|
Description:
|
|
Who killed Bombay, once India's trend-setting city and commercial capital? Its politicians or the underworld? When did this city of gold turn into a cemetery of dead souls and dreams? Is there any hope left for the city? These questions lie at the very heart of the city's tragedy. Seeking answers, journalist Pinki Virani travels through many Bombays to record a medley of voices that lament the loss of a vibrant way of life and indict those responsible for this state of affairs. There is Babliseth, the glassware shop owner, resident of the original island for five decades, for whom life is all about hard work and decent deeds. Until jagged lines are gouged into the island's heart in the name of language, religion and caste. Following riots and bomb blasts, the broken man weeps at his wife's grave. Young builder Manish Shah is riddled with bullets in a case of mistaken identity that follows the implosion of a gang war. The last of the dons, who gives Virani an exclusive interview, laments the loss of honor in the new underworld even as young gangster Pakya swears that the deeds in high-rises are worse than his own. The jet-set wearing blinkers rationalize the presence of rioters and racketeers at their lavish parties. The stuntmen in the film industry-the real, hitherto unsung heroes of Bollywood, which is looked at comprehensively here-continue to wrestle with reality while the known heroes grapple with an unchanging face of their industry. Piecing together the stories of these diverse Bombayites, Virani constructs an intricate and powerful narrative, rich in memories and speech tones. Once Was Bombay is an evocative and disturbing portrayal of a great city whose glory days are now a distant memory and which will need a miracle and great dedication on the part of its inhabitants to be reborn.
|
|
|
|
|
|