

A Hindu man and a Muslim woman fall in love in a small village and move to Mumbai, where they have two children. However, growing religious tensions and erupting riots threaten to tear the family apart.
Direction
Mani Ratnam turns a riot into intimate family tragedy.
Cinematography
Bombay streets become character—glorious, then grotesque.
Score
A.R. Rahman's 'Humma Humma' lives rent-free forever.

Director
Mani Ratnam
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released months after 1993 Bombay blasts; Ratnam filmed riot scenes while real tensions still simmered, making it almost documentary-verité.
The 'Uyire'/'Tu Hi Re' sequence was shot during actual monsoon flooding—Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala were genuinely miserable, and it shows.