These Bollywood films capture vivid hues of Mumbai

Bombay Velvet

This 2015 film is rather remembered for its gigantic failure. Not only is it one of Ranbir Kapoor's most unsuccessful films, but director Anurag Kashyap later went on to say that making 'Bombay Velvet' was a wrong move. However, the best part of this film was how it replicated Bombay of 1960s. It would almost take you back to days when the city would openly operate under gangsters, drug dealers, politicians with questionable ethics, and more. Further, it unveiled a dark world of misery, betrayal and less humane relationships.

‘Chandni Bar’

Flesh business along with its accompaniments exists everywhere, across the globe. One might argue that films like 'Chandni Bar' are relevant across all big cities with many small stories, and not just Mumbai. If one looks at the film carefully, it is not about a submissive woman who gives up to an unfavourable circumstance. We would like to decode it as a film wherein an individual copes with situations because she believes in nothing but survival; a spirit, very own to Mumbai. This film, featuring Tabu as a bar dancer, is considered one of her most critically successful performances so far.

‘Dhobi Ghat’

'Dhobi Ghat' marked the Bollywood debut of Kiran Rao. Made for an extremely niche audience, this film gives you a meticulous picture of Dhobi Ghat, a neighbourhood in Mumbai, occupied by the dhobis (washers). Hotels and hospitals close to the area all supply their washables here and the place has been a delight for photographers for many years now.

‘Life In A Metro’

The bigger the city is, the smaller the people are. The larger the life is, the more secret your sorrows are. And the faster the city is, the lesser time you have for yourself. Too much connectable to Mumbai. 'Life In A Metro' is a collaboration of sub-plots, all floating parallelly and aptly put lives in India's biggest metro city on display.

‘Salaam Bombay’

This masterpiece by renowned filmmaker Mira Nair is about a little boy who comes to Bombay to earn money and is eventually lost. He ends up being a part of the unauthorised drug business. His puberty blooms, he falls in love, only to be left with sheer futility. Not everyone who comes to the city of dream, goes back with a contentment. The more mysterious the city is, the more disappointment might be in store for you. 'Salaam Bombay' is remembered for a thorough depiction of not just Mumbai's drug and flesh market, but also because it fearlessly reveals how numerous childhoods are eaten up by an unkind reality, everyday.

‘Wake Up Sid’

Whether or not you're a fan of Bollywood, this film is almost everyone's favourite. Ranbir Kapoor, an aimless young lad, leaves home with a dream to pursue his passion for photography. During the journey, he meets Konkona Sensharma, a journalist from Kolkata who has landed in Mumbai for professional reasons. It is a heartwarming film shot across small nooks of the city and also upholds one's spirit of finding his true calling.

Daddy

The recently released thriller 'Daddy' is based upon gangster Arun Gawli's life. Arun Gawli is not just another gangster in Mumbai underworld, but he is an entire eposide on himself; a figure who enjoyed a Robinhood stature. Gawli would rule large parts of South Bombay, and arguably has contributed enough to the local people's upliftment. Hence, a film on Gawli not only brought life into a lesser known story, but also recreated a Bombay we didn't know about.