Mumbai, a megalopolis of almost 20 million people is the home of Bollywood, the beating heart of the Indian film industry, and the film set of thousands of fictions that can’t be confined to a few stereotypes. h el io san m ig u el , editor of World Film Locations: Mumbai takes us on a whistlestop tour of a city rich in cinematic heritage and buzzing with energy.
opposite nirupa roy as the poor single mother below jackie shroff and anil kapoor
PARINDA (1989) Dir. Vidhu Vinod Chopra IND, 154 minutes Starring: Jackie Shroff, Kamal Chopra and Madhuri Dixit Parinda’s realistic depiction of gangster life found critical and popular success despite its untraditional tragic ending, and ushered in a new era of Bollywood cinema. Karan, just back in Mumbai after completing his studies abroad, witnesses the killing of his childhood friend Prakash, who became a policeman and is the brother of beautiful Paro, the object of his affection. Mumbai’s urban landscape –the Dadar fountain where they grew up and Prakash gets killed, Babulnath temple, abandoned factories, fancy hotels, the imposing Gateway of India where the climactic scene takes place— all serve as the theatre for a calculated revenge, but also as a lost haven filled with childhood memories. Karan’s downward spiral from naïve college graduate to the depths of the underworld, also made Parinda the precursor of Mumbai Noir, the successful genre that delves into the city’s underbelly, paving the way for other movies like Ram Gopal Varma’s acclaimed Satya (1998). Images: (opposite) © 1975 Trimurti Films Pvt. Ltd. / (Above) © 1989 Natraj Production, Vinod Chopra Productions
November/December 2012
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