The Courtesans of Bombay
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.
Top Billed Cast
Featured Crew
Ismail Merchant
Director
Ray Beckett
Sound
Ismail Merchant
Writer
James Ivory
Writer
Amit Bose
Editor
Ismail Merchant
Producer
Wahid Chowhan
Associate Producer
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Writer
Vishnu Mathur
Director of Photography
Kareem Samar
Associate Producer
Michael Fields
Assistant Director