Showing Mumbai Noir by Altaf Tyrewala

AFTER THE CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS OF DELHI NOIR, PART OF NEW YORK S AWARD-WINNING NOIR SERIES, COMES MUMBAI NOIR, WHICH LOOKS THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY AT WHAT IS ARGUABLY INDIA S MOST FASCINATING CITY. THE STORIES IN MUMBAI NOIR DEPICT THE MANY WAYS IN WHICH THE CITY S EVER-PRESENT SHADOWY ASPECTS OFTEN FORCE THEMSELVES ONTO THE LIVES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE. THE CITY S CHRONICLERS ITS NOVELISTS, ESSAYISTS, POETS, JOURNALISTS, AND FILMMAKERS OFTEN SEEM OVERAWED BY THE IDEA OF MUMBAI, RENDERING ITS QUOTIDIAN REALITIES IN BRUSHSTROKES OF GRANDIOSE NARRATIVES. WHAT INOCULATES THE STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION FROM THE HYPERBOLE OF MAXIMUM CITY THAT MUCH-ABUSED TERM COINED BY THE ASTUTE SUKETU MEHTA TO DESCRIBE MUMBAI-ARE THE RESTRAINTS SET BY THE NOIR GENRE, WHICH STIPULATES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, AN UNFLINCHING GAZE AT THE UNDERBELLY, WITHOUT RECOURSE TO SENTIMENTALITY OR FORCED DENOUEMENTS. WHEN VIEWED FROM A PLANE (OR HOT-AIR BALLOON), ANY METROPOLIS MIGHT STRIKE ONE AS JAW-DROPPING. FOR A MAJORITY OF MUMBAI S RESIDENTS, HOWEVER, THE CITY S OVERCROWDED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND DECAYING INFRASTRUCTURE FAIL TO PROVIDE EVEN THE MINIMUM OF RELIEF