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Mumbai High: The Musical (2015)

Mumbai High The Musical is a dizzying and unique musical extravaganza. Set in a school in Dharavi, Mumbai, the biggest slum in Asia, it combines observational footage of the children’s daily lives, with songs reflecting their hopes and dreams.

Fourteen year old Mary lives with her parents and two sisters on the pavement of a busy road.  They have a rudimentary shelter and they all sleep on the floor, sometimes with rats running over them. Mary and the other characters have their dreams and ambitions and believe they can achieve them through education.  They are clever, bright, motivated and they sing!  This is no ordinary documentary, this is the very first Bollywood style documentary musical.  Mixed in with the traditional observational footage of the school are specially composed and choreographed song and dance numbers which the children (and teachers!) perform with incredible skill and charm.  No film has ever been made like this, it’s a perfect way to capture the unbreakable optimism and exuberance of youth. But this is not a depressing examination of extreme poverty, it’s an uplifting celebration of human spirit and endeavour, and it sets out to tell a wider tale of India.

A Century Films Production for BBC

1 x 60 minutes

Produced byLiesel EvansEdited byJoe CareyMusic and Lyrics byNainita DesaiDirected byBrian HillSam Benstead

Awards/Reviews

Winner, best documentary4th Indian Cine Festival


"Uniquely, this wonderful programme is really a ‘musical documentary’ about the life of children..in Dharavi..Charming, uplifting, with great songs and dancing…A joy."The Observer

"This was the life-affirming surprise of the week"The Times

"…clever mix of documentary and musical offers not only a portrait of the street children at a school in Mumbai, but also a snapshot of…the film moves seamlessly from dance scenes and songs reflecting the hopes and dreams of the people, to intimate footage of the street children talking about their lives and ambitions"The Telegraph

"…the songs are seamlessly integrated and well performed…"Sunday Times


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