Representation of Plight of the Poor People in Nair's Salaam Bombay

Abstract

The present thesis is about the representation of plight of the poor people in Nair’s Salaam Bombay. The story lines in the film are about the prostitution business, drug addiction and homeless children. There is conflict between classes; rich and poor. The rich people are in power. They have formed the social norms and values. Love and respect do not matter, but what matters are power, position, money and entertainment. There is destruction of the human values and virtues. Baba is the most “successful” person in the movie. However, the way he gains his financial success is by exploiting people, who sells drug for him, and by making prostitution into a very lucrative business. He also gets a lot of money to “tame” Sweet Sixteen and we understand from the movie she was not only the girl that he tamed but also he sees the money as the final remedy to have power and position in the capitalist society. This study analyzes the complex social structure in term of Marxist discourse. All these elements combine so as we see the people and lives behind them. Thus, capitalism has turned India into evil sound full of poverty, violence, crimes, alienation, destruction and frustration.