Criterion Collection releases Mira Nair’s narrative directing debut, an exploration of life on the streets of Mumbai
In the weeks surrounding her son’s mayoral inauguration in New York City, it seems only fitting to celebrate the work of filmmaker Mira Nair. Criterion Collection played its part by releasing a Blu-Ray of her first narrative feature, Salaam Bombay! last month. The 1988 docudrama follows the plight of a child surviving on the streets of Mumbai and the lives of the assorted characters that he meets. Nair and her crew cast non-actors (all the kids) with a few experienced performers, lending the film a sense of immediacy and reality. What makes the work truly memorable is the scoring by Indian musician L. Subramaniam. His music adds a distinct energy and further emotional layering to Nair’s film.
Krishna (played by Shafiq Syed, discovered through an acting workshop Nair and her team held for street kids) is left behind by the circus where his mother abandoned him and has just enough cash to get to Bombay. In the vibrant, hectic streets of the city, he finds Chillum (Raghubir Yadav), a 30-something manipulative drug addict who becomes something of a mentor — as well as a possible glimpse into Krishna’s own future. The kid befriends other boys his age living on the streets and meets younger girl Manju (Hansa Vithal) and her mother Rekha (Aneeta Kanwar) on his regular chai delivery route. Krishna also becomes fascinated by a teenager (Chanda Sharma) in their building sold into prostitution.
It’s striking how timeless Salaam Bombay! feels. Although no one has cell phones, the film still seems somewhat current (at least to this viewer). The themes (homelessness, child poverty, drug abuse, etc.) and subject matter remain relevant and immediate these decades later.
Sandi Sissel’s cinematography here is a wonder. I paused during a quiet scene to marvel at the composition of the shot; as Manju snacks on a cookie in front of a teal door in the foreground, we see a sex worker putting on makeup at a table close behind her, and in the far background, another woman and man having a lively discussion. This one moment visually illustrates Manju’s life in the whorehouse — while her home environment is more comfortable than Krishna’s, there’s still a precariousness to her situation.
Through this matter-of-fact depiction, Nair’s film allows the viewer a glimpse into life on the margins within the crowded streets of Mumbai. A work that might have turned out exploitative from another filmmaker is instead thoughtfully considered by Nair and her team. There’s a sense of care and a quiet call to action, especially in the last moments of Salaam Bombay!
Special features on the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray include:
- 4K director-approved digital restoration of the film with new English subtitle translation
- commentary tracks (previously recorded in 2003) from Nair and DP Sandi Sissel
- a 2025 Zoom conversation between director Nair and composer L. Subramaniam. They discuss how this was his first film score and what the scoring process was like. They talk about influences, and Nair praises Indian director Satyajit Ray, saying he “taught me how to use music with cinema.”
- 2003 interviews with former child actors Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal and Bernard Sissel (former street kid adopted by the director of photography), as well as actress Aneeta Kanwar. The audio quality isn’t the best on these, but it’s a great opportunity to see how Salaam Bombay! impacted their lives.
- In a 2003 interview with the screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala, she talks about the influence of documentary on her first script and Nair’s first narrative. Saying Subramaniam’s scoring “took it to a completely different level,” she notes the musician’s talent of translating the emotions of the film. She also comments on the seamless quality Sissel’s cinematography adds to the work.
- a short about the work of Salaam Baalak Trust, a non-profit set up to help children such as those depicted in the film
