SALAAM BOMBAY!

SALAAM BOMBAY! - 1988

RATED - NR but some language (several 'f' words, some violence, no sex or sexual nudity shown).

RATINGS - 28 Amazon (5/5), 47,653 Netflix (3.8/5), 2,685 IMDB (8.0/10), Roger Ebert (4/4).

AWARDS - Nominee for BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM -Academy Awards, BAFTA and Golden Globes.

THEMES - Relationships, justice.

STORY - I would call this film a docudrama. The screenplay is like a documentary but it feels like a real life drama. It is SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE without the millionaire. The entire film is shot on location in the slums of Bombay (now Mumbai) and it feels like you're right there with all the filth, the squalor and the mobs of people. The filmmakers also used real street children for the film. Krishna, an 11 year old boy, has been sent by his mother to work in the circus to earn money. One day, the circus leaves without him and he finds his way to the nearest 'big town', Bombay. There we meet the other main characters, street children, pimps, druggies and prostitutes. In their own way, they stick together and fight to survive. When they try to earn money honestly, the employers take advantage of them, knowing they have no one to defend them. Others give up on honest wages and turn to crime and drugs to survive. But they are all real people and have a story and that's the strength of this movie. You really feel like you have entered into the lives of these people and walked with them in their journey, however short and difficult it may be. Krishna's only goal is to make 500 rupees to take home, a modest goal for most people, but a huge obstacle in that environment. While there are plenty of depressing moments in the film, there is also hope, that with the right kind of guidance and opportunity, these are bright and resourceful children who would be successful in legitimate society if they were given a chance. The sad truth is that very few of them will have that life changing opportunity. There are millions of street children in India and around the world. Many of them just waiting for a sponsor to get them out of the cycle of poverty and crime through organizations that are doing a great work of love and compassion. One of the outstanding ones is COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL. If you watch the film, and I highly recommend it, don't stop there, get involved in making a difference. It changes our lives, too. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 06/14/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, ROGER EBERT, COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

INDIA - FIVE FILMS

THE STORY OF INDIA - 2007


LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB


SUMMARY - This is the PBS documentary in six one hour segments narrated by Michael Wood. A good place to start to get the overall picture of this amazing country. The blu-ray version is as cheap as the regular version and brings the country and people alive through great camera work. 4.5/5, 4/5, 8.7/10 ratings.

GANGES - 2007

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

STORY - You can't understand India without understanding the Ganges River and this three part BBC production is simply stunning in its photography of the river, the wildlife and the people that live on its banks. Almost 10% of the ENTIRE world's population lives within the Ganges' basin.

MOTHER TERESA - 2003


LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB


STORY - Starring Olivia Hussey as Mother Teresa, this made for TV movie is a wonderful portrayal of an amazing woman. Mother Teresa has become synonymous with Christian works of charity because of her work with the dying in Calcutta. Not only a family friendly story of her work but more insight into a segment of India's culture and the steel will of this woman who was determined to love the unlovable as Christ would love them. 4.5/5, 3.9/5, 7/10 ratings.




MOTHER TERESA - 1986



LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB




STORY - This is a documentary about Mother Teresa. Follow her around Calcutta and the world as she ministers to those forgotten by the rest of society. Her powerful witness to the love of Jesus is seen not only in the slums of the world but as she speaks to students at Harvard, the UN and world leaders around the globe. Her drive and determination to help those rejected by their communities are an inspiration to everyone. 5/5, 3.6/5, 7.3/10.

BORN INTO BROTHELS - 2003

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

STORY - This film won the 2005 Oscar for BEST DOCUMENTARY. It is the story of eight children of prostitutes in Calcutta's red light district, an area of extreme poverty and crime. Zana Briski is a free lance photographer who has been trying, unsuccessfully, to do a picture story of the red light district and the prostitutes who live there. She decides to choose eight children of the 'workers' and give them cameras and teach them photography to tell their own stories. She falls in love with these children and sets on a mission to get them out of their environment and break the destructive patterns they are most likely to live out. This is their story, the successes AND the failures. At the same time, both heart breaking and uplifting. One person can make a difference in someone Else's life if they care enough to sacrifice. 4/5, 3.8/5, 7.8/10 ratings.

I was inspired to watch these films as a result of our son's recent trip to India. He was profoundly affected by what he saw in the country and particularly in the slums as well as his visit to Mother Teresa's facility. Here is a link to his blog. It is hard for those of us who live in the West to understand the culture and the way of life in that fascinating part of the world where the majority of the world's population lives.