Salaam Bombay! 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Salaam Bombay! 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 24, 2026

For her directorial debut, Mira Nair elects to explore the experience of children living on their own in Bombay, India. 1988’s “Salaam Bombay” isn’t a celebration of life, but a striking feature about the death of innocence, following young characters as they’re confronted by the harsh realities of their surroundings, and the realization that nobody is going to save them. It’s a potent offering of drama from Nair, who manages amateur performances and chaotic locations with remarkable skill at times, finding a way through a difficult tale of survival. “Salaam Bombay” is unique in its screen energy and daring in its tonality, with Nair hoping to bring attention to a dire situation of living where life seems disposable.

Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is a boy who’s been pushed away by his family after acting out with violence, tasked with acquiring 500 rupees before he’s allowed to return. Krishna finds his way to Bombay, only to understand the difficulties of living in the city, surrounded by other abandoned children looking to survive on a daily basis. Finding employment as a tea distributor to earn his money, Krishna is introduced to the world of Baba (Nana Patekar), a drug dealer and pimp who maintains control of his love, prostitute Rekha (Anita Kanwar), and barely tolerates his daughter, Manju (Hansa Vithal). Krishna also befriends Chillum (Raghuvir Yadav), one of Baba’s dealers and a young man addicted to drugs. Desperate to earn money and return home, Krishna is faced with opportunists and cruelty, finding some light in Solasaal (Chanda Sharma), a teen virgin sold to a brothel, inspiring the boy to help her find a way out of Baba’s control.

Screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala doesn’t sugarcoat the living experience for children in “Salaam Bombay,” sending Krishna into a hellacious situation where the boy must learn to survive on his own. There are others just like him, but the writing focuses on his perspective, keeping Krishna on the move as he finds a job moving glasses of tea around the city, and there are other hustling opportunities, but earning money proves to be nearly impossible in a community filled with predators. “Salaam Bombay” keeps Chillum in play, understanding the subordinate’s situation with Baba and his own all-consuming addiction, with Krishna cautious around his friend. There’s Manju, a little girl trying to maintain her mother’s attention while she’s involved with Baba and various customers. And there’s Baba himself, who maintains control over his “kingdom,” happy to lash out and humiliate others, only finding a sense of life in Solasaal, eager to capture her attention before she’s deflowered for a major fee, beginning a life of servitude she doesn’t understand.

Characterization is sharp in “Salaam Bombay,” and the writing finds moments of dramatic clarity, especially with Solasaal, who represents innocence prepped for destruction, putting Baba and Krishna on the hunt to help in distinctly different ways. The rest of the picture is mostly episodic, following Krishna as he moves around the city, dealing with constant setbacks to his dream of financial freedom, growing frustrated and soon angry with his situation. Nair has a remarkable way with young actors here, managing amateur performers with real skill, extracting genuine performances out of the kids and their different energies. Syed is especially vivid, capably selling the dwindling spirit inside Krishna as he hunts for escape. Vithal is also distinct in her screen presence, working with Nair to create a silent witness to various horrors, but also a girl who wants to be loved by her troubled parents. Nair wisely holds on the child’s reactions to best understand the gradual detachment from reality many of these kids maintain just to make it to the next day.

For additional information and analysis, please read the 2015 Blu-ray review.

Salaam Bombay! 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

"Salaam Bombay" was originally issued on Blu-ray by Kino Lober in 2015, and Criterion Collection returns to the title with a new UHD release, listed as a "new 4K restoration," "created from the 35mm original camera negative," "presented in Dolby Vision HDR." The viewing experience is an improvement over the Kino Lorber release in many ways, but color may be slightly troublesome for those with a sensitivity to newer color grades that favor pushes of teal and yellow. Some blues aren't quite blue anymore, but most other hues survive as intended, delivering brighter primaries on clothing choices and street signage. City tours maintain a darker presence with browns and deep blacks, and orange is sustained. Skin tones are natural. Detail is strong, exploring varied skin particulars with the different ages of the cast. Costuming is fibrous. Interiors provide dimension, permitting examination of decorative additions, and exteriors are deep, providing a full sense of community bustle and rural events. Shadowy action is intact, and highlights are tasteful. Grain is nicely resolved. Source is in good condition.

Salaam Bombay! 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA mix is listed as "the original monaural soundtrack," "remastered from the 35mm magnetic tracks." While the listening event is straightforward, clarity is excellent here, providing a crisp understanding of acting choices from the largely amateur cast. Scoring selections retain sharp instrumentation, and soundtrack selections are satisfactorily defined. Atmospherics are appreciable, including community bustle around crowded streets.

Salaam Bombay! 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains an essay by Devika Girish.

• Commentary #1 features director Mira Nair.

• Commentary #2 features cinematographer Sandi Sissel.

• Interview (14:02, HD) is a 2025 video conference discussion of "Salaam Bombay" with director Mira Nair and composer L. Subramanian.

• Interview (6:59, SD) is a 2003 exploration of "Salaam Bombay" with screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala.

• Cast Interviews (SD) are 2003 chats with Shafiq Syed (7:04), Aneeta Kanwar (6:37), Hansa Vithal (6:36), and Bernard Sissel (6:56).

• "Salaam Baalak Trust" (10:54, SD) is a 2003 examination of a "mission to support Mumbai's street children," featuring interviews with Door Step School founder and director Bina Sheth Lashkari, Salaam Balak Trust founder Dinaz Stafford, actor Shekhar, Salaam Balak Trust founder (Delhi) Sanjoy Roy, Salaam Balak Trust founder (Bombay) Zarine Gupta, Falaam Balak Trust founder (Delhi) Praveen Nair, and screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:34, SD) is included.

Salaam Bombay! 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Salaam Bombay" is a grim picture, largely highlighting all the struggles facing Krishna as he attempts to locate any possible form of stability available to him. And even structure can be just as dangerous, leaving the boy in a terrible situation joined by other discarded kids. Nair follows the slow realization of hopelessness throughout most of the endeavor, occasionally getting caught up in more adult issues, lingering a bit too long at times on supporting characters and their scattered thoughts. The film has its distractions and directorial indulgences, but Nair maintains a strong atmosphere, and she uses her locations exceptionally well, generating a world for Krisha, or perhaps more of a prison, with the boy learning to navigate his toxic surroundings throughout the feature. There's no happy ending here, as the writing is determined to maintain reality, wisely avoiding obvious tragedy for something more insidious, making for a disturbing and downbeat viewing experience. However, Nair has compassion for her characters and a desire to highlight the life of these children, achieving an often brutal education in a heartbreaking film.