences.
- The film's budget was very low, partly funded by grants and Mira Nair's own savings.