Mumbai: the Infernal Megalopolis
3,626,083
Published 2023-06-18
In Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia, over one million people are packed into the slum. But although its residents are poor, there’s a real dynamism. Mahesh, 27, was born and lives in this slum and would never leave it. He runs a recycling plant and employs around 20 people. Dharavi’s underground economy is thought to generate 800 million euros per year. But it also lies on prime real estate in the very centre of Mumbai so its future is in doubt.
Every day, new towers of glass or concrete emerge from the earth. With the support of the municipality, real estate tycoon, Babulal Varma, razes slums to build luxury apartments for the upper classes. As the city constantly expands, it pushes into the surrounding forests and natural spaces, such as Sanjay Gandhi Park. The fifty leopards who live there regularly make forays into the new housing estates. They attack stray dogs, but also the inhabitants. Each year, several people are killed by feline attacks. At night, forest department rangers patrol to prevent leopard incursions.
0:00 The documentary
0:24 Mumbai's overcrowded trains pose safety risks and challenges for commuters.
7:19 Mumbai, a city of dreams and contrasts, with a booming film industry and a massive slum.
14:08 The story of two residents in Mumbai, one from a slum and one from a luxury apartment, who have achieved success in their respective fields.
19:52 The city is growing and to accommodate the increasing population, the chief of Omkar, Babulal, plans to demolish the slums and build new buildings.
26:12 The rehabilitation of slums in Mumbai has resulted in luxury skyscrapers for some former residents, while others are forced to live in decrepit apartments on the outskirts of the city.
32:15 Mumbai's dabbawalas are a reliable and unique food delivery system.
38:17 French entrepreneurs in Mumbai are capitalizing on the city's economic growth and catering to the emerging middle class.
43:59 The increasing urbanization of Mumbai has led to conflicts between humans and leopards in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
49:51 Leopards in Mumbai are increasingly attacking humans, leading to tragic deaths and anger among the affected families.
Directors: Marc de La Villardière & Manolo d'Arthuys
All Comments (21)
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I'm from a very chilled out part of India. I lived and worked in Mumbai for 5 years and it F-ed my head up real bad. When you have a house and a garden of your own in your own hometown, it's not worth finding work in a city like Mumbai.
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Only 20% of Mumbai residents have access to running water!!! That is one of the saddest statistics I’ve ever heard.
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The part with the real estate tycoon talking about his plans to demolish a slum and profit from it is an incredibly candid look into the human face of inequality.
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You know it smell crazy there
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Watching that man break down crying from how much he worked is rough.
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What a weird decision to blur someone's prosthetic legs.
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The part where the documentary shows the promises of the execs against the contrast of the reality of the poor people that have been screwed over by the corporation is so incredible and valuable. Big big props to the crew for recording and showing everything. Just another proof of why you NEVER take the word of a rich exec guy.
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My mum is a business woman and travels all over Asia, Africa and Middle East. She said she has never seen so much extreme poverty in any city like Mumbai and New Delhi worsened by the overpopulation and hygienic and infrastructure l challenges! During a tour they told them many people in the cities are born on the streets, live and die on the streets with no access to toilets while sharing the streets with domestic animals like cows and pets! 😢
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Thats not a dream, it is a frightening nightmare.
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$780,000 for a 3br apartment in Mumbai is crazy. You would think property prices were cheaper in India than the US.
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I went there and the open sewers were the most disappointing part. I feel even the poorest and the richest person would agree that a good underground or at least closed sewer system would be beneficial for all. For such a massive and important city to still have a lack of sewer infrastructure is truly sad to witness.
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We have absolutely horrible living conditions lets make another two children.
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I don't understand why these people keep having 7 or 8 or more children,even when they don't have money for them.
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As a person from a cool sparsely populated Northern country, I would quickly become claustrophobic in such an environment.
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I've never known noise like it when I was in Mumbai. Constant beeping of car horns. It is nonstop. Some places in Europe are bad, but it really just sounds like almost a constant buzz of horns in Mumbai.
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Anyone else feel sorry for wildlife like leopards forced to live in cages, so rich people can build apartment blocks and evict slum residents?
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Never felt more blessed to live in a city of only 36k people in 🇨🇦🙏
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I remember writing an essay about how inhumane and drastic China's "one child" old policy was. But watching this, I think it is India's only solution.
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$360,000 for a 70 square meter apartment in the middle of a slump...
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Word of the day: gratitude. I teach high school English, and many of my students are from India. They are kind, smart, funny, and dedicated to their education. There are days teaching seems like drudgery, then I see documentaries like this one that remind me that tens of millions of people would gladly trade places with me. If you have a job that is rewarding and allows you to live a good life, be thankful.
