Mira Nair’s first narrative feature, the Indian Hindi-language drama Salaam Bombay!, is as much a documentary as it is a narrative of Bombay’s (now Mumbai’s) loud and chaotic street life. Even though its story and characters are crafted by Nair and screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala (Mississippi Masala), its atmosphere feels natural and real. The 1988 Cannes Camera d’Or winner follows young Krishna (a terrific Shafiq Syed whose natural camera presence grips the viewer and never lets go) who, after being cast out by his family (and the circus), finds himself on the streets of Bombay. While this may sound like the plot to a dark coming-of-age fairytale, Mira keeps the authenticity of Bombay intact without sacrificing any of the story’s emotional power. As Krishna serves at the center of the story, time is also spent with a variety of characters including a malicious two-bit, pathetic pimp, a young woman forced into prostitution, a drug addict who comes undone and a woman who juggles prostitution and motherhood. Salaam Bombay! offers a vision of street life that is both intimate and kaleidoscopic.
Shafiq Syed as Krishna in SALAAM BOMBAY!. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
The hero’s journey of Krishna is a heartbreaking one. We begin with a young boy who is abandoned, looking for a new journey. Nair takes us through the intriguing highs and extreme lows in Indian street life, end with a young boy who has grown up too fast due to horrible things he has witnessed (and done), a child who has become a man but at the cost of his soul as he stares offscreen with a hallowed look. A haunting, heartbreaking ending, but an ending no doubt earned. As Krishna may be the perfect purview into experiencing the streets of Bombay, there are two other great characters — the cruel and pathetic pimp Baba (a terrific Nana Patekar) and the tragic, misfortunate Chillum (a heartbreaking Raghubir Yadav), — two characters who carry one of the film’s best subplots. As Baba exiles Chillum for selling drugs on his turf, the plot propels forward as the two men separately descend into their own personal hells. Their downfalls parallel that of Krishna’s innocence as well as those of a few other supporting characters.
L-R: Raghuvir Yadav as Chillum and Shafiq Syed as Krishna in SALAAM BOMBAY!. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
As we are thrust into this world, Nair balances cruelty with tenderness. In one scene, we witness a young woman ruthlessly being thrown into prostitution as she gets dragged out of a car, smacked and thrown into her new “home,” an apartment with other prostitutes; a young boy dances with a mother and her daughter after she cleans him up from the pouring rain; a man cruelly beats another man for what he perceives is enjoyment for an American woman who witnesses the ordeal in horror; and a key moment that balances both – a prostitute smacks her daughter for interrupting her time with a “john” and, moments later, shares a tender moment with her as they make shadow puppets on the wall when the lights go out. From the streets to the markets to the juvenile penal system, Nair holds nothing back in her vision as she runs both her characters and the audience through the emotional gauntlet.
L-R: Nana Patekar as Baba and Chanda Sharma as Sola Saal in SALAAM BOMBAY!. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! is akin to Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep, another Criterion release representing a life largely unseen in cinema at the time of its release. As Burnett’s unvarnished vision of life in urban Los Angeles stunned viewers for its beauty, Nair’s vision of life on the streets of Bombay dazzles and leaves viewers emotionally stunned by the arrival of its final shot. The talent shines both in front of and behind the camera in this gem of a release. Barry Alexander Brown, known for his legendary collaborations with Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Inside Man (2006), etc.), serves as editor, providing a narrative that is as complex as it is intensely felt. L. Subramaniam, acclaimed violinist and composer (Mississippi Masala), provides the film’s memorable, hypnotic score. Salaam Bombay! is the perfect film to showcase Mira Nair’s talent and is a great precursor to her future acclaimed films like Mississippi Masala (1991) and Monsoon Wedding (2001). This Criterion release presents a digital restoration of the 1988 film, supervised and approved by director Mira Nair. There is also a modest number of supplemental features compared to other Criterion releases including audio commentaries with Nair and director of photography Sandi Sissel (The People Under the Stairs), a conversation between Nair and composer L. Subramaniam, and a special program about the Salaam Banak Trust and its mission to support the street children of Mumbai. Beautiful, haunting, and soulful all in one, Salaam Bombay! is a great selection for anyone looking for cinema showcasing a world rarely seen with so much emotional depth.
Salaam Bombay! Special Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Mira Nair, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentaries featuring Nair and director of photography Sandi Sissel
- *NEW* conversation between Nair and composer L. Subramaniam
- Archival interviews with screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala and actors Aneeta Kanwar, Bernard Sissel, Shafiq Syed, and Hansa Vithal
- Program about the Salaam Baalak Trust and its mission to support the street children of Mumbai
- Trailer
- *NEW* English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Devika Girish
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray December 9th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection Salaam Bombay! webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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