After the 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blasts...!  "BOMBAY"

By Sharad Rai

Rating: 3.30 / 5

For the First Time in Cinema History — A Dose of Spirits in an Underworld Story

Cinema is currently going through an experimental phase. Released nationwide on May 30, the film Bombay, produced by Hallmark Studios India and Sanam Productions India, is one such experiment that shocks viewers when the vengeful faces of spirits begin to appear in the midst of a family conflict rooted in the underworld and set against the backdrop of the Bombay riots. The film's writer-director Sanjay Niranjan and producer Firdous Shaikh kept this suspense under wraps until the film's release.

Set in the time when the city was still known as "Bombay" (as opposed to today's "Mumbai"), the film opens with a caption on screen: "Bombay 1993..." Amidst the sound of blasts, the city is seen burning—just as it truly did back then. During that time, all underworld dons and terrorists had fled to Dubai or other countries. Only one man, Khalid, remained in the city, under whose mentorship a rising young don, Ulhas Mhatre, was nurturing dreams of becoming an international gangster.

As the story progresses, Ulhas Mhatre (played by Gavi Chahal) builds his gang. Four more criminal goons—Nana (Danish Bhatt), Tatya, Mickey, and Bhuteshwar Nath—join him. They all begin operating under the control of Dubai-based don Changez Khan (Raj Zutshi). Ulhas Mhatre is portrayed as a flamboyant personality with many beautiful women in his life, one of whom is a devoted police officer of DSP rank. He is also shown to be disturbingly obsessed with the modesty of his first lover's (Deepshikha) young daughter.

Then begins the phase of destruction of these cruel predators—ushered in by supernatural forces! What makes this interesting is that, for the first time in Indian cinema, the story of a don includes the revenge of spirits.

Director Sanjay Niranjan has skillfully extracted performances from his cast. Every character feels like a star in their role. Gavi Chahal, Danish Bhatt, Deepshikha Nagpal, Vandana Lalwani, Ganesh Pai, Ashish Warang, Pari Mirza, Akshita Agnihotri, Deepak Bhatia, and Raj Zutshi all convincingly portray characters that seem to have emerged directly from the post-blast chaos of Bombay. This perhaps is the director’s biggest success.

Action director Moses Fernandes has delivered spectacular action sequences, while S. Pappu has done commendable work as the film’s cinematographer. Though the music is mediocre, the dialogues are witty and sharp. Komal Verma's editing is praiseworthy.

Producer Firdous Shaikh has made Bombay in four languages—Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, and Telugu. Its Kannada version has already been released and proven to be a hit. The film has been released simultaneously in Hindi and Marathi. The Censor Board has given Bombay an ‘A’ certificate.

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