Mumbai. Bombay. Mayanagri. Ages have passed, and yet its allure remains. Even for me, raised in a city's characteristic chaos, the idea of making Mumbai home whispered in my ears years ago.

It crept in slowly at first, aided by its place in pop culture, and then all at once when I visited Mumbai for the first time. It was the sunset at Marine Drive that did it for me. I was smitten by the way it divided the cityscape into two neat halves: the gentle mossy-green sea and a burning, orange-ish pink sky.

The first bouts of attraction continued over subsequent visits. Every year, I would find myself looking out to the same view—wishing, yearning and dreaming of all that the city promised. But when the time finally came, reality struck, and the glossy layer came off to reveal the city's other side—the side that gets revealed in Payal Kapadia's lucid "All We Imagine As Light."

Mumbai Blues

While Mumbai has played many characters in Hindi-language films over the years, in Payal Kapadia's critically-acclaimed "All We Imagine As Light," the city is stripped off its embellishments as three women—Anu (Divya Prabha), Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam)—try to navigate its twisted ways.

Unlike other films, Kapadia's Mumbai is not aspirational. It turns away from its identity as the City of Dreams to be redefined as the City of Illusions. It is raw, rough, and ruthless and comes with its unique set of problems that each of the three women confront. While young Anu struggles to find space to share an intimate moment with her partner Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon), Prabha's loneliness only gets louder—to the point of even drowning out Mumbai's noise. Meanwhile, Prabha struggles to keep her place in the face of being expelled due to the construction of a residential building.

It is through these three independent yet connected stories that Kapadia explores Mumbai's essence, which is as real as the celebrated "Spirit of Mumbai." While most of the films in the past have built a personality out of the city's different phases, Kapadia takes the route of showing the city for what it is.

Talking about how the Golden Globes-nominated film has explored the good, bad and the in-between of Mumbai, film historian and founder of Karwaan Heritage, Eshan Sharma, says, "Mumbai has been a popular subject for filmmakers for decades. In the 1950s, filmmakers like Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt portrayed it as the city of promise, a symbol of independent India’s potential. In the 1970s, you saw a romanticized version of Bombay in films like 'Chhoti Si Baat.' By the 1990s, the city’s underworld became a central theme in movies like 'Satya' by Ram Gopal Varma and Mani Ratnam’s 'Bombay,' which also explored communal tensions. Post-2000, with liberalization, movies like 'Wake Up Sid' offered a fresh perspective—a city of new opportunities. But after that, it’s been over 15 years, and we haven’t seen such a raw and unique portrayal of Mumbai until now. This film stands out because it captures the city’s trains, monsoons, and Ganpati celebrations, but interestingly, omits the iconic Arabian Sea."

Mill Metropolis

Sharma recently even co-conducted a walk across Mumbai with Kapadia, where attendees explored the city's many mills and other sites important to the film and personal to the director.

The exploration began in Lower Parel, once the centre of Bombay's cotton mills and where Kapadia grew up. Sharma shares more about the other places central to the film:

"We began at Famous Studios, a 75-year-old film studio in Bombay known for post-production work. Here, we discussed Bombay's evolution as a trade center and the context of the city’s cotton production, tying it to the themes of the film.

Next, we visited Shakti Mills, one of the oldest mills in the area, now in ruins. We talked about its history and this also led to a discussion on the rise of the underworld and the politics of crime, which became prominent after the decline of the city’s mills.

From there, we moved to Lakshmi Mills, now G5 Compound. We discussed the challenges surrounding the repurposing of mills under the guise of redevelopment. Many mills have been turned into cafés and commercial spaces, while mill workers continue to fight for their rights and compensation. At the Western Railways compound, we explored the critical role of local trains in Bombay’s development. The trains were not just carriers of goods but also brought workers from distant places to the mills, shaping the city's workforce.

We also visited the BDD chawls (Bombay Development Department chawls), built in the 1920s as housing for mill workers and their families. These chawls were strategically located near the mills to save commuting time. However, even the chawls are now slated for redevelopment. We discussed the problems with reconstruction in Bombay, particularly in Lower Parel, where the most expensive real estate in India has replaced the mills. Meanwhile, workers and their families still live in these chawls, fighting for their rights and their share in the redevelopment process."

Moments Of Escape

While blue—whether the colour or the emotion—dominate the first half, the second half is washed with subtle yet delightful tones of yellow as Anu, Prabha and Parvaty leave behind the chaos of the big city and head to Ratnagiri, a port town on the Arabian Sea.

The three women are on their own different journeys, together. While for Parvaty it is homecoming, this trip brings Anu the chance to steal a few soft moments with her partner. For Prabha, the inherent quietitude of a seaside village forces her to confront the cries of her inner loneliness, without any distraction of everyday responsibilities and trying to make ends meet.

"That transition felt like liberation. For the three women in the film, it represented an escape from their routine lives. Each character had her struggles. In Ratnagiri, they found peace and camaraderie. Away from the chaos of the city, they were free to reflect and connect," says Sharma.

It is in Ratnagiri's obscure laterite caves, dense forest, and breezy shore that the three women find space to expand and explore their inner worlds—a gift that only travel allows once in a while, whether one is returning from a journey or embarking on one.