Mumbai’s King

MUMBAI’S KING is a kaleidoscopic blur of color and sound; a freewheeling, episodic film reminiscent of “Slumdog Millionaire.” Teenage Rahul avoids home in the slums of Mumbai since his dad is a violent drunkard. He prefers to do backflips into a fetid waterway or to roam the city as it prepares for the carnival-like Ganesh festival with his friend Arbaaz, a 12-year-old balloon seller. The boys play pranks: they steal potatoes and roast them in an improvised fire; they horse around in a stream overlooking the smoggy city; they chase roosters in the rain. While Rahul plots revenge on his father, a pretty girl in a yellow dress catches his eye, providing a moment of happiness. As the celebration culminates with the lowering of the effigy of Lord Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles, into the sea, it looks like some of Rahul’s troubles might also be washed away. MUMBAI’S KING is an exhilarating cocktail of joy and sorrow, celebration and misfortune, whose stories are taken from the director’s own life. (In Hindi with subtitles) – B.B.