Review: Bombay Rose

Bombay Rose (2021): Written and directed by Gitanjali Rao. Starring: Cyli Khare, Amit Deondi, Anurag Kashyap and Makrand Deshpande. Running Time: 97 minutes.  

Rating: 3/4 

Anyone who knows me knows that I will go to my grave arguing that animation is a fundamentally better avenue for visual storytelling than anything "live-action."  I think the primary reason for this is that animating a story requiring a far greater concentration to the details on the screen; since it is all being artificially created, the best filmmakers in this field know they have to make careful decisions about what, exactly, they put their efforts into.  And the end result is that the story is then shown in its full essence, elevating it beyond what it might otherwise be. 

Bombay Rose, by Gitanjali Rao, is a prime example of this. The story itself is very sparse and downplayed, with large segments played out with almost no dialogue. But the soft color pallete used and the gentle, very artificial ways characters move across the screen creates a dreamlike, meditative feel that creates a vibe all its own.  It is, essentially, a Romeo & Juliet, star-crossed lovers tale, with a few twists of its own.  Kamala is a young Hindu woman, roped by circumstances into basically being the caretaker of her invalid grandfather and younger sister. Day after day, she sits on the street by their house, making decorations out of jasmine petals to sell to those passing by.  Salim is a Muslim refugee from Kashmir, who works on the other side of the street selling bouquets of flowers to whoever will buy them.  

They soon each notice the other looking at them from across the street and it is clear that they are falling for each other, but it actually takes quite awhile before they ever actually exchange a single word.  These moments, done slowly and with care, are wonderful moments of visual storytelling and make it all the more powerful when they are finally able to touch and speak with each other.  

It's obviously not going to be easy or simple for them.  The religious differences is one major issue, but we also learn that Kamala has a handler arranging to sell her off to a Dubai prince as a wife, which would theoretically provide enough cash for her to leave her grandfather and sister provided for.  Though she has to work the streets, she insists that her sister continues school and spends every afternoon in the company of a charming elderly lady who teaches her English and takes her on walks to the nearby cemetary.  Kamala herself had hoped to finish university, and her frustrations with her situation are often depicted via the flights of fancy she often goes into in her mind, remarkable sequences that intersect with her daily reality in interesting ways.  

The movie never goes for great heights with its storytelling and avoids flashy moments, even where there is an actual chase going on during the climax, but I found that to be a major strength.  The movie comes and allows us to exist in its world, for just a bit, and it is a lovely place to think about the nature of life, aging, death, and the importance of having family and friends close by.  This movie technically came out two years ago but is only now available on Netflix.  Definitely give it a chance.  

-Noah Franc