As a Mumbai native I have always found its romanticization in cinema frustrating. Most movies/OTT imagine the city as limited to SoBo with its Victorian era landmarks. This montage from All We Imagine As Light absolutely gutted me by the way it deconstructs the fantasy of Bombay.

Mumbai/Bombay in Indian cinema has always been portrayed as the Oriental equivalent of cities like NYC/London-a cosmopolitan hotpot, a utopia where immigrants can become anyone they want and build a Mannat like SRK did, a city belonging to gangsters, film stars and local trains

Bollywood movies especially focus on Marine Drive, one of the prettiest areas of the city. The sea is where the protagonists meet and kiss for the first time, where the underworld don makes his entry or where the cop does his high speed chase. Urban poverty is non existent here.

AWIAL goes beyond the gloss of the queen’s necklace and focuses on the bittersweet, almost melancholic relationship that immigrants really have with the city. The housing redevelopment battles with builders, the divide b/w slums & skyscrapers, the way the rain floods your house.

In another poignant scene, Chhaya Kadam complains to Kani Kusruti that she feels like if she disappeared, no one would notice. The film captures the city’s cruelty, its unforgiving nature towards those who cannot catch up, but without any judgement, just as a matter of fact.

I often see people complain that critics only appreciate films which show the dark side of India. But I don’t think AWIAL tries to show Mumbai as dark or ugly. In fact the film displays its love for the city precisely through its unwillingness to hide its flaws-&that is true love

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You must not have seen a lot of Bollywood movies then. Truckloads of movies have been made showing the "dark/poor underbelly" of Mumbai. From Nayagan to Salaam Bombay, Satya, Company, Sarkar, and of course the OG poverty porn - Slumdog Millionaire.

U can see why it wasn't first choice for oscars

A lower middle class household in Bombay will be depicted by a 3000 sqft art deco house somewhere in Colaba. Almost every outdoor shoot restricts itself to Fort, Horniman Circle, Marine Drive, Gateway of India,CST. As if we are ashamed of anything that the British didn't build.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Most large cities like Bombay, or New York, will have millions of complex layer but the city does keep going and supports teeming millions. As someone who came to Bombay in 20s I can attest to it. It has an aura and inspiration in itself.

Now, I am glad I have not seen this movie. It is exactly as I thought. There is no unspoken code here. Anybody can be angry, and many people are. They just don't stew in their anger. They struggle and try to improve their lot. There are many things wrong with Mumbai +