Bombay (film)

Bombay
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMani Ratnam
Written byMani Ratnam
Produced byS. Sriram
Mani Ratnam (Uncredited)
Jhamu Sughand
StarringArvind Swamy
Manisha Koirala
CinematographyRajiv Menon
Edited bySuresh Urs
Music byA.R. Rahman
Production
company
Distributed byAalayam Productions
Ayngaran International
Amitabh Bachchan Corporation (Hindi Version)
Release date
  • 10 March 1995 (1995-03-10)
Running time
130 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Bombay is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film[2] written and directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala (in her Tamil film debut). The film tells the story of an inter-religious family in Bombay before and during the Bombay riots, which took place between December 1992 and January 1993 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid led to religious tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities. It is the second installment in Ratnam's trilogy of films that depict human relationships against a background of Indian politics, including Roja (1992) and Dil Se.. (1998).

Bombay was released on 10 March 1995. The film was well-received both critically and commercially successful. It was screened at many international film festivals including the Philadelphia Film Festival in 1996. The film's soundtrack earned composer A. R. Rahman his fourth consecutive Filmfare Best Music Director Award (Tamil), and is considered one of the greatest Indian soundtracks of all time.[3] However, the film caused considerable controversy upon release in India and abroad for its depiction of inter-religious relations between a Muslim woman and a Hindu man. The film was banned in Singapore and Malaysia upon release.

In July 2005, a book on the film by Lalitha Gopalan was published by BFI Modern Classics, looking at the film's production, the several issues it covered, and its impact upon release in India and abroad.[4][5] The film was ranked among the top 20 Indian films in the British Film Institute's rankings.[6]

  1. ^ Rangan 2012, p. 292.
  2. ^ "Bombay". The Times of India. 30 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Sound of Cinema: 20 Greatest Soundtracks". BBC Music. BBC. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  4. ^ "BFI Books: Bombay: The film". BFI.org.uk. July 2005. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
  5. ^ "Bombay (film): BFI Modern Classics". University of California Press. July 2005. Archived from the original on 7 January 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
  6. ^ "Top 10 Indian Films". BFI. 17 July 2007. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 4 October 2011.