The Lunchbox

Mumbai is famed for its 'dabbawaala' network where thousands of tiffin carriers deliver 'dabbas' or lunchboxes to working employees every day. In an effort to spice up her marriage, a young housewife prepares a special lunch but is accidentally delivered to a lonely widower

This unexpected mistake by Mumbai's otherwise reliable dabba service leads to an unlike correspondence between two strangers. With hints of romance, melancholia and longing, the film takes an essential part of Mumbai's everyday life and creates a stunning narrative

Slumdog Millionaire

Jamal Malik, an 18-year-old Muslim from Mumbai's Juhu slum, is on the brink of winning Rs. 20 million on 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' in 2006. Before answering the final question, he is arrested and tortured by police under suspicion of cheating. In response, Jamal tells his life story through flashbacks, explaining how his experiences provided him with the answers to the quiz

The film pays homage to the most impoverished landscapes of mumbai that co-exist alongside urbanization, globalization and development. Several real-life Mumbai characters feature in the film, which also depicts how the city's residents grapple with its intense change and transformation

Shree 420

'Shree 420' introduces us to a quirky character named Raj, clad in a laughable bowler hat and mismatched trousers. He arrives in Bombay with aspirations of employment, but experiences the harsh reality of city life when he is robbed just moments after stepping onto its sullied streets. However, he quickly learns that the true crooks in this city don tailored suits and perpetrate their illegal activities within their pretentious and fancy offices

'Shree 420' masterfully depicts Mumbai's authentic essence, showcasing it as a bustling metropolis populated by a multitude of individuals, who, to some, signify potential customers, while to others, they represent companions and allies

Salaam Bombay

Arriving in Mumbai from a village near Bangalore, Krishna finds himself penniless and alone. He gets ensnared in the city's intricate underworld, full of pushers, gangsters, tricksters, and sex workers. Their daily grind reveals the city's relentless anonymity, presenting both its freeing and scarring facets. Feels straight out of a Manto novel!

The final scenes of the movie depict Krishna fleeing a brothel, pushing his way through the crowds of Ganesh Chaturthi before he suddenly finds himself in a quiet, deserted street. He breaks down - perhaps in a intense loneliness or a moment of intense presence with the self - one of which suffuse the streets of bustling Mumbai

Kali Salwar

Speaking of Sadat Hasan Manto, a novelist who singularly captures the pulse of everyday Mumbai, Kali Salwar is a film that is an adaptation of the writer's eponymous story

Fareeda Mehta's inventive rendition of Manto's 1961 story follows a provincial prostitute and her pimp as they navigate through Mumbai, captivated and disoriented by the city's aloofness is simultaneously deliciously alluring yet lonesom. Amid their struggle for survival, they blend into a close-knit society of similar fringe characters, all inspired by Manto's diverse writings

Bombay

The 1995 release, 'Bombay,' was inspired by a real-life story of an inter-faith couple grappling with the struggles of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid riots in Mumbai and their journey of survival

Directed by Mani Ratnam, the film starred Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles and featured hit songs like 'Hamma Hamma,' 'Kehna Hi Kya,' and 'Tu Hi Re,' composed by the maestro A.R. Rahman. Earning accolades from critics and audiences alike, 'Bombay' was honored with two National Awards and multiple Filmfare Awards

City Lights

Hansal Mehta's 'City Lights' masterfully portrays the daunting struggles of a family freshly uprooted to the mercilessly fast-paced metropolis of Mumbai. The narrative delves into the life of an impoverished farmer from Rajasthan, impeccably played by Rajkummar Rao, who embarks on a daunting journey to Mumbai in a desperate quest for a means of survival

The film is riveting and sensitive portrait of the city of dreams, Mumbai, albeit through the lens of harsh realities. The film weaves a powerful narrative around the struggle for survival in this relentless metropolis, shedding light on the stark contrast between the city's glittering facade and the struggles endured by its inhabitants

Dhobi Ghat

Kiran Rao's directorial debut features the likes of Aamir Khan and Prateik Babbar in a powerful film set in Mumbai. The narrative weaves together the lives of four people in Mumbai - a lonely painter, a washerman, an NRI businesswoman turned photographer and a housewife whom we meet only through her pre-recorded video 'letters.' The cinematography and direction from the visuals of Old Mumbai to the meandering shots between roads and bylanes capture the ethos, pathos of everyday realities of restless Mumbai 

Dhobi Ghat is a mood than plot-based film. The iconic Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai also serves as an important spatial marker in the film

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro

'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro', a cherished classic comedy in Hindi cinema, narrates the tale of two photographers, Vinod (portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah) and Sudhir (played by Ravi Baswani). They inadvertently become entangled in a corrupt real-estate scam when a compromising detail is captured in the background of one of their photographs

Kundan Shah's indie film tracks its quirky, sincere heroes across Mumbai - from their modest studio in the coastal Haji Ali region, through newspaper headquarters, construction zones, and police stations - offering a wide-ranging exploration of the city's pervasive network of corruption. This makes the final scene where they pose against the Gateway of India mock-slicing their throats iconic in its satirical expression - and also a metaphor for the realities of the lowest classes of Mumbai when they go up against the most powerful

Chhoti Si Baat

In the 1970s, actor Amol Palekar emerged as the embodiment of a novel genre in Hindi cinema, representing the average middle-class individual with typical middle-class ambitions. 'Chhoti Si Baat' stars Palekar in a quintessential Bombay narrative of love sparked amidst city commutes

Basu Chatterjee's film sets its narrative against iconic Mumbai landmarks, including the legendary Samovar cafe, Jehangir Art Gallery, and the venerable Eros Cinema. It presents an enchanting depiction of the city seldom portrayed in cinema - one that isn't steeped in tragedy or glamour, but rather brimming with ordinary individuals who are the protagonists of their own mundane but significant stories