Mani Ratnam's 'Bombay' views communalism through eyes of common man

His Lotto shoes thrown carelessly in a corner, Mani Ratnam is rushing between editing rooms in his socks. "No, no. The sound of the rain is too tinny, too metallic," he says, interrupting a reel. "Isn't there too much red in that shot?" he asks as the scene progresses. After eight months of frenetic work, Mani Ratnam's wrenching new filmBombayis almost ready for a mid-January release.

The stress is telling on the director as he becomes increasingly irritable. A part of the tension is theBombayteam's race against time as they put finishing touches to the film. But a good part of the tension for Mani Ratnam is in carefully guarding the film from the public eye, in his own film-making tradition that has not, as yet, been broken. Secretive to a fault, he is doing everything he can to ensure that only a handful of people see the film before it hits the cinema screens.

After the smash Tamil hitRojaconquered film-goers all over the country in its dubbed Hindi version, making a box-office match is quite a task. Mani Ratnam is braving himself for a Tamil-Telugu-Hindi release ofBombay. "Right now I'm in the process of wrapping up the film and that is my prime concern. The nervousness will come after the release," he says candidly.

Mani Ratnam's new film deals with the explosive theme of communalism. He himself is loath to describe the story of the film, asking, "If the story can be described in a few lines, why make a three-hour film on it?"Bombayis a story of a romance between a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl. While Hindi films by the dozen have dealt with rich-poor, upper caste-lower caste or even Hindu-Christian romances, Mani Ratnam's film crosses a fresh communal barrier. But going much beyond a purely simplistic theme, the director has chosen to set the film inBombayagainst the Hindu-Muslim riots.

AsBombayis being readied for the censors, Mani Ratnam is hoping that the film will be uncontroversial. "It is a positive film about communal harmony. The censors shouldn't have a problem at all. On the contrary, I think they should give me a pat on the back," he says. The director explains that his film is not about the communal riots but about a helpless, innocent man caught up in violence not of his own making. "Doesn't this happen in real life? Why is the subject a controversy?"

The protagonist, played by Mani Ratnam'sRojahero Arvind Swami, works in a newspaper in Bombay and is just returning to his village. He sees the heroine-played by Manisha Koirala - at the boat jetty and it is a classic case of love at first sight. Despite friends warning him of the implications of falling in love with a Muslim, the hero courts her ardently Arvind Swami describes his role: "It's definitely more satisfying thanRoja, altogether different."

When he returns to his job inBombaythe hero writes to his love asking her to join him. Much against the wishes of their parents, the hero and heroine get married and begin their life in a chawl. They have twins, named Kabir and Kamal. On the surface, life is smooth for a couple of years. But then, tension builds up as events such as the demolition of the Babri Masjid overtake them. Communal riots erupt in the city and all hell breaks loose.

In the ensuing drama, the children are lost. Their grandparents, since reconciled to the marriage, are on a visit and are killed in a fire. The children are witness to the scenes of massacre and mayhem. One of them is rescued by ahijra(eunuch), and cannot explain whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim. The identity crisis of thehijraechoes the little boy's own crisis.

The fanatical Hindu and Muslim leaders, played by Tinnu Anand and Akash Khurana, seem to be straight out of real life. In fact, the fire-spewing Hindu leader, who is dressed like Bal Thackeray, heads an organisation called Shakti Samaj, and even mouths dialogues resembling Thackeray's speeches. The Muslim leader is no less a fundamentalist, even if he comes across as a slightly toned-down version of his Hindu counterpart.

The film ends on an optimistic note as the communal leaders realise their folly. There are moving scenes where a Muslim woman takes on a mob and people rescue members of a different community and where both Hindus and Muslims drop their arms and hold hands after realizing that they all had a temporary bout of insanity.

When the communal riots hit Bombay, Mani Ratnam had just embarked on filmingThiruda Thiruda. He remembers the feeling of helplessness he experienced over the communal violence. That the riots took place in cosmopolitanBombayshook him even more. "My film is about the common man's agony in resolving the question 'why the violence?' And 'why me?'" WhileRojahad ultra-nationalism as its theme,Bombayis about the equally huge and equally complicated issue of communalism: "This film is more genuine, it is about the anguish of the man on the street."

Mani Ratnam says his intention is not to preach-Rojawas a cry against terrorism, whileBombayis a film about humanism and about people caring for each other. "My intention is not to sound preachy but to just bring forth my feelings." The film, therefore, has strong portrayals of Hindu and Muslim leaders and their arguments. But what is ultimately at the forefront is the common man, his dilemmas and his point of view.

To make a mainstream film and at the same time handle with sensitivity an issue that is still alive in the minds of the people has taken a tremendous effort. Mani Ratnam admits that the making ofBombaywas tougher than any of his earlier films. The film is not judgemental, there is no pointing fingers at any particular character or community. "Bombayis a glorified example of what happens everywhere," he says. Arvind Swami adds: "It is a very small percentage of reality."

Like all Mani Ratnam's films,Bombayis painstaking in its detail. The director spent weeks researching theBombayriots from newspapers, magazines and video clippings. Besides, he visited riot-hit areas, photographed places, talked to the people affected and even interviewed journalists on the beat. The effort has clearly paid off.

A highlight of the film is its music. Once again, the Mani Ratnam - A.R. Rahman team has come up with winners, particularlyUyirae, uyiraeandKannalenae.There is even a song -Humma humma- sung by Rahman himself. But it is the haunting background score, soulful and distinctly Muslim in parts, that makes it stand apart from any of their earlier joint ventures. Says Rahman: "My music meshes with the film. I wasn't just composing an album full of good songs so I could earn a name."