1983
4.0 (4 votes)
1h 14m
Genres
Documentary
Production Companies
Merchant Ivory Productions
The Courtesans of Bombay
Overview
In the Mumbai, India, tenement community of Pavanpul, young female courtesans sing, dance and perform sexual favors for male clientele. Directors James Ivory and Ismail Merchant blend documentary footage and dramatic reenactments in their exploration of this seamy underworld, the flip side of the Bollywood film industry, where aspiring actors and dancers -- some even sold into prostitution by their own families -- end up, with their innocence lost and their hopes for movie stardom shattered.
Key Crew
Director: Ismail Merchant
Producer: Ismail Merchant
Writer: James Ivory, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Ismail Merchant
Director of Photography: Vishnu Mathur
