Mumbai’s King, 2012.
Directed by Manjeet Singh.
Starring Rahul Bairagi, Dhanshree Jain, Arbaaz Khan, salman Khan and Tejas D. Parvatkar.
SYNOPSIS:
A mischievous adolescent and a streetwise balloon seller roam the rain-soaked slums of Mumbai, looking to escape the harsh realities of life.
Mumbai’s King is just about as far away from the glamour of Bollywood as you can get. It’s Truffaut’s The 400 Blows relocated to Mumbai, the city as an urban playground for an under-privileged young man to escape his turbulent family life. At home, the grotty, unhealthy misery of young Rahul’s life is truly apparent, his abusive alcoholic father and doting mother constantly in conflict. But outside those walls, Manjeet Singh’s film becomes magic.
The two child actors – Rahul Bairagi, and Arbaaz Khan, playing his impish best friend – are exceptional, giving the kind of fresh, ego-free performances only a pair of non-professionals can. The sight of Rahul jumping into a river/garbage dump or lifting potatoes while Arbaaz distracts the seller have a rough poetry, Singh locating the beauty in the moment, a sense of joy in scenes that could feel much bleaker. The grim finale feels out of place and unnecessary, but it’s the only sour note in a raw, confident debut.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brogan Morris – Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the young princes. Follow Brogan on Twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion.
Originally published April 14, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
