Salaam Bombay - Street Children in Mumbai, India

Here are three clips from this splendid film about a Bombay street child. In the first we see the hero, young Krishna, working for a circus. He is sent on an errand by the owner. When he returns the circus has left without him. He travels to Bombay, joins a group of street children and becomes a "chaipau", a tea boy. In the second clip we see him with a prostitute who befriends him and her daughter, who has a crush on him (watch for her charming wink). In the final clip we see Krishna getting stoned in a graveyard with another friend from the streets, the drug addict Chillum.

This is an incredible film and if you haven't seen it you should make a point of getting hold of a copy. The story of this street child, interwoven with the stories of the other street people presents a magnificent tapestry of life at the bottom in Bombay and is a genuine tragedy. The street children in the film are real street children that director Mira Nair recruited through drama workshops she held with them. Shafiq Syed's stellar performance in the lead role won him the Indian equivalent of an Oscar for best performance by child.

Proceeds from the film went towards the founding of the Salaam Baalak Trust that has helped thousands of Indian street children over the years since the film's release. Visit their website at http://salaamstreetkids.org/

The dvd is in Hindi with English subtitles (not, unfortunately, available in these clips.)