Synopsis
After destroying his older brother's motorbike in retaliation for his constant bullying, 11-year-old Krishna is sent to a traveling circus to earn money to pay for the bike's repairs, but soon winds up in the streets of Bombay's poorest slums. There, he befriends the drug dealer Chillum and young prostitute Sola Saal, while trying to make enough money at a neighborhood tea stall to repay his debt to his family.
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Cast
- Shafiq SyedKrishna / Chaipau
- Hansa VithalManju Golub
- Chanda SharmaSola Saal
- Anita KanwarRekha Golub
- Nana PatekarBaba Golub
- AnjaanChild at the Circus
- Amrit PatelCircus Boss
- Irrfan KhanLetter Writer
- Raghubir YadavChillum
- Raju BernadKeera
Recommendations
- 90
Village Voice
The real star of this film is the crowded, neon-lit byways of the city itself. - 80
Chicago Reader
The film is unsparingly gritty, but with a woman's tenderness it also grants the characters an occasional moment of grace. - 75
Christian Science Monitor
The story sometimes seems hesitant to confront the most harrowing implications of the harsh realities it portrays. But it benefits greatly from Syed's close-to-the-bone performance as the boy. - 60
Variety
Director Mira Nair indulges in some melodramatic explorations, however, dangerously verging on a romanticized Oriental tearjerker mood.
