Arts & Entertainment 15
‘Salaam Bombay! ’ focuses on struggling
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Senior Reporter_
Of all the twisted plots in the
movies today - from the life and
times of bartenders to the two people
from different worlds who arc
brought together through the art of
sexy dancing - Mira Nair’s “Salaam
Bombay!” is a refreshing and new
look at the the struggle of the human
condition.
soaiwZ
And although the movie had sub
titles, the quality and translation was
excellent.
Filmed on the streets of Bombay,
this movie tells the story of a 10-year
old's struggle to “make it,” alone on
the streets of the overcrowded India
city.
The young boy Krishna (Shafiq
Syed), who exemplifies sucet life of
poor and/or homeless children in
Bombay, is thrown out of his home by
his mother because he ruined a bi
cycle. He must work until he makes
enough money, 500 rupees, to re
place it. Then and only then will he be
allowed to return home.
The story begins with Krishna on
his first job - with the circus. The
group, camped out in the middle of
nowhere, is packing to leave when
Krishna is ordered, by his boss, to run
an errand.
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upon the boy’s return, he finds the
campground empty. Between the
desolation of the campground and the
look on the boy’s face, one is able to
experience a child’s “I lost my
mommy in the grocery store” feel
ing.
With very little money, the boy
sets out lor the city of Bombay.
Alter becoming acquainted with
some of the local hoods, Krishna
linds himself befriending a drug
dealer/addict, a prostitute, the prosti
tute s daughter and “Sweet Six
teen.”
“Sweet Sixteen,” (Chanda
Charma) who arrives in Bombay at
the same time as Krishna, is a young
girl who is being groomed for prosti
tution.
It is at this point that one realizes
how pathetic it ail is -- not only are
these children the butt of a bad deal in
life, but they’re manipulated as well
as manipulative.
Because of this vicious cycle,
these children find themselves star
ing karma in the face. Especially with
Krishna (who is now called Chaipau);
his swindling finds him time and
again losing his money and/or having
it stolen.
The technical aspects enhance the
mood swings of the film. The cine
matography and lighting capture the
essence of the human condition.
When times were tough, the camera
captures the filth, dampness and
darkness of the working-class neigh
Street urchins in “Salaam Bombay!”
borhoods and railway platforms of
Bombay.
In one scene, Krishna’s friend
Chillum (Raghubir Yadav), a broke
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drug addict, has a withdrawal attack
and in the middle of his fit decides he
wants to throw himself in front of a
moving rail car, but Krishna holds
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him back.
But when times were good or at
See SALAAM on 16
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luck oj aetau damages otnerwise decent sneidon dook
By William Rudolph
Staff Reporter
Sidney Sheldon
The Sands of Time
William Morrow & Company
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According to a popular cliche, big
things come in little packages. While
this may work for people concerned
about their height, in the case of Sid
ney Sheldon’s newest novel, the re
verse seems to be true.
In fact, “The Sands of Time”
seems to be a case of a little thing
coming in a very big package.
Sheldon’s latest thriller promises
big things. It intends to detail whal
happens to a group of four nuns
thrown into the real world after their
Spanish convent is ransacked by
government soldiers searching for
Basque loyalists.
In addition, “The Sands of Time”
also purports to take the reader into
the fierce conflict between the illegal
Basque underground searching for
some measure to preserve its cultural
identity and the desperate Spanish
government trying to cope with both
Franco’s death and a growing men
ace to its power.
Sheldon’s nuns all hold the prom
ise of being interesting characters.
There’s Sister Lucia, a spoiled
daughter of a Sicilian mobster, who is
on the run from a murder rap for
avenging the death of her father.
There’s an unearthly beautiful Sister
Graciela, who has escaped the sordid
sexual nightmares of her past for the
purer love of the Church. There’s
Sister Teresa, a fiercely devout and
fiercely confused nun whose reli
gious devotion proves to be her undo
ing. And last but not least, we have
Sister Megan, a spunky orphan with
an excitement for life and a burning
desire to discover her mysterious
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past.
Into these characters’ lives, Shel
don throws the figures of Jaime Miro,
the reckless revolutionary at the head
of the Basque movement, and Colo
nel Ramon Acoca, the vengeful army
commander willing to break any rule
or go to any length to capture his
obsession.
In due course, the lives of the nuns
become intertwined with Jaime
Miro’s destiny, as they wind up
caughi in the middle of the struggle
between Miro and Acoca.
It all looks good, especially on the
book jacket
To be fair, “The Sands of Time”
keeps the reader’s interest. Sheldon’s
forte is fast-paced suspense, and his
latest novel does not disappoint in
that respect. Sheldon’s screen writing
past shows up in brief scenes that cut
See SIDNEY on 19
Mclnemey novel
about an actress,
sex and drugs
By Mark Lage
Staff Reporter__
Jay Mclnemey
Stcry of My Life
The Atlantic Monthly Press
“Story of My Life’’ is the third
novel by Jay Mclnemey, who is
best known for his first, “Bright
Lights, Big City.” He also wrote
the screenplay for that film, which
starred Michael J. Fox.
After his second novel, “Ran
som,” which told the rather sedate
story of a young man trying to
regain control of his life by study
ing karate in Japan, “Story of My
Life” is a return to the faster
paced, glamorous, cocaine-ridden
New York City setting of "Bright
Lights, Big City.”
The glamor and humor of books
like “Bright Lights, Big City,”
and “Story of My Life,” make
them enjoyable reading, but there
is much more to them than that.
The story and life in question
here is that of Alison Poole, 20, an
over-privileged Jcwish-Amcrican
princess type who is trying to get a
grip on the good life before it beats
her into submission. She is en
rolled in a New York acting
school, and her outside interests
See JAY on 18
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