Pointing at the growing level of intolerance in India, filmmaker Rajiv Menon said it would have been difficult to find takers to screen Bombay if the film was made today.
In a conversation with the YouTube channel O2 India, the director said that India has grown less tolerant three decades since the release of the Mani Ratnam directorial, starring Aravind Swamy and Manisha Koirala in the lead. The 1995 film depicts an interreligious couple, Shekhar (Arvind Swamy) and Shaila Banu (Manisha Koirala). They elope and leave for Mumbai, far away from their ultra-orthodox families in coastal Tamil Nadu. However, communal strife grips their new home as Hindus and Muslims hold riots and commit arson in the wake of the Babri Masjid demolition. The film advocates for communal harmony in the middle of strife. Rajiv Menon served as the cinematographer of Bombay.
Making an observation of present-day India, Rajiv Menon said that India is in a "volatile" situation and people take up "strong positions", and religion has become a "big issue". He adds, "I don’t think you can make a film like Bombay, release it in the theatre, and not expect the theatre to be burnt down. In these 25-30 years, India has become less tolerant.”
The film won praise for handling strong themes sensibly, the mature performances and AR Rahman's music and background score. Bombay heaped multiple National Awards and State Awards after its release.
