Had always seen this film in bits and pieces. And finally got a
chance to see it in totality. Wonder how I did not bother to pick
up a CD and watch it earlier.
Bombay is a film that is the nearest to perfection in all the films
that I have ever watched. The performances are great, the direction
is superb, the cinematography is mind-blowing, the music is awesome,
the background music is superb, the story is interesting and alongwith
being a love story it is wonderfully woven around a social and political
situation.
What made it for interesting viewing was the fact that the situation in our
country has not changed much in the last decade.
The second-half of the film is based around the bomb-blasts that happened in
the most cosmopolitan city of India - Bombay. And even today just the thought
of that incident evokes emotions of fear in most people of the city.
The film starts with Arvind Swamy who has come back to his village after being in
the city for education. He sees the heroine Manisha and falls in love with her instantly.
A perfect case of love-at-first-sight (which seems to happen only in the films, by the
way!) As luck would have it Arvind’s family are staunch Brahmins and Manisha belongs to
a Muslim family.
During this first half, the most impressive is the song Tu hi re which is beautifully picturised
and immortally sung by Hariharan. Another confrontation scene between Arvind and Manisha’s father
is quite interesting.
Since the families disagree, Arvind moves back to Mumbai and so does Manisha and they tie the
knot in the court.
And then in the second half of the film starts the chaos of the riots and the couples turmoil as they
lose their twin boys.
Here also Arvind’s outbreak scene on how he is neither a Hindu nor a Muslim is thought-provoking.
So in case you haven’t had the chance to see this film, kindly do so.