Salaam Bombay - That's how you tell a story

And Salaam to the New Year too! Long time since I have been able to write a blog, or have some leisurely time. But then - leisure is a state of the mind, and some effort was needed to get into that frame of mind, with so many other things going around. So finally, I saw Mira Nair's 'Salaam Bombay' - as a good movie ought to be; at leisure, peacefully on a Sunday afternoon.

For those are fuming over all the fuss over 'Slumdog Millionaire', this is the movie to watch. 'Salaam Bombay' is the story of Bombay's street kids, set in Mumbai's underbelly - its harsh life, the slums, the drugs, the sex-workers. The plot unfolds through the experiences of the kid, Chaipau/Krishna, who struggles to earn the money required to get back to his home. Facing adverse situations all around him, it is this single hope that keeps him fighting.

The character is played by Shafiq Syed, who ran away from his to land in Mumbai's streets and now earns a living driving rickshaws in Bangalore.